If Leadership is about anything - like Coaching, it is about pacing and leading the inner game of the individual and the collective. Dr Michael Hall below writes about the Meta Stating process that a Meta Coach uses to facilitate empowerment. We teach Leaders to do the same as part of our Leader as Coach training program. This a terrific article - Dr Hall has permitted us to reproduce here.
META-STATING AND EMOTIONS
By Dr L.Michael Hall
If the Meta-States Model offers anything, it offers some very powerful processes for detecting your emotions and managing those emotions from a higher level. When most people first experience Meta-States as a Model, the process seems counter-intuitive, it seems paradoxical, and the last thing they would have thought of or utilize for emotional mastery— yet it is the most effective method.
So what does the Meta-States Model say about “emotions?” First that there are levels of emotions; that is, emotions do not occur just at one level, but multiple levels. First there are primary emotions —direct and emotions that are in direct response to a stimulus in the world. Theorists tend to posit that there are anywhere from 7 to perhaps 20 primary emotions. I follow Robert Plutchik (The Emotions) who posited the following primary emotions: joy / sorrow; anger / fear; anticipation / surprise; acceptance / disgust; tension / relaxation; love / apathy. Then, when you begin mixing these primary emotions, you get secondary emotions — similar to how mixing primary colors gives secondary colors.
Then above and beyond primary emotions and various mixtures of those emotions, there are the meta-emotions of your meta-states. These arise due to your self-reflexive consciousness as you associate emotions to emotional states. To detect these and to flush them out, just inquire, “What do you think and feel about X state?”
What do you think and feel about anger? What emotions do you experience when you experience anger? Or fear, sadness, anxiety, guilt, tenderness, love, joy, etc.?
Now generally speaking, when you bring a negative emotion against a previous emotion, you set the second negative emotion as a frame about and over the first emotion. Now you have fear of anger; anger at your fear; shame about your guilt; fear of relaxation; anxiety about anger, and so on. Do this and you construct a “dragon state” within your mind-body system so that you are essentially in self-attack. And the energy of the meta-emotional state has no where to go except against your mind-body system. Then you will pay for this construct by experiencing mental and emotional suffering.
Yet here also begins the processes that seem paradoxical and counter-intuitive. If you bring emotional states as acceptance, observation, interest, curiosity, appreciation, learning, etc. to your negative emotions, your “negative” emotion will change. Typically the intensity level of the energy of the emotion will be reduced so that you’ll be able to handle it much better. Calm anger, acceptance of fear, curiosity about sadness, appreciation of anger, etc. transforms the primary emotional state so that it can be much more useful and resourceful.
When you meta-state your primary emotional state with resourceful emotional states, you are in a position to qualify your emotional states in ways that will transform them into allies that will support you rather than diminish you. So in Neuro-Semantics, we don’t repress emotions, nor do we suppress them as much as we meta-state them and transform them into resources. This creates a new level of emotional intelligence and effectiveness.
So when you next experience a negative state, the first thing to do is to bring a state of calmness to the experience. Step back in your mind for just a moment and appreciate that you just received a signal— a communication signal. And just observe it. What is the signal about? Something “out there” in the world? Something within your mental mapping about something? What?
Next bring states of curiosity, interest, and exploration to your primary state. Curiously explore how you just created that negative emotion. Accepting that the emotion is yours, and that you created it within your mind-body system, you now have an unprecedented opportunity for deepening your self-knowledge and self-control. Wow! And, once you discover the process, then you can meta-state yourself with a strong sense of commitment to yourself and others as you choose the best way to respond to the situation that has triggered the emotion.
This means that you are creating new adjustments to your life-coping maps, making yourself more effective, enriching your relationships, and properly using your emotions, especially your negative ones. And while doing this, meta-state yourself that it is just an emotion (not “you,” don’t identify with the emotion and personalize it). It is just an emotion— a somatic energy response giving you a signal. Now you can choose:
What would be the best response I can now make?
Act on it; explore it some more; notice and ignore it; act against it; etc.?
Is the emotion appropriate, accurate, useful?
What resource would texture and qualify it making it more ecological for me?
Emotions — we all have them, they are a vital and important part of our mind-body system, and like the rest of the system, they are fallible and can easily be mis-used, abused, and become problematic for us. Emotional mastery and intelligence requires awareness, monitoring, managing, meta-stating, and then using them effectively.
