UPCOMING WEBINARS
The Big Power of Small Tweaks in Coaching
Carol Scott on Being An Advocate
RESEARCH YOU WANT TO KNOW
Psychological Safety in Executive Coaching-Nov 14 Who Do We Choose to Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity in A Turbulent World-Dec 11
COACHING REPORT
DIRECTOR'S CORNER
Strategies of Setting and Implementing Goals
IOC Roundtable Event in Toronto-Nov 29
Atomic Habits by James Clear
UPCOMING EVENT
November 2018
BOOK OF THE MONTH
COACHX
Director's Corner
When life isn’t living up to our own or our client’s expectations, it’s often tempting to think in terms of dramatic changes. People fantasize about quitting their jobs and heading off to a mountain ashram. They are embarrassed by their junk food diet and muse about going vegan. They consider what it might be like to rebuild their identities in New York, Paris, or Tahiti. Usually these massive changes appear so daunting that our clients may do nothing, and remaining stuck and dissatisfied. In the instances where they do follow the impulse to turn their world on its head, they often find the reality of their new situation doesn’t live up to its imaginings. All the problems of life are not all instantly solved. The truth is that nature favors evolution, not revolution. Single-celled organisms slowly morph and adapt, finally creating complex plants and animals. Continents plod across oceans, giving shape to our world. So it is with our own and our clients’ lives. Change is a process, not an event. Rather than break from our past with a single decision, it is often more effective to make small, subtle changes that steer us in the direction of our values. This insight is the basis of what I call the tiny tweaks principle. It can be helpful in the frustration of the change process to remind our clients that small deliberate tweaks, infused with values, can make a huge difference in their lives. Thinking small has real advantages. The cost of failure is comparatively low. When clients realize that they’ve got little to lose, they feel less pressure and more confidence. And the focus on modest, achievable goals provides tangible markers on the road to success. But what does this look like when applied to their everyday habits? Here are four different tactics you can use with your client to make tiny tweaks that add up to big change: The No-Brainer: Clients can switch up their environment so that when they’re hungry, tired, stressed, or rushed, the choice most aligned with their values is also the easiest. If they’re trying to shave off a few pounds, they can set themselves up for success by stocking their shelves with fresh fruit rather than cookies. Now their only choice for a midnight snack is one they won’t regret in the morning. The Piggyback: Add a new behavior onto an existing habit. To continue with the health example, this might mean turning their routine walk with their dog into a routine jog, or doing some jumping jacks when they tune into the nightly news. The Precommitment: Help clients to anticipate and prepare for obstacles with “if-then” strategies. “If my boss makes a doughnut run, then I’ll treat myself to the juicy pear I’ve already got stored in the break room fridge”. “If I’m tempted to sleep through my morning spin class, then I’ll remind myself how much better I’ll feel for having gone.” The Obstacle Course: While much is made of positive visualizations, it is most effective to offset a positive vision with thoughts of potential challenges. Optimism is important, but is most effective when paired with realism. See Gabriele Oettingen’s research on this process – called mental contrasting in our Research You Want to Know. These evidence-based tactics can be applied to any type of change, not only health and wellness. Any sea captain will tell you that if you steer a ship just a few degrees this way or that, you can completely alter its trajectory. Over the course of a long journey, it may end up hundreds of miles from where it would have been without that slight adjustment. Helping your clients to think of change in the same way can be extremely meaningful. Turn too sharply and you might capsize, but a slow, gentle, values-connected change will get you where you want to be.
Wishing you well, Susan David IOC Co-Founder and Co-Director
research you want to know
We commonly hear about the need for positive thinking and positive visualizations when it comes to making key changes: Imagine yourself at the finish line, getting that promotion, or the new, healthy you. However, this type of positive thinking can actually hinder effective change. In one study, researchers advised half of the participants in a weight loss program to envision themselves with new svelte figures and the other half to imagine situations where they’d be tempted to cheat on their diet. A year on, the first group had lost fewer pounds than those who had thought more realistically about the process. Gabriele Oettingen’s important work in this area suggests that thinking about the positives, without considering obstacles, might actually trick your brain into believing that you’ve already achieved your goal, and so negatively impact the energy and motivation needed to follow through. Instead, mental contrasting — positive beliefs that you can achieve your outcomes plus a focus on the obstacles — is a more effective method of goal attainment. See this review chapter for more information on these interesting findings.
Oettingen, G., Gollwitzer, P.M. (2010). Strategies of setting and implementing goals. In J.E. Maddux & J.P. Tangney (Eds.), Social psychological foundations of psychology. New York: The Guilford Press.
In a continuation of the topic of small changes, James Clear’s new book, Atomic Habits, is an important book for coaches. It combines research, examples, and key practices to facilitate the complex and critical role of habit formation and maintenance in our daily lives.
