By Nigel Marsh
Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance work | Video on TED.com
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Cognitive Flexibility - The Stages of Ego Development and Leadership
Cognitive Flexibility - Stages of Ego Development - Adult Development
By Peter Holliday - Integral Executive Coach at The Coaching Room
“What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?
“No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to”
Neo and Morpheus, The Matrix
Introduction
As a coach I am consistently blessed with the opportunity to work with individuals from varying backgrounds, assisting deep transformation on both personal and professional levels. I firmly believe through this work that separation of these two domains is impossible; your Way of Being in the world is with you both at work and at home. Your Way of Being knows no context except to help you function as best you can inside the world of what can sometimes be your own limiting beliefs and structures. But this functioning can be expanded by developing your cognitive flexibility. In this paper I will be outlining the stages of flexibility, how they are measured and how they can be used in within certain settings and applications.
For the purposes of this article I will be looking at how cognitive flexibility affects the ability of leaders and executives to transform both themselves and their company, and maybe even the world around them. In order to do this I will be framing this concept within the stages and levels of ego development as proposed by Dr Susanne Cook-Greuter (Cook-Greuter, 1985). I have found that the Nine stages of Ego development as measured by her SCT-i (Sentence Completion Test – Integral ) nearly perfectly reflect ad embody the progressive stages of cognitive flexibility as they emerge in human beings. While some people have issues with their whole self being reduced to a certain set of distinctions, (which I can wholeheartedly agree with in some instances); it is remarkable how often the Ego Development framework and client are in complete agreement.
Flexibility by definition
Flexibility is the ability to expand and contract according to a certain set of arising conditions or circumstances, and then resume original shape or form. It is also thought of as being not locked in or rigid, but in some ways malleable, and so it is the same for cognition or functioning in the cognitive domain . In terms of thinking, it is the ability to do a large number of things at one time, and to act in a very situational manner. By this I mean the ability to respond appropriately to the conditions as they arise as opposed to reacting. In another words, other than trying to make the situation fit your map, it’s adjusting yourself to fit the conditional requirements arising around you.
Several studies (Cook-Greuter, 1985) (Torbert & Rooke , 2005) (Rooke, 2001) indicate that cognitive flexibility (also known as ego development) is a major, if not the major, determinate in developing successful leaders that can actually sustainably transform companies. Jim Collins now famous book Good to Great (Collins, 2001) is a fine example of just how much difference a leader with a high degree of mental flexibitly can really make to an organisation . It is of interest to note that ALL of the CEO’s that led their companies to greatness in this book over the length of the study reflected the capacities of the later and more developed stages of ego development, and extremely high levels of cognitive positioning.
Levels of flexibility
To a large degree, an individual’s ability to position themselves into situations in different ways or perspective is limited by their world-view. A person’s world-view is literally their map for navigating the outside world, and often incongruity between this internal navigation system and the outside world is the source of constant tension, as the map is not the territory, and an inability to understand or embody this understanding is what leads leaders and executives into constant trouble. The ability to adapt to situations and be flexible in your interaction with the outside world and the other humans inhabiting it is not a simple you either have it or you don’t affair, it progresses in stages.
Level of flexibility- increasing | Characteristics | Strengths | % of Research Sample
1. Opportunist
- Pre-Conventional
- Egocentric
- Wins any way possible. Self-oriented; manipulative; “might makes right.”
Good in emergencies and in sales opportunities.
- 5 %of research sample
2. Diplomat
- Conventional
- Ethnocentric
- Avoids overt conflict. Wants to belong; obeys group norms; rarely rocks the boat
- Good as supportive glue within an office; helps bring people together.
- 12% of research sample
3. Expert
- Conventional
- Ethno-Centric
- Rules by logic and expertise. Seeks rational efficiency.
Good as an individual contributor
- 38% of research sample
4. Achiever
- Conventional
- Ethno-Centric
- Meets strategic goals. Effectively achieves goals through teams; juggles managerial duties and market demands.Well suited to managerial roles; action and goal oriented.
- 30% of research sample
5. Individualist
- Post-Conventional
- World-Centric
- Interweaves competing personal and company action logics. Creates unique structures to resolve gaps between strategy and performance. Effective in venture and consulting roles.
- 10% of research sample
6. Strategist
- Post-Conventional
- World/Cosmo-Centric Generates organizational and personal transformations.