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Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Women in Leadership Sydney (WIL)
The Coaching Room is very proud to promote Women in Leadership in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart.
Women in Leadership (WIL) is a monthly breakfast meeting, created and sponsored by The Coaching Room.
Having coached Leaders in organisations for almost a decade, our experience of the opportunities (including support and networking opportunities) available to male and female Leaders has often seemed unfairly balanced toward the male Leaders.
It has been a concern at the forefront of The Coaching Room’s mind for quite sometime now, and so this year rather than just thinking about it, we have decided to do something about it.
We have created something that will provide Women in Leadership with a real and genuine space to develop deep and accelerated relationships with other like-minded women (also in Leadership positions), as well as the opportunity to grow, feel supported, learn, make friends and have fun, whilst making a difference for other Women in Leadership.
Add to this the support of our world-class Leadership coaches, and you have a very powerful opportunity for sustained Leadership growth.
Our next WIL breakfast program to be held in Sydney - will be this Friday the 10th of December. We will be releasing the 2011 calendar in the next 2 weeks.
We will be restarting WIL in Hobart next year - and hope to kick off WIL
in Melbourne in February 2011.
If you are in a leadership role and would
like to join one of our Women in Leadership Group - contact
jay@thecoachingroom.com.au
SOME OF THE INTENTIONS OF THIS GROUP AND BREAKFAST ARE:
• To provide a confidential and safe environment to be ourselves
• To recognise and have a voice for our Leadership opinion
• To gain vitality in our way of being as Leaders
• For everyone invited to connect, develop their Leadership capabilities, authenticity and friendship with other female CEOs and senior leaders in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney (We will also be expanding to Brisbane over the coming months)
• For each of us to give of ourselves to those at the breakfast, in support of our Leadership growth, understanding and challenges
• For each of us to bring our challenges and successes - to share, so that others in the breakfast may celebrate with us and support us
• To have some timeout with like minded people in similar professional situations
• To make a stand for women in Leadership in what is a top heavy male dominated Leadership environment
• To connect us all in pursuit of Leadership excellence
For more information or to join one of our WIL programs, contact jay@thecoachingroom.com.au or call 1300 858 089
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Women in Leadership
Women in Leadership (WIL) is a monthly breakfast meeting, created and sponsored by The Coaching Room.
Having coached Leaders in organisations for almost a decade, our experience of the opportunities (including support and networking opportunities) available to male and female Leaders has often seemed unfairly balanced toward the male Leaders.
It has been a concern at the forefront of The Coaching Room’s mind for quite sometime now, and so this year rather than just thinking about it, we have decided to do something about it.
We have created something that will provide Women in Leadership with a real and genuine space to develop deep and accelerated relationships with other like-minded women (also in Leadership positions), as well as the opportunity to grow, feel supported, learn, make friends and have fun, whilst making a difference for other Women in Leadership.
Add to this the support of our world-class Leadership coaches, and you have a very powerful opportunity for sustained Leadership growth.
Our next WIL breakfast program to be held in Sydney - will be this Friday the 10th of December. We will be releasing the 2011 calendar in the next 2 weeks.
We will be restarting WIL in Hobart next year - and hope to kick off WIL
in Melbourne in February 2011.
If you are in a leadership role and would
like to join one of our Women in Leadership Group - contact
jay@thecoachingroom.com.au
SOME OF THE INTENTIONS OF THIS GROUP AND BREAKFAST ARE:
• To provide a confidential and safe environment to be ourselves
• To recognise and have a voice for our Leadership opinion
• To gain vitality in our way of being as Leaders
• For everyone invited to connect, develop their Leadership capabilities, authenticity and friendship with other female CEOs and senior leaders in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney (We will also be expanding to Brisbane over the coming months)
• For each of us to give of ourselves to those at the breakfast, in support of our Leadership growth, understanding and challenges
• For each of us to bring our challenges and successes - to share, so that others in the breakfast may celebrate with us and support us
• To have some timeout with like minded people in similar professional situations
• To make a stand for women in Leadership in what is a top heavy male dominated Leadership environment
• To connect us all in pursuit of Leadership excellence
For more information or to join one of our WIL programs, contact jay@thecoachingroom.com.au or call 1300 858 089
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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
5 Principles For Unlimited Motivation in 2013
By Joseph Scott & Jay Hedley of The Coaching Room
In life we need energy to live, to exist and to do things (with our life and with others). Yet sometimes we can miss life by simply talking ourselves out of it. Just like this:
• I just can’t be bothered…
• It’s just too much effort, I’m tired…
• It’s not worth it, who cares?
