| Latest Articles |
|
 |
| |
GROW Coaching Methodology |
|
Leadership coaching involves the use of several techniques and The Orange Academy uses the DANCE model which is a stepwise process of moving from becoming aware of the behavior that needs changing to actually making the transformation. However, there are other coaching models that leadership coaches use, and one of these is the GROW model. Quoting wikipedia,
"The GROW model (or process) is a technique for problem solving or goal setting. It was developed in the United Kingdom and was used extensively in the corporate coaching market in the late 1980s and 1990s.
There have been many claims to authorship of GROW as a way of achieving goals and solving problems. While no one person can be clearly identified as the originator Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, Sir John Whitmore, who are well known in the world of coaching, made significant contributions. Max Landsberg also describes GROW in his book The Tao of Coaching"
What is GROW?
When you take a journey, you need to begin with deciding the destination, look at where you presently stay, find ways to get to the destination and get everyone prepped to reaching there. Sir John Whitmore, human resources consultant and coach, made a major contribution to developing the GROW model which, follows a similar methodology. In his book titled “Coaching for Performance: GROWing People, Performance and Purpose” he explains how GROW is an acronym for Goal, Reality, Options and Will. Using this model, you can design a leadership coaching session that helps your team proceed through any obstacle it faces.
Goals
Any job becomes easier when you break it down into a series of smaller tasks; so the key task in leadership coaching is to set small and specific goals. During this process, it is important you clearly visualize what it is that you wish to achieve in very specific and relevant terms. Besides, you ought to make sure these goals are attainable, because achieving them is going to give you a confidence boost to undertake the rest of the journey. Making these goals time-bound ensures you do not lose steam halfway through the process.
Reality
This step refers to taking stock of your present situation in the context of the goals you set. Evaluate the resources you possess, and the factors that can help you or come in the way of your progress. Understand thoroughly the nuances of your situation and think about the knowledge and skills you possess to move towards achieving your goals.
Options
Before you proceed further, you ought to consider the options available to you to deal with your realities. At this stage, you ought to list out both the strengths and weaknesses of your team because this gives you an idea of how to go about achieving your goals.
Will
This step involves the most important part of the leadership coaching process – getting your team to commit to taking the necessary action. This step is what provides the motivation and the driving force that will take you towards the end point of the journey.
Although the GROW model list the steps in leadership coaching, it is not essential that you follow them in this same order. In many instances, you will find yourself shifting gears between the steps in random order and this flexibility is good because it allows you to keep improvising as and when required.
|
|
|
| |
MI Model In Life Coaching |
|
Life coaching aims at changing the attitudes and behavior of executives and this change is expected to translate into better styles of working and leadership. The secret to achieving such change is to get the client to commit to solving conflicts and achieving the predetermined goals. The Orange Academy makes use of the DANCE methodology, but there are several other styles that life coaching experts use depending on the situation, and one of these is motivational interviewing.
What is Motivational Interviewing?
William R. Miller who worked with alcoholics developed the basic methodology of motivational interviewing (MI). This methodology was first explained in the book he authored along with Stephen Rollnick titled “Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People to Change Addictive Behaviour.” Over time, several changes have been effected to the original definition and as of 2009, MI is defined as “A collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation for change.”
MI is a method of counseling that life coaches now use extensively to encourage their clients to explore the motivations behind particular behavior and carry out steps to make relevant changes. The coach does not sit in judgment over the client, nor does he confront him; the focus in on asking the client questions that help to identify critical areas of ambivalence. Often, the client is unaware of his exact position on a given topic and the life coaching expert listens in a proactive way to help the client identify and resolve this ambivalence.
Principles of MI
The main principles of MI include the following:
• An empathetic approach in which the coach seeks to gain a better understanding of how the client views a particular issue.
• Helping the client identify what are his guiding values and principles in life
• Working with the client to explore the gap between these values and how much of it translates into practice or how he expects his life to be like and what it currently is.
• Helping the client examine the reason for this gap, and determine ways to make changes.
• Encouraging the client to successfully make the transition with confidence.
