As we are exploring The Dynamics of Change with thought leaders in the field of human transformation we would like to share with you this insightful overview contributed by former ICF President and Coach of the Year, Steve Mitten (MCC). Enjoy!
Hello everyone,
This topic of facilitating transformative change is one that I have been drawn to for a long time. Here are a few factors that have been shown to accelerate change.
- Create Space – Big change requires time, effort, attention and growth. If you are stressed and already running at 100% capacity, you will not have the time or energy needed to make big changes. In fact your brain chemistry will not easily allow it. (Jacobs work.) Research from the field of Emotional Intelligence (Boyatzis, Jacobs) has demonstrated that we cannot learn or grow well when we are under constant levels of even day to day stress. (So taking your self/stress management to the next level really helps.)
- Getting Clear - Another important piece in making big changes is getting clear on what is truly important to us. Many changes fail because what we are attempting to achieve really doesn’t truly matter to us at a deep level. So helping a client get clear on values really helps and prevents those “climbing the next rung in the latter only to find out the latter is on the wrong wall” moments.
- Creating a Compelling Vision – When we know what is really important to us, it is easier to generate a vision for your future that genuinely inspires. An inspiring vision greatly helps us move you past our current doubts and break out of our existing comfort zones, and keep us on track when things get tough. (Boyatzis and Goleman talk about this in Primal Leadership.)
- Leveraging Your Strengths – When you go about making change, it really helps to know what your strengths are, and build on them. Collectively we tend to focus far too much energy on our weaknesses, shortcomings, and fears (which make us feel powerless) rather than focusing on the strengths and talents that empower us. (Seligman has done lots of work on this.)
- Key Relationships – We grow and change best when we are in relationship with others. (Lewis, Amini, Lannon, Kegan, etc.). We best revise how we view ourselves and our world when we are in relationship with others. We are influenced by their emotional field. We are encouraged to take greater risks because of the support we feel. (This is just one of the reasons coaching is so effective at making those bigger adaptive changes.)
- Keeping Focused – All the wonderful neuroscience has taught us that it is the intensity and frequency of our attention that reinforces the new perspectives and thought patterns that support our new behaviors. (Schwarz, etc.)
- Accountability/Support - Change is a process and it has its seasons. Without support you can too easily get discouraged or distracted. (Another big argument for coaching.)
Now, these approaches are all focused on improving/growing/raising awareness of our existing egoic mind.
In many of the ancient eastern traditions they focus on some version of the science of self inquiry (viveka) to move past the limitations of our day to day mind.
Learning about this work has been, by far, the greatest growth experience of my life. For anyone interested, you can get a good introduction to the topic through Michael Singers’ book “The Untethered Soul.”
Or, you can check out many of the teachers from Stillnessspeaks
or if you are not freaked out by folks that dress and look differently, you might enjoy this YouTube video.
Cheers,
Steve
Steve Mitten CPCC, MCC
Master Life, Business, Executive Coach and Mentor
www.acoach4u.com
PS This guest post is an edited version of Steve’s contribution to a discussion thread on the CoActive Network. You can check it out here.
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Great post Steve.
I often have wondered how we can begin to combine the essential truths of eastern philosophy with coaching methodoligies. How might this change the focus of the coaching?