• Sure, one of these days…
• Yes, I know that I should, but…
Sound familiar?
If this sounds like you, and you are saying this to yourself and or to others, you are lacking one of the key ingredients in the recipe of life; motivation:
MOTIVATION; a psychological process that arouses the individual into action, toward a desired outcome or goal; the reason for the action.
So, we can define motivation but does that help? Usually not enough! What is this thing called ‘motivation’? Where do you find it? How can we take responsibility for our own motivation?
The 1st Principle is ‘motivation is not a thing, it’s a process’, it is not a real noun. You will never trip over a hunk of motivation that someone has left in the bathroom, nor will you find a chunk of it in the fridge! Has anyone ever bought a kilo of motivation from the shop? I think not!
If that is the case, then what is motivation, how can we be motivated and more importantly how can we motivate ourselves?
Would you like unlimited motivation, does this interest you? If so, read on because that is the design of this article.
Motivation is a set of thinking strategies or processes that we run for ourselves... Did you notice what you just read? ‘...That we run ourselves!
What does this mean? It means that we are responsible for how motivated or not we are in every moment of every day! It means there is no point looking to someone outside of ourselves to provide motivation for us; in fact it is impossible for another person to motivate us, only we can decide what is or is not motivational to us.
Principle No.2 to unlimited motivation is that ‘we are responsible for the amount of motivation we have’. Can you start to sense the power you have over yourself when you take responsibility for you?
You are responsible for yourself—what you say and do, what you think and feel, the way you structure and frame what you want.
Have you ever felt empowered? On top of your game? When and where? In what context?
How empowered did you feel? So now, as you remember that state, allow yourself to become aware of your two private inner powers of:
• Thinking: representing, believing, valuing, understanding, reasoning
• Emoting: feeling, somatising, emoting, valuing
In the context of that experience of empowerment, also notice your two public or outer powers by which you can influence yourself and the world:
• Speaking: languaging, using symbols, asserting
• Behaving: acting, responding, relating, etc.
How does it feel as you just notice and enjoy these powers? How fully do you feel them now? Access them so that you begin to feel these powers. What do you need to do to amplify them? Do you appreciate these powers?
What else is it that drives us to feel motivated? What drives motivation? Further, how does motivation drive us toward what we want, need or believe? What is this fuel?
The answer brings us to Principle No. 3, ‘emotions are the fuel of motivation’ and ultimately are what drive us! Let us take a look at how emotions ‘drive or move us to action; the best place to start may be with the word ‘emotion’.
E-motion, as we look more closely at this word we can see its structure.
‘E-nergy in motion’;(e motion). Our emotions are our energy. Typically we can put emotions’ into three distinctive categories:
• Positive
• Neutral
• Negative
As we can define our emotions into these three simple types, then what does that also say about our energy? Well, we can make the same distinctions for our types of energy; positive, neutral and negative energy.
This leads us to Principle No.4, that ‘People are motivated and can motivate themselves using these 3 different types of energy’.
The affect of positive emotion often gives us the energy to move toward what we want or need, we somehow feel pulled or drawn (motivated). As we experience neutral emotions we can ‘take it or leave it’ and with negative emotions we experience discomfort, a form of pain and we (are motivated) try to get or move away from the cause of such. We can represent this with a diagram:
The Axis of Motivation
Whether we move away from the pain and consequences or toward the good feelings or outcomes in our life, both create energy that we put into motion to do something. This is motivation (propulsion). Now what this gives us is a strategy for developing unlimited motivation for anything we want to do or have in life.
Typically, human beings have a preference to which end of the motivational axis they become or get motivated by. We can ask ourselves some questions to identify our own preference for getting motivated. Ask yourself the following questions and notice if you are motivated toward what you want or away from what you don’t want:
I get out of bed in the morning
• Because I have to (away from)
• Because I want to start the day (toward)
I take my eat well and regularly
• Because I want to be well and live life as fully as I can (toward)
• Because if I don’t I will become unhealthy or possibly ill (away from)
When asked I will go out and socialise with others
• Because I like to meet and be with other people (toward)
• Because it is rude not too and I don’t want to upset anyone (away from)
I keep my home clean
• Because I like it like that (toward)
• Because I get moaned at if I don’t, or someone unexpected may come round (away from)
I go to the gym/exercise
• Because I want to get the health benefits from it (toward)
• Because if I don’t my health may get worse (away from)
I do generally things
• Because I can
• Because I have to
How many ‘towards’ or ‘away from’ did you identify with? Most people will find themselves using motivation at just one end of the axis, either mainly toward or mainly away from.