Carol Scott, MD on Being An Advocate
Carol Scott, MD, outlines a playbook for coaches that can be incorporated into a medical or coaching practice in order to effectively align with patients and clients.
Book of the month
coachx
Psychological Safety in Executive Coaching: Views from Coaches and Coachees November 14, 2018 - 10:00 AM-11:15 AM
How do we as coaches foster psychological safety with our coachees? We will discuss issues related to media (safety on phone, video, in-person, etc.) and/or issues of safety in terms of "risk-taking" — getting out of one's comfort zone, etc... and how does a coach "push the edge" while maintaining safety? We will also investigate the topic of boundaries — what is appropriate and not when it comes to diversity and physical, emotional sensitivities between the genders/races/cultures — for coaches and coachees? Presenter: Konstantin Korotov Host: Carol Kauffman We recommend reading Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct before attending the webinar.
upcoming webinars
In this time as things fall apart, and in the midst of increasing fear and turmoil, Margaret Wheatley summons us to become leaders and reclaim leadership as a noble profession that creates possibility and humaneness. We need leaders in all sectors of society who put service over self-interest, aspire to be steadfast and trustworthy through crises and failures, and commit to staying present for the people and causes they care about. We need leaders who recognize what harm is being done to people and planet through practices that dominate, ignore, abuse, and suppress the human spirit. Because of these needs, coaches play a paramount role in supporting leaders to step forward and hold their ground in support of the human spirit. Presenter: Margaret Wheatley Host: Jeff Hull
Who Do We Choose to Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity in A Turbulent World December 11, 2018 - 1:00 PM-2:15 PM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
upcoming evENT
Join Dr. Jeffrey Hull (IOC Director of Education and Business Development)and host Susan Pahl (IOC Fellow) for our inaugural session in Toronto where they will share examples of the latest research in health/wellness and leadership coaching funded by the IOC. Dr. Hull will offer tips for how to apply evidence-based research in our coaching practices and also how to apply for research funding through the IOC Harnisch Grant program.
IOC Roundtable Event in Toronto November 29, 2018 - 8:30 AM-10:30 AM
Download Call for Papers in pdf format Coaches are increasingly working with systems — relationships, partnerships, families, teams, divisions and whole organizations — as well as with the whole person systems that live within each of us. In this issue we invite papers that address the following questions: 1.What are the unique characteristics of systems/systemic coaching? How is it different from other types of coaching? 2.What theoretical frameworks and/or empirical evidence supports systems/systemic coaching? 3.What are some of the challenges, theoretical and practical, when coaching systems/coaching systemically? 4.What tools support systems/systemic coaching and how do we know they are effective? 5.What can we learn from case studies in systems/systemic coaching? 6.Which are the leading organizations offering education and training in systems/systemic coaching, and how do they differ, one from another? We invite the following kinds of submission: Research Papers (5,000 words approx.) that bring together multiple, well-researched perspectives on a given topic Position Papers (3,000 words approx.) that articulate a single, well-researched perspective on a given topic Book Reviews (1,000-2,000 words approx.) that summarize, reflect on and evaluate books relevant to coaches that have been published in the past 12 months (Book Reviews do not need to relate directly to the theme). Response Papers (1,000 words approx.) that take up and respond to ideas, themes and perspectives published in previous issues of Philosophy of Coaching (available at philosophyofcoaching.org) The deadline for submissions is February 1st, 2019, for publication in May, 2019. For more information please contact us.
Call for Papers from the Journal Philosophy of Coaching Theme: Systems and/or Systemic Coaching Deadline: February 1, 2019
ANNOUNCEMENTS
IOC Silver Sponsor: Coaches Training Institute (CTI)
The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) is the oldest and largest in-person coach training school and one of the most innovative leadership training organizations in the world. With 35,000 students trained and courses in 24 countries, CTI is the first and only coach training school to offer college credits for its courses. Twenty years ago, founders Karen and Henry Kimsey-House and Laura Whitworth developed the Co-Active Model that encompasses a philosophy, a methodology, a skill set and a communication form that balances self-awareness, relationship intelligence and courageous action so that people can be deeply fulfilled, connected to others and successful in what matters most. The foundation of all of CTI's training, the Co-Active Model is being applied in business, education, medicine, government, communities and families around the world. CTI's world headquarters are in San Rafael, California.
sponsor of the month
MEMBERship
Text
Not an IOC member? Join us! The IOC provides outstanding tools (e.g., thousands of on-line resources, webinars, coaching reports and digests), a sell-out annual conference, thought leaders and an exceptional community to help advance your coaching practice. Join our growing international membership.