For life coaching using MI to work, the coach has to adhere to the element of a collaborative approach in which the coach works in unison with the client rather than confronting him. By building a rapport with the client, the coach seeks to draw out the thoughts and ideas the client has about making a change. However, the most important aspect of this form of life coaching is probably the emphasis it places on giving the client full autonomy to determine his course of action.
|
|
|
| |
CLEAR Coaching Model |
|
When it comes to executive coaching, there are several models that coaches use to help their clients. Whatever the model used, the ultimate aim is to bring about a change in the way executives act so that they are able to lead their organizations in a better way. The Orange Academy has found good results with use of the DANCE methodology in its executive coaching programs. One of the types of coaching used by some coaches is called Transformational Coaching and it is based on the principle that people should begin to view things in a new perspective so that they begin behaving in a more appropriate way.
CLEAR Model
One of the important aspects of Transformational Coaching is the CLEAR model which owes its origin to Peter Hawkins. Developed during the 1980s, this coaching methodology was in vogue before the advent of the GROW model which gradually grew more popular. However, even today, many coaches include the CLEAR model in their executive coaching kit when they realize that their clients need to undergo a major paradigm shift and take greater responsibility for their actions.
What is CLEAR?
In their book titled “Coaching, Mentoring and Organizational Consultancy: Supervision and Development,” Peter Hawkins and Nick Smith explain that the term “CLEAR” stands for:
Contracting, Listening, Exploring, Action, Review
Contracting refers to the beginning of the executive coaching session during which the coach starts the discussion and defines the areas to be covered, laying down the ground rules through discussion with the client. This is also the stage where the coach and the client determine the outcome they expect from the coaching program.
Listening is the stage when the coach pays close attention to the words and body language of the client to grasp what he is trying to communicate. The coach may also ask some questions or suggest a few other lines of thought that allow his client gain valuable insight about the issues being discussed.
Exploring involves two parts: working towards the client getting a better understanding of how he is personally affected by the situation and exploring what action he can take in the future to arrive at an appropriate solution to deal with the situation.
Action means the coach helps the client actually select the way he wants to act, and to formulate the steps he will take over a period of time.
Review refers to summing up the points covered in the executive coaching program, and highlighting the decisions taken by the client. The coach also collects feedback from the coachee regarding how helpful the program was and which aspects need to be modified during programs in the future.
By using the CLEAR coaching model, coaches encourage their clients to change the way they view situations, people around them and their own capabilities. This is important because unless this sort of a transformation occurs, the most high-profile executive coaching program will not show long-lasting results.
|
|
|
| |
Inattention Blindness |
|
Inattention blindness is a phenomenon where people fail to see an object or person in front of them since their mind is focused on something else. We would come across such instances in our everyday lives. For instance, we wouldn’t have noticed a friend or acquaintance in front us when we are seriously preoccupied with some thought process.
Our eyes are just a sensory input device. It does not register in the mind everything it sees. The conscious perception happens in the brain only when the information from the sensory input (i.e. the eyes) gets registered in the brain. Hence the significance of the focus or the attention comes into picture.
Inattention blindness is not negative phenomenon. It is a positive aspect for our brains to function effectively. William James, the founder of behavioral psychology states about attention in this way, “Only those items which I notice shape my mind - without selective interest, experience is utter chaos"1. Without the brain’s ability to block the irrelevant information, our brain would go through a chaos if it registers each and everything that the eyes see. Attention helps us to choose that which is important and that which can be ignored.
Since our brain has this ability to focus and give attention and also choose to ignore everything that our eyes see, there are possibilities for mishaps to occur. If the attention part of the brain wrongly discards that information which is important, it is possible for inattention blindness to occur leading to injury or accident. For instance, if an individual driving a car fails to see someone coming in the opposite direction, it can lead to an accident. Many of the accidents and injuries happen due to inattention blindness and not due to carelessness, stupidity or incompetency. The reason for the inattention blindness to occur is because people are not aware of inattention blindness or do not admit that they too can have inattention blindness. Even with improved training to achieve the attention functionality, inattention blindness can occur because many of the brain’s processing with regard to perception happens automatically and unconsciously.
Authored by Akash Chander. Akash is currently the Principal Coach at The Orange Academy. He is the lead facilitator for Leadership training programs conducted by The Orange Academy.
Reference
1.<span style="Times New Roman" "=""> CAMC (The Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council). (n.d). Inattention Blindness: Let's not the Blame the Victim Just Yet, Occupational Health & Safety, Vol.18, No.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