Now that you have this understanding on how YOU are typically motivated, we can move to Principle No.5. This final principle is the one that brings all the other principles together, and will show you how to get unlimited amounts of motivation for the rest of your life!
Principle No.5 is ‘Combine both away from and toward energies at the same time, and you will create a personal motivation system that propels you into action!’
By becoming more aware of the other energy available to you, at the other end of the motivation axis, you can ramp up the emotional motivation to get you to take action, to feel motivated and finally in control of you!
Either now or later, take 5 minutes to take yourself through the unlimited motivation pattern below. These 5 simple questions can be applied to anything that you need more motivation for, any time, anywhere. After you have used this pattern a couple of times you will be motivating yourself and possibly other like an expert!
THE UNLIMITED MOTIVATION PATTERN
Identify something in your life you want to have or be more motivated about (this can be anything, getting out more, going to the gym, or doing the housework, anything...)
Once you have identified something, write it down so you have a record to remind you of what you are working on.
Notice your current motivation style associated with this activity. Are you motivated away from or toward? If you are away from read and ask yourself part A, if you are toward, read and ask yourself part B (below).
Part A. You are moving away from the pain or consequences, but you can put up with it for a while. First notice how real the discomfort is, what else could be a problem or even more painful if you don’t take action on this. To add even more energy to your motivation notice what you will get that is good or pleasurable once you have taken the action or started the activity. Notice how good it feels and how good it will feel when you have completed this activity... So as you experience all of this about that activity, notice just how much energy you have for taking the step to be doing it... Go do it then!
Part B. You are moving toward the activity, but it doesn’t pull on you enough to take any action. First notice just what attracts or pulls you toward it in the first place, that’s right, now as you think about that, ask yourself, what is important to me about this... What does the importance of this mean to you, how do you feel about it now, knowing this? Just imagine what it would mean if you never did this, you would never realise this meaning and its importance. It could be the start of procrastinating on other important and meaningful things in life, you wouldn’t want that to be true, would you? Be with this awareness, notice the heightened pleasure and possible pain if you don’t act on this as soon as you can... Just now, notice HOW much energy and motivation you know have for this... Get on with it then!
Congratulate yourself on doing or starting the activity, notice how well you can motivate yourself to take the actions that are important to you. Notice the sense of independence and pride you have for yourself as you read this and start to take the first steps to becoming expert at developing your own motivation, imagine the possibilities you now have for your life...now.
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In life we need energy to live, to exist and to do things (with our life and with others). Yet sometimes we can miss life by simply talking ourselves out of it. Just like this:
• I just can’t be bothered…
• It’s just too much effort, I’m tired…
• It’s not worth it, who cares?
• Sure, one of these days…
• Yes, I know that I should, but…
Sound familiar?
If this sounds like you, and you are saying this to yourself and or to others, you are lacking one of the key ingredients in the recipe of life; motivation:
MOTIVATION; a psychological process that arouses the individual into action, toward a desired outcome or goal; the reason for the action.
So, we can define motivation but does that help? Usually not enough! What is this thing called ‘motivation’? Where do you find it? How can we take responsibility for our own motivation?
The 1st Principle is ‘motivation is not a thing, it’s a process’, it is not a real noun. You will never trip over a hunk of motivation that someone has left in the bathroom, nor will you find a chunk of it in the fridge! Has anyone ever bought a kilo of motivation from the shop? I think not!
If that is the case, then what is motivation, how can we be motivated and more importantly how can we motivate ourselves?
Would you like unlimited motivation, does this interest you? If so, read on because that is the design of this article.
Motivation is a set of thinking strategies or processes that we run for ourselves... Did you notice what you just read? ‘...That we run ourselves!
What does this mean? It means that we are responsible for how motivated or not we are in every moment of every day! It means there is no point looking to someone outside of ourselves to provide motivation for us; in fact it is impossible for another person to motivate us, only we can decide what is or is not motivational to us.