- Exercises the power of mutual inquiry, vigilance, and vulnerability for both the short and long term. Effective as a transformational leader.
- 4% of research sample
7. Alchemist
- Post-Post Conventional
- Cosmo-Centric
- Generates social transformations. Inte-grates material, spiritual, and societal transformation. Good at leading society-wide transformations.
1% of research sample
Expansion
Each of the stages above represents stages of development that correspond to increasing levels of mental cognition and flexibility. You can see from the chart above, levels of flexibility range greatly, but in general the greater depth, span and degree of flexibility, the better. The greater the altitude of your world-view, the larger your ability to navigate certain situations or problems. The ability to be flexible in various leadership or executive situations is something that does and can be developed over time with the right injunction and or practice.
Although there are seven rough stages listed above correlating to executive positions in which they are most readily found, there are four main or general levels or switch-points that mark a substantial increase in flexibility and world-view. These switch-points mark increases in being able to register or see both inter-connectivity and the ability to hold perspectives of other people as if they are your own, before making a choice or decision. You can see how profoundly this capacity would affect people in leadership positions. The four main switch-points relate directly to the amount of people that an individual’s perspective can hold or relate to in the following ways:
Stage 1 – Ego-Centric – it’s all about me and what I want – A 1st person perspective
Stage 2 – Ethno-Centric – It’s about me and my group and people that I can relate to - Family, Religion, Race – a 2nd person perspective
Stage 3 – World-Centric – What’s good for all of us as a global population - a 3rd person perspective
Stage 4 – Cosmo-Centric – What’s good for all people as a global family and the universe in general - a 4th to 9th person perspective
Each of the stages above builds on the one below it, and some sense provides the foundation for the new, higher reality to emerge, given the right challenges or conditions. Some people grow through all 5 stages during their life, others remain at one stage for their entire life. It seems that a certain amount of the reasons for growth and change are as much nature as they are nurture.
Applications – Theory to Practice
Now that we have explored the stages of flexibility in reference to worldview it seems only reasonable to now explore the application of this in the real world.
Functional Fit – an Integral approach to Human Resourcing
Functional Fit is simply placing a person in a role that fits that person’s level of flexibility or degree of cognitive development. For example I would not employ some one at the Expert level (Stage-3) of consciousness in a leadership role. As leadership is about going outside the boundaries and Experts (Stage-3) rely on the systems and liner thinking as their cognitive map boundaries and they need rules to function. So in this sense there is a certain amount of ethics implied in Functional Fit, as it takes into consideration two or three immediate allowances, such as:
• An Expert placed in this situation would suffer undue anxiety at constantly being in a position requiring work in a sphere outside their developmental capacities
• What they create in this sphere would be bounded by restraint of the conformity, and their deep desire to fit and hold the status quo in the pre-existing frameworks; as opposed to going beyond them
• Experts by nature operate from a craft or linear style logic, and tend not to respond to situations but rather to react. So you could see how having a CEO or leader in this position that reacts to a market without considering the outcome could have undesired results for many companies
Further matching examples for instance would be for a role in sales. Someone at the Achiever (Stage 4) level makes perfect sense, as they thrive on competition and the ability to obtain financial success, and so the job role equals the developmental match, brining about performance in that given role…it is a Functional Fit...
Again Leaders and CEO’s that change the game nearly always test at the higher levels of flexibility,(at least Stage-5 and above-usually Stage-6), and the ones that don’t, do not bring about sustainable transformation; just short term rearrangement for personal gain. Thinking about how their choices impact the world is just not on their radar.
So from these very basic examples we can see how much more efficient it is to employ people to roles that are developmentally specific to the employee’s level of cognitive flexibility . For an extended and far more detailed description of this matching process and the dilemma of incorrect matching please consult: Organisational Transformation requires the presence of leaders that are Strategists and Alchemists (Rooke, 2001).
Applying Levels of Flexibility to Type – Using personality profiling correctly
One of the most common things we hear from HR specialists and employment agencies is “but we do personality testing!”. Personality testing and developmental assessment however are not the same thing.
