As their advanced coaching programmes continue, what have our two students learned from their studies this week?
” It all comes down to self managed learning” I have now completed the CIPD’s Certificate in Advanced Professional Practice in Senior Executive Coaching & Mentoring, so it’s time for some reflection.
My objectives were to gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the profession and the theories, tools and models used most effectively in coaching senior executives. On a personal level I wanted to challenge my perceptions of myself, my ability and my methods of working. These objectives have all been met but in a different way than I had expected. And it all comes back to “self-managed learning”.
I started out believing I would learn about a whole raft of tools and models that would support coaching, and that this was what was lacking in my kit-bag. How refreshing to discover that I was using many of them already (such as Honey and Mumford’s learning styles, Kolb’s learning cycle and transactional analysis). I have also had the opportunity to practise others and found some that I like – and some that don’t work for me. I have researched whether or not psychometrics support a coaching initiative but have not been able to find a conclusive answer. It seems that if you are a user you believe they do and if you are not you don’t! I want to continue this research as I gain more experience in the profession.
What was more unexpected was the personal journey I have undertaken. As a retailer I was a pragmatist/activist, with little time for reflection. I have had to challenge myself to change, unlearning years of having to have the answer and make quick decisions. Reading The 18 Challenges of Leadership by Trevor Waldock & Shenaz Kelly-Rawat (2004) really helped me to unpack why I do what I do. I have reflected on the impact others have had on me over the years – and how I have responded. I’ve also looked at my own behaviour and how this must have appeared to others. I have unpacked many self-limiting beliefs by reflecting on where they came from and working on small steps to undo them. Reviewing the book alongside my personal experience has also helped me to understand how clients may feel.
I have learned objectively how to adapt from being an internal coach to an external one. I have also learned the importance of contracting well from the start and the need to manage the three-cornered relationship of sponsor, client and coach. I have discovered that Sir John Whitmore’s GOAL approach is replicated in a different language in many approaches.
My learners have taught me a great deal and I am thrilled to have received very positive feedback from them and that they have all achieved the coaching objectives they set.
I have at times struggled with the self-managed learning. While I am used to finding the answer myself, I have always been in an environment where I could discuss issues with colleagues. I have valued the learning set established with them, which we plan to continue.
And my greatest learning? How beneficial a positive learning environment is and how it gives you the chance to thrive. The business world does not always provide this but maybe as coaches we can challenge this.
Jane BonBernard is a fellow of the CIPD and a student on the CIPD’s Certificate in Advanced Professional Practice in Senior Executive Coaching & Mentoring.
“What is my model of psychological health?
Two people sit in a room trying to resolve a problem a common enough situation. Yet for more than 100 years, psychologists and psychotherapists have been debating the most effective ways to do it. The result has been an array of complex, continually evolving and sometimes contradictory approaches. In developing an effective coaching model, it is essential to know which are relevant to coaching, how they work, and how we can apply them in our practice. That was the objective of this penultimate module of my course. The question we were asked to hold in mind was: What is my model of psychological health?’
After a quick sprint through the development of psychology since Freud, we focused on: cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), gestalt and transactional analysis (TA). In my last report, I looked at the assumptions that I as a coach need to manage. CBT is about challenging the client’s assumptions, particularly when they lead to a vicious circle of self-defeating thoughts, feelings and behaviours. By helping clients to question and reframe those assumptions, they can shift to a virtuous circle driven by positive self-beliefs.
Gestalt emphasises the psychological drive for completion or closure of a given sequence of events, and how we become distracted or preoccupied by incomplete closure. Working with the client’s immediate experience, the coach helps them see what they are doing to prevent closure. This allows the client to examine the blockage, allowing them to move on.
TA is based on a deceptively simple parent-adult-child model of the personality. When one person interacts with another, one of several transactions may occur. Some may be positive; others can lead to the development of destructive assumptions, particularly if repeated over time (eg, “You’re OK; I’m not OK”). By using the TA model, the coach can help the client to understand how those assumptions have built up, and begin to change their behaviour.
What struck me about this all-too-brief analysis is that raising the client’s awareness of their thinking, feeling and behaviour, and challenging their underlying assumptions directly or experientially, are key components of effective coaching. In one session I asked: “What’s the assumption you’re making here?” The answer was: “I’m reluctant to ask probing questions because I don’t want to sound like my mother!”
However, in my experience insight alone is unlikely to be enough. Changing how clients think and feel takes persistence, so it must be backed up with a committed action plan.
Equally important for me is our relationship. Unless we can respect and trust one another, my client is unlikely to talk openly and honestly about sensitive issues. Carl Rogers’ conditions for a ‘therapeutic alliance’ provide valuable guidance on how to develop and maintain the relationship. These include being non-judgemental, and fully accepting the client as a whole person (‘unconditional positive regard’).
As part of that stance, it’s essential that we, as coaches, are equipped to support clients who are struggling with issues of meaning and purpose. Transpersonal psychology sees spiritual growth (possibly involving religious practice) as being as much a part of development as personal growth. It acknowledges the need many feel to search for and experience something beyond ourselves.
We must understand what matters to the client in their life and work, where their passions lie, and how they most want to contribute. These insights can be used to help them align their day-to-day reality more closely with their true purposes. That, and the energy and clarity which come with it, is a key aspect of psychological health.
Dr Henry Campion, until recently a senior manager and lead coach at the BBC, is now an independent executive coach. He is a qualifi ed psychosynthesis counsellor and a student on the Academy of Executive Coaching’s Diploma in Advanced Executive Coaching.