Principle No.2 to unlimited motivation is that ‘we are responsible for the amount of motivation we have’. Can you start to sense the power you have over yourself when you take responsibility for you?
You are responsible for yourself—what you say and do, what you think and feel, the way you structure and frame what you want.
Have you ever felt empowered? On top of your game? When and where? In what context?
How empowered did you feel? So now, as you remember that state, allow yourself to become aware of your two private inner powers of:
• Thinking: representing, believing, valuing, understanding, reasoning
• Emoting: feeling, somatising, emoting, valuing
In the context of that experience of empowerment, also notice your two public or outer powers by which you can influence yourself and the world:
• Speaking: languaging, using symbols, asserting
• Behaving: acting, responding, relating, etc.
How does it feel as you just notice and enjoy these powers? How fully do you feel them now? Access them so that you begin to feel these powers. What do you need to do to amplify them? Do you appreciate these powers?
What else is it that drives us to feel motivated? What drives motivation? Further, how does motivation drive us toward what we want, need or believe? What is this fuel?
The answer brings us to Principle No. 3, ‘emotions are the fuel of motivation’ and ultimately are what drive us! Let us take a look at how emotions ‘drive or move us to action; the best place to start may be with the word ‘emotion’.
E-motion, as we look more closely at this word we can see its structure.
‘E-nergy in motion’;(e motion). Our emotions are our energy. Typically we can put emotions’ into three distinctive categories:
• Positive
• Neutral
• Negative
As we can define our emotions into these three simple types, then what does that also say about our energy? Well, we can make the same distinctions for our types of energy; positive, neutral and negative energy.
This leads us to Principle No.4, that ‘People are motivated and can motivate themselves using these 3 different types of energy’.
The affect of positive emotion often gives us the energy to move toward what we want or need, we somehow feel pulled or drawn (motivated). As we experience neutral emotions we can ‘take it or leave it’ and with negative emotions we experience discomfort, a form of pain and we (are motivated) try to get or move away from the cause of such. We can represent this with a diagram:
The Axis of Motivation
Whether we move away from the pain and consequences or toward the good feelings or outcomes in our life, both create energy that we put into motion to do something. This is motivation (propulsion). Now what this gives us is a strategy for developing unlimited motivation for anything we want to do or have in life.
Typically, human beings have a preference to which end of the motivational axis they become or get motivated by. We can ask ourselves some questions to identify our own preference for getting motivated. Ask yourself the following questions and notice if you are motivated toward what you want or away from what you don’t want:
I get out of bed in the morning
• Because I have to (away from)
• Because I want to start the day (toward)
I take my eat well and regularly
• Because I want to be well and live life as fully as I can (toward)
• Because if I don’t I will become unhealthy or possibly ill (away from)
When asked I will go out and socialise with others
• Because I like to meet and be with other people (toward)
• Because it is rude not too and I don’t want to upset anyone (away from)
I keep my home clean
• Because I like it like that (toward)
• Because I get moaned at if I don’t, or someone unexpected may come round (away from)
I go to the gym/exercise
• Because I want to get the health benefits from it (toward)
• Because if I don’t my health may get worse (away from)
I do generally things
• Because I can
• Because I have to
How many ‘towards’ or ‘away from’ did you identify with? Most people will find themselves using motivation at just one end of the axis, either mainly toward or mainly away from.
Now that you have this understanding on how YOU are typically motivated, we can move to Principle No.5. This final principle is the one that brings all the other principles together, and will show you how to get unlimited amounts of motivation for the rest of your life!
Principle No.5 is ‘Combine both away from and toward energies at the same time, and you will create a personal motivation system that propels you into action!’
By becoming more aware of the other energy available to you, at the other end of the motivation axis, you can ramp up the emotional motivation to get you to take action, to feel motivated and finally in control of you!
Either now or later, take 5 minutes to take yourself through the unlimited motivation pattern below. These 5 simple questions can be applied to anything that you need more motivation for, any time, anywhere. After you have used this pattern a couple of times you will be motivating yourself and possibly other like an expert!
THE UNLIMITED MOTIVATION PATTERN
Identify something in your life you want to have or be more motivated about (this can be anything, getting out more, going to the gym, or doing the housework, anything...)
Once you have identified something, write it down so you have a record to remind you of what you are working on.
Notice your current motivation style associated with this activity. Are you motivated away from or toward? If you are away from read and ask yourself part A, if you are toward, read and ask yourself part B (below).