A useful way to think about this is Vertical vs Horizontal. Personality profiling tools like Myers Briggs or the Enneagram are a horizontal approach to profiling. Developmental stage level is vertical. As an example, you can have an entire room of INFJ’s (Myers Briggs) or any other Myers Briggs type for that matter but all a different stages of development. So even though they are all the same type, depending on their development, they will all behave very differently. A person at the lower stages of the spectrum will be behaving in a way that self serves them in to a position of getting what they want out of the situation. While another person of the same type but at the higher end of the spectrum will be focused on how he can create world peace. Both people are exactly the same type but behave extremely differently.
So with just one simple example you can see the relevance of developmental profiling as an addition to horizontal personality profiling. In my opinion they should always be used in conjunction.
In my work as an Executive Coach I have found the one profiling tool that successfully integrates both horizontal and vertical stages into a more comprehensive overall profile is The Enneagram - specifically the particular type of the Enneagram modelled by Riso and Hudson at the Enneagram Institute (Riso & Hudson , 2010). This specific profile integrates the levels of development into levels of health, which closely correspond or mirror the levels of cognitive flexibility.
This almost seamless integration of both the vertical and horizontal axis of personality typing is why we at The Coaching Room we use the Enneagram in all of our coaching sessions. We find it the easiest and most accurate integrated profile for allowing us access to a client’s world in the shortest amount of time. While the Enneagram doesn’t cover all the bases, it does give you a fantastic starting point without having to combine multiple profiles.
Conclusion
At The Coaching Room one of the most consistent things we are continually asked to facilitate in executives or leaders is a shift in their degree of cognitive flexibility or level of development, “I want to go to the next level”. For a shift in a way of being or level of development we often recommend Integral style Coaching.
Integral Coaching combines the use of a rigorous subject/object theory methodology with ongoing developmental practices; specifically designed and tailored to each client based on their unique AQAL constellation and way of being in the world. Through the ongoing adherence to these practices the client is nurtured and supported into first tasting, then embodying, their New Way of Being in the World, at the next level. Coaching Room Coaches are well-educated tour guides, helping guide clients through the cartography of their new mental landscape.
Bibliography
Wilber, K. (Performer). (2011). Integral Spirituality - A Deeper Cut. S. True.
Wilber, K. (2000). One Taste - daily relfections on integral spirituality . shambhala.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. Harper Business.
Cook-Greuter, S. (1985). Ego Development - The nine levels of increasing embrace . paper , integral Institute , psychology .
Riso, D., & Hudson , R. (2010). The Enneagram Institute. Retrieved from The Enneagram Institute: www.TheEnneagramInstitute.com
Rooke, D. (2001, October ). Organisational Transformation requires the presence of leaders who are alchemists and strategists . Oraganisations and people , 4.3 .
Torbert, W., & Rooke , D. (2005, April ). The seven transformations of leadership. The harvard business review.
Footnotes:
1. The SCT-I is a 36 item unfinished sentence questionnaire, adapted from, what was the pioneering work of Jane Loevinger’s original Washington University Sentence Completion Test.
2. Cognitive is a term that is widely used and for the sake of all involved could use with a firm definition, as it seems to mean different things to different people. In integral theory it is used not in reference to thinking per see but in context to the ability to take perspective of both self and other. A clear distinction between this definition and that of linear deductive thinking could alleviate a lot of the confusion encountered when different people use this term.
3. It is worthy to note that Skills are important as well, and just having a highly flexible mind is not purely enough to make great leaders. I am simply suggesting that at the leadership level of large companies business skills are at about the same general capacity.
4. It is the belief of many of the theorist referenced in this paper that one stage of development or flexibility stage takes about 5 years to pass through. The only thing that has been quantifiably proved to accelerate this process has been mediation, or any form of Subject/Object injunction. Recently Integral Coaching and it’s continual use of metaphors as a way of employing the Subject/Object method during coaching sessions, while focusing on holistic development. This new technique offers a new and as yet un-qualified potential to shorten this developmental time frame.
5. It is worthy of mention that several theorist’s such as Ken Wilber include a possible 6th stage that is referred to as Kosmo-Centric. The K in Kosmo-Centric alludes to the fact that other realities may in fact exist, and takes these into account, the allowance of other energetic realms associated with altered states, such as – Subtle, Causal and Non Dual. A more in depth focus of these possible states of being can be found in (Wilber, 2000) (Wilber, Integral spirituality - A Deeper Cut, 2011)(Wilber, Intergal Spirituality - A Deeper Cut, 2011).
Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching Sydney
Executive Coaching Melbourne
Executive Coaching Hobart
Leadership Coaching
Leadership Development
Coaching For Executives
By Peter Holliday - Integral Executive Coach at The Coaching Room
“What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?
“No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to”
Neo and Morpheus, The Matrix
Introduction
As a coach I am consistently blessed with the opportunity to work with individuals from varying backgrounds, assisting deep transformation on both personal and professional levels. I firmly believe through this work that separation of these two domains is impossible; your Way of Being in the world is with you both at work and at home. Your Way of Being knows no context except to help you function as best you can inside the world of what can sometimes be your own limiting beliefs and structures. But this functioning can be expanded by developing your cognitive flexibility. In this paper I will be outlining the stages of flexibility, how they are measured and how they can be used in within certain settings and applications.
For the purposes of this article I will be looking at how cognitive flexibility affects the ability of leaders and executives to transform both themselves and their company, and maybe even the world around them. In order to do this I will be framing this concept within the stages and levels of ego development as proposed by Dr Susanne Cook-Greuter (Cook-Greuter, 1985). I have found that the Nine stages of Ego development as measured by her SCT-i (Sentence Completion Test – Integral ) nearly perfectly reflect ad embody the progressive stages of cognitive flexibility as they emerge in human beings. While some people have issues with their whole self being reduced to a certain set of distinctions, (which I can wholeheartedly agree with in some instances); it is remarkable how often the Ego Development framework and client are in complete agreement.
Flexibility by definition
Flexibility is the ability to expand and contract according to a certain set of arising conditions or circumstances, and then resume original shape or form. It is also thought of as being not locked in or rigid, but in some ways malleable, and so it is the same for cognition or functioning in the cognitive domain . In terms of thinking, it is the ability to do a large number of things at one time, and to act in a very situational manner. By this I mean the ability to respond appropriately to the conditions as they arise as opposed to reacting. In another words, other than trying to make the situation fit your map, it’s adjusting yourself to fit the conditional requirements arising around you.
Several studies (Cook-Greuter, 1985) (Torbert & Rooke , 2005) (Rooke, 2001) indicate that cognitive flexibility (also known as ego development) is a major, if not the major, determinate in developing successful leaders that can actually sustainably transform companies. Jim Collins now famous book Good to Great (Collins, 2001) is a fine example of just how much difference a leader with a high degree of mental flexibitly can really make to an organisation . It is of interest to note that ALL of the CEO’s that led their companies to greatness in this book over the length of the study reflected the capacities of the later and more developed stages of ego development, and extremely high levels of cognitive positioning.
Levels of flexibility
To a large degree, an individual’s ability to position themselves into situations in different ways or perspective is limited by their world-view. A person’s world-view is literally their map for navigating the outside world, and often incongruity between this internal navigation system and the outside world is the source of constant tension, as the map is not the territory, and an inability to understand or embody this understanding is what leads leaders and executives into constant trouble. The ability to adapt to situations and be flexible in your interaction with the outside world and the other humans inhabiting it is not a simple you either have it or you don’t affair, it progresses in stages.
Level of flexibility- increasing | Characteristics | Strengths | % of Research Sample
1. Opportunist
- Pre-Conventional
- Egocentric
- Wins any way possible. Self-oriented; manipulative; “might makes right.”
Good in emergencies and in sales opportunities.
- 5 %of research sample
2. Diplomat
- Conventional
- Ethnocentric
- Avoids overt conflict. Wants to belong; obeys group norms; rarely rocks the boat
- Good as supportive glue within an office; helps bring people together.
- 12% of research sample
3. Expert
- Conventional
- Ethno-Centric
- Rules by logic and expertise. Seeks rational efficiency.
Good as an individual contributor
- 38% of research sample
4. Achiever
- Conventional
- Ethno-Centric
- Meets strategic goals. Effectively achieves goals through teams; juggles managerial duties and market demands.Well suited to managerial roles; action and goal oriented.
- 30% of research sample
5. Individualist
- Post-Conventional
- World-Centric
- Interweaves competing personal and company action logics. Creates unique structures to resolve gaps between strategy and performance. Effective in venture and consulting roles.