Part A. You are moving away from the pain or consequences, but you can put up with it for a while. First notice how real the discomfort is, what else could be a problem or even more painful if you don’t take action on this. To add even more energy to your motivation notice what you will get that is good or pleasurable once you have taken the action or started the activity. Notice how good it feels and how good it will feel when you have completed this activity... So as you experience all of this about that activity, notice just how much energy you have for taking the step to be doing it... Go do it then!
Part B. You are moving toward the activity, but it doesn’t pull on you enough to take any action. First notice just what attracts or pulls you toward it in the first place, that’s right, now as you think about that, ask yourself, what is important to me about this... What does the importance of this mean to you, how do you feel about it now, knowing this? Just imagine what it would mean if you never did this, you would never realise this meaning and its importance. It could be the start of procrastinating on other important and meaningful things in life, you wouldn’t want that to be true, would you? Be with this awareness, notice the heightened pleasure and possible pain if you don’t act on this as soon as you can... Just now, notice HOW much energy and motivation you know have for this... Get on with it then!
Congratulate yourself on doing or starting the activity, notice how well you can motivate yourself to take the actions that are important to you. Notice the sense of independence and pride you have for yourself as you read this and start to take the first steps to becoming expert at developing your own motivation, imagine the possibilities you now have for your life...now.
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Executive Coaching - The Sum of Us - A brief look at the ‘Lines of Development’ lens in Coaching
By Pete Holliday - Executive Integral Coach
“In Coaching, the value of having a developmental lines lens is that it helps us appreciate where we excel and where we do not, where our greatest potentials are evidenced, and where our weaknesses may need some attention” Laura Divine, Co-Creator of Integral Coaching®
Most forms of coaching suffer from two major inadequacies: a lack of structure in the form of coaching methodology, and a general and non-specific approach to development. This article addresses the latter of these two issues - a more holistic approach to development through the use of specific developmental lines or forms of intelligence.
As both Coach and Client, development is one of the main subjects of all our discussions, because at any given point of a coaching program we are either engaged in it or against it (in the form of resistance). The purpose of this article is to explore how a more accurate and specific map of development in human beings could be used to benefit client growth in specific developmental areas, namely individual lines of intelligence. I also want to draw attention to how these individual lines of intelligence could support a more fully integrated approach to a client obtaining - and sustaining - their coaching goals and outcomes.
Many, if not all coaching approaches focus on some form of development (whether they know it or not). Very few however, really get specific and precise about exactly what they are developing, apart from the result or outcome desired by the client. This can mean it takes longer to achieve than it could in many instances.
The Coaching Room’s approach to Integral Coaching® , based on the pioneering work of Ken Wilber and his AQAL Integral model (Wilber, 2006), uses six fundamental lines of development to help obtain a more specific and sustainable approach to human development. Through the use of these six individual, and inter/independent lines (Somatic, Spiritual, Emotional, Cognitive, Moral and Interpersonal) a coach can more fully assess exactly what is both needed and lacking in the client in order to bring about their co-created and specific outcomes or coaching goals.(Divine, 2009)
Metaphorically, I like to think about using lines of development like trying to find a destination while driving. You can have the directions and the destination planned out, and even the map showing you how to get there; but without the capability to read that map and understand how to use the directions, both are almost useless. Using individual lines of intelligence provides us with a more accurate idea of what is specifically needed in order to support the client towards their outcome. What does this person need on the inside as a capacity to in order to help them read that map? Do they need to learn how to drive, or do they actually know right from left, in order to take the correct turn?
Very little of what coaching is today involves looking at what the client needs to achieve as an outcome from the inside. At this point it is appropriate to explore these individual lines (intelligences) in more detail in order to see how coaches and clients could more fully benefit from their use in both coaching sessions and program outcome and design. In the area below you will find a brief description of each of the six fundamental lines of development we use in Integral Coaching®.
COGNITIVE
Awareness of what is. The ability to see from different perspectives, the value synergies and implications of those perspectives.
EMOTIONAL
The spectrum of emotions. The capacity to access, communicate, discriminate, and skilfully present to the emotional field of self and others
SOMATIC
Body/mind awareness. The capacity to access, include, and skilfully draw upon the energies of gross, subtle, and causal realms of sensation
INTERPERSONAL
How do I socially relate to others. The ability to relate and communicate with others in a way that all perspectives ( I< We, It and Thou) are attended to at the appropriate level
SPIRITUAL
What is of ultimate concern/intention. The ability to explore issues of ultimate concern – “ who am I?” “ Where do I go from here?”