- 10% of research sample
6. Strategist
- Post-Conventional
- World/Cosmo-Centric Generates organizational and personal transformations.
- Exercises the power of mutual inquiry, vigilance, and vulnerability for both the short and long term. Effective as a transformational leader.
- 4% of research sample
7. Alchemist
- Post-Post Conventional
- Cosmo-Centric
- Generates social transformations. Inte-grates material, spiritual, and societal transformation. Good at leading society-wide transformations.
1% of research sample
Expansion
Each of the stages above represents stages of development that correspond to increasing levels of mental cognition and flexibility. You can see from the chart above, levels of flexibility range greatly, but in general the greater depth, span and degree of flexibility, the better. The greater the altitude of your world-view, the larger your ability to navigate certain situations or problems. The ability to be flexible in various leadership or executive situations is something that does and can be developed over time with the right injunction and or practice.
Although there are seven rough stages listed above correlating to executive positions in which they are most readily found, there are four main or general levels or switch-points that mark a substantial increase in flexibility and world-view. These switch-points mark increases in being able to register or see both inter-connectivity and the ability to hold perspectives of other people as if they are your own, before making a choice or decision. You can see how profoundly this capacity would affect people in leadership positions. The four main switch-points relate directly to the amount of people that an individual’s perspective can hold or relate to in the following ways:
Stage 1 – Ego-Centric – it’s all about me and what I want – A 1st person perspective
Stage 2 – Ethno-Centric – It’s about me and my group and people that I can relate to - Family, Religion, Race – a 2nd person perspective
Stage 3 – World-Centric – What’s good for all of us as a global population - a 3rd person perspective
Stage 4 – Cosmo-Centric – What’s good for all people as a global family and the universe in general - a 4th to 9th person perspective
Each of the stages above builds on the one below it, and some sense provides the foundation for the new, higher reality to emerge, given the right challenges or conditions. Some people grow through all 5 stages during their life, others remain at one stage for their entire life. It seems that a certain amount of the reasons for growth and change are as much nature as they are nurture.
Applications – Theory to Practice
Now that we have explored the stages of flexibility in reference to worldview it seems only reasonable to now explore the application of this in the real world.
Functional Fit – an Integral approach to Human Resourcing
Functional Fit is simply placing a person in a role that fits that person’s level of flexibility or degree of cognitive development. For example I would not employ some one at the Expert level (Stage-3) of consciousness in a leadership role. As leadership is about going outside the boundaries and Experts (Stage-3) rely on the systems and liner thinking as their cognitive map boundaries and they need rules to function. So in this sense there is a certain amount of ethics implied in Functional Fit, as it takes into consideration two or three immediate allowances, such as:
• An Expert placed in this situation would suffer undue anxiety at constantly being in a position requiring work in a sphere outside their developmental capacities
• What they create in this sphere would be bounded by restraint of the conformity, and their deep desire to fit and hold the status quo in the pre-existing frameworks; as opposed to going beyond them
• Experts by nature operate from a craft or linear style logic, and tend not to respond to situations but rather to react. So you could see how having a CEO or leader in this position that reacts to a market without considering the outcome could have undesired results for many companies
Further matching examples for instance would be for a role in sales. Someone at the Achiever (Stage 4) level makes perfect sense, as they thrive on competition and the ability to obtain financial success, and so the job role equals the developmental match, brining about performance in that given role…it is a Functional Fit...
Again Leaders and CEO’s that change the game nearly always test at the higher levels of flexibility,(at least Stage-5 and above-usually Stage-6), and the ones that don’t, do not bring about sustainable transformation; just short term rearrangement for personal gain. Thinking about how their choices impact the world is just not on their radar.
So from these very basic examples we can see how much more efficient it is to employ people to roles that are developmentally specific to the employee’s level of cognitive flexibility . For an extended and far more detailed description of this matching process and the dilemma of incorrect matching please consult: Organisational Transformation requires the presence of leaders that are Strategists and Alchemists (Rooke, 2001).
Applying Levels of Flexibility to Type – Using personality profiling correctly
One of the most common things we hear from HR specialists and employment agencies is “but we do personality testing!”. Personality testing and developmental assessment however are not the same thing.