MORAL
Awareness of what to do. The ability to reach a moral decision involving both moral judgement and care
(Divine, 2009)
It is worth noting that ALL of the individual lines mentioned above go through individual stages of development or capability. Each Line shifts its focus through three main stages, from that of the self (egocentric- what I want or need), to that of the group (Socio/Ethnocentric- what we, or my group, need or want), to finally that of everyone (World-Centric- what the entire world needs or wants) (Cook-Greuter, 2005).
From the brief introduction above you can see how a human being could quite easily be developed in one line, for example the cognitive, yet be underdeveloped in the moral line. In this particular instance you come across the mad scientist, extremely smart, yet with little care or ethical concern for those people his experiments impact. This is of course an extreme example, and in general, most clients present with much more subtle differentials between their lines of development. But it is no less important to how it affects their developmental outcomes.
With an expanded appreciation for how complex the human being can be in regards to individual capacity . It is interesting to now take into account how we see and connect to a client as a coach, and how we see ourselves in reflection to these lines of development. In other words, what do both the client, and myself as a coach, need to develop or honour more to be more effective at what we do?
Reflections - Looking in the mirror:
Taking into consideration what you have now read, how would you assess yourself in each of these capacities?
What could you use more of from the list above to help you get what you want out of life?
Maybe, just maybe, it’s worth taking the time to ask both yourself and your coach these exact questions?
For more information about Line of Development in Coaching or to engage or talk with Peter Holliday and The Coaching Room, call us on 1300 858 089
Executive Coaching
Executive Coaches
Executive Coach Training
Coach Training
Bibliography
Cook-Greuter, S. (2005). Ego Development - The Nine Stages of Increasing Embrace .
Divine, L. (2009). A Unique View Into You - Working with a clients AQAL constellation. (K. Wilber, Ed.) Journal of Integral Theory and Practice , 45-46.
Wilber, K. (2006). Integral Sprituality. Boston : Shambhala.
Integral Coaching® is a registered trademark of Integral Coaching Canada.
It is worthy of mention that Wilber himself has indentified up to twenty-four individual lines of development. The six represented here are the six that I have found provide the most relevance and developmental traction for clients in coaching.
Emerging studies suggest that there is in fact a forth stage that is possible, and is referred to as Kosmo-centric. As the name implies this stage is still boarder yet, and transcends and includes the considerations of all sentient and non-sentient life in the Cosmos.
In integral coaching the use of the lines of development lens is just one of six that we use on EACH client before designing and co creating a developmental path to reach their outcomes? The full Integral Coaching® methodology includes all of Ken Wilber’s Integral model and all six lenses, those being : Quadrants, Levels, Lines, States, and two forms of typology or types lens – The Enneagram and Gender.
“In Coaching, the value of having a developmental lines lens is that it helps us appreciate where we excel and where we do not, where our greatest potentials are evidenced, and where our weaknesses may need some attention” Laura Divine, Co-Creator of Integral Coaching®
Most forms of coaching suffer from two major inadequacies: a lack of structure in the form of coaching methodology, and a general and non-specific approach to development. This article addresses the latter of these two issues - a more holistic approach to development through the use of specific developmental lines or forms of intelligence.
As both Coach and Client, development is one of the main subjects of all our discussions, because at any given point of a coaching program we are either engaged in it or against it (in the form of resistance). The purpose of this article is to explore how a more accurate and specific map of development in human beings could be used to benefit client growth in specific developmental areas, namely individual lines of intelligence. I also want to draw attention to how these individual lines of intelligence could support a more fully integrated approach to a client obtaining - and sustaining - their coaching goals and outcomes.
Many, if not all coaching approaches focus on some form of development (whether they know it or not). Very few however, really get specific and precise about exactly what they are developing, apart from the result or outcome desired by the client. This can mean it takes longer to achieve than it could in many instances.
The Coaching Room’s approach to Integral Coaching® , based on the pioneering work of Ken Wilber and his AQAL Integral model (Wilber, 2006), uses six fundamental lines of development to help obtain a more specific and sustainable approach to human development. Through the use of these six individual, and inter/independent lines (Somatic, Spiritual, Emotional, Cognitive, Moral and Interpersonal) a coach can more fully assess exactly what is both needed and lacking in the client in order to bring about their co-created and specific outcomes or coaching goals.(Divine, 2009)
Metaphorically, I like to think about using lines of development like trying to find a destination while driving. You can have the directions and the destination planned out, and even the map showing you how to get there; but without the capability to read that map and understand how to use the directions, both are almost useless. Using individual lines of intelligence provides us with a more accurate idea of what is specifically needed in order to support the client towards their outcome. What does this person need on the inside as a capacity to in order to help them read that map? Do they need to learn how to drive, or do they actually know right from left, in order to take the correct turn?
Very little of what coaching is today involves looking at what the client needs to achieve as an outcome from the inside. At this point it is appropriate to explore these individual lines (intelligences) in more detail in order to see how coaches and clients could more fully benefit from their use in both coaching sessions and program outcome and design. In the area below you will find a brief description of each of the six fundamental lines of development we use in Integral Coaching®.
COGNITIVE
Awareness of what is. The ability to see from different perspectives, the value synergies and implications of those perspectives.
EMOTIONAL
The spectrum of emotions. The capacity to access, communicate, discriminate, and skilfully present to the emotional field of self and others
SOMATIC
Body/mind awareness. The capacity to access, include, and skilfully draw upon the energies of gross, subtle, and causal realms of sensation
INTERPERSONAL
How do I socially relate to others. The ability to relate and communicate with others in a way that all perspectives ( I< We, It and Thou) are attended to at the appropriate level
SPIRITUAL
What is of ultimate concern/intention. The ability to explore issues of ultimate concern – “ who am I?” “ Where do I go from here?”
MORAL
Awareness of what to do. The ability to reach a moral decision involving both moral judgement and care
(Divine, 2009)
It is worth noting that ALL of the individual lines mentioned above go through individual stages of development or capability. Each Line shifts its focus through three main stages, from that of the self (egocentric- what I want or need), to that of the group (Socio/Ethnocentric- what we, or my group, need or want), to finally that of everyone (World-Centric- what the entire world needs or wants) (Cook-Greuter, 2005).
From the brief introduction above you can see how a human being could quite easily be developed in one line, for example the cognitive, yet be underdeveloped in the moral line. In this particular instance you come across the mad scientist, extremely smart, yet with little care or ethical concern for those people his experiments impact. This is of course an extreme example, and in general, most clients present with much more subtle differentials between their lines of development. But it is no less important to how it affects their developmental outcomes.
With an expanded appreciation for how complex the human being can be in regards to individual capacity . It is interesting to now take into account how we see and connect to a client as a coach, and how we see ourselves in reflection to these lines of development. In other words, what do both the client, and myself as a coach, need to develop or honour more to be more effective at what we do?
Reflections - Looking in the mirror:
Taking into consideration what you have now read, how would you assess yourself in each of these capacities?
What could you use more of from the list above to help you get what you want out of life?
Maybe, just maybe, it’s worth taking the time to ask both yourself and your coach these exact questions?
For more information about Line of Development in Coaching or to engage or talk with Peter Holliday and The Coaching Room, call us on 1300 858 089
Executive Coaching
Executive Coaches
Executive Coach Training
Coach Training
Bibliography
Cook-Greuter, S. (2005). Ego Development - The Nine Stages of Increasing Embrace .
Divine, L. (2009). A Unique View Into You - Working with a clients AQAL constellation. (K. Wilber, Ed.) Journal of Integral Theory and Practice , 45-46.
Wilber, K. (2006). Integral Sprituality. Boston : Shambhala.
Integral Coaching® is a registered trademark of Integral Coaching Canada.
It is worthy of mention that Wilber himself has indentified up to twenty-four individual lines of development. The six represented here are the six that I have found provide the most relevance and developmental traction for clients in coaching.
Emerging studies suggest that there is in fact a forth stage that is possible, and is referred to as Kosmo-centric. As the name implies this stage is still boarder yet, and transcends and includes the considerations of all sentient and non-sentient life in the Cosmos.
In integral coaching the use of the lines of development lens is just one of six that we use on EACH client before designing and co creating a developmental path to reach their outcomes? The full Integral Coaching® methodology includes all of Ken Wilber’s Integral model and all six lenses, those being : Quadrants, Levels, Lines, States, and two forms of typology or types lens – The Enneagram and Gender.
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