A useful way to think about this is Vertical vs Horizontal. Personality profiling tools like Myers Briggs or the Enneagram are a horizontal approach to profiling. Developmental stage level is vertical. As an example, you can have an entire room of INFJ’s (Myers Briggs) or any other Myers Briggs type for that matter but all a different stages of development. So even though they are all the same type, depending on their development, they will all behave very differently. A person at the lower stages of the spectrum will be behaving in a way that self serves them in to a position of getting what they want out of the situation. While another person of the same type but at the higher end of the spectrum will be focused on how he can create world peace. Both people are exactly the same type but behave extremely differently.
So with just one simple example you can see the relevance of developmental profiling as an addition to horizontal personality profiling. In my opinion they should always be used in conjunction.
In my work as an Executive Coach I have found the one profiling tool that successfully integrates both horizontal and vertical stages into a more comprehensive overall profile is The Enneagram - specifically the particular type of the Enneagram modelled by Riso and Hudson at the Enneagram Institute (Riso & Hudson , 2010). This specific profile integrates the levels of development into levels of health, which closely correspond or mirror the levels of cognitive flexibility.
This almost seamless integration of both the vertical and horizontal axis of personality typing is why we at The Coaching Room we use the Enneagram in all of our coaching sessions. We find it the easiest and most accurate integrated profile for allowing us access to a client’s world in the shortest amount of time. While the Enneagram doesn’t cover all the bases, it does give you a fantastic starting point without having to combine multiple profiles.
Conclusion
At The Coaching Room one of the most consistent things we are continually asked to facilitate in executives or leaders is a shift in their degree of cognitive flexibility or level of development, “I want to go to the next level”. For a shift in a way of being or level of development we often recommend Integral style Coaching.
Integral Coaching combines the use of a rigorous subject/object theory methodology with ongoing developmental practices; specifically designed and tailored to each client based on their unique AQAL constellation and way of being in the world. Through the ongoing adherence to these practices the client is nurtured and supported into first tasting, then embodying, their New Way of Being in the World, at the next level. Coaching Room Coaches are well-educated tour guides, helping guide clients through the cartography of their new mental landscape.
Bibliography
Wilber, K. (Performer). (2011). Integral Spirituality - A Deeper Cut. S. True.
Wilber, K. (2000). One Taste - daily relfections on integral spirituality . shambhala.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. Harper Business.
Cook-Greuter, S. (1985). Ego Development - The nine levels of increasing embrace . paper , integral Institute , psychology .
Riso, D., & Hudson , R. (2010). The Enneagram Institute. Retrieved from The Enneagram Institute: www.TheEnneagramInstitute.com
Rooke, D. (2001, October ). Organisational Transformation requires the presence of leaders who are alchemists and strategists . Oraganisations and people , 4.3 .
Torbert, W., & Rooke , D. (2005, April ). The seven transformations of leadership. The harvard business review.
Footnotes:
1. The SCT-I is a 36 item unfinished sentence questionnaire, adapted from, what was the pioneering work of Jane Loevinger’s original Washington University Sentence Completion Test.
2. Cognitive is a term that is widely used and for the sake of all involved could use with a firm definition, as it seems to mean different things to different people. In integral theory it is used not in reference to thinking per see but in context to the ability to take perspective of both self and other. A clear distinction between this definition and that of linear deductive thinking could alleviate a lot of the confusion encountered when different people use this term.
3. It is worthy to note that Skills are important as well, and just having a highly flexible mind is not purely enough to make great leaders. I am simply suggesting that at the leadership level of large companies business skills are at about the same general capacity.
4. It is the belief of many of the theorist referenced in this paper that one stage of development or flexibility stage takes about 5 years to pass through. The only thing that has been quantifiably proved to accelerate this process has been mediation, or any form of Subject/Object injunction. Recently Integral Coaching and it’s continual use of metaphors as a way of employing the Subject/Object method during coaching sessions, while focusing on holistic development. This new technique offers a new and as yet un-qualified potential to shorten this developmental time frame.
5. It is worthy of mention that several theorist’s such as Ken Wilber include a possible 6th stage that is referred to as Kosmo-Centric. The K in Kosmo-Centric alludes to the fact that other realities may in fact exist, and takes these into account, the allowance of other energetic realms associated with altered states, such as – Subtle, Causal and Non Dual. A more in depth focus of these possible states of being can be found in (Wilber, 2000) (Wilber, Integral spirituality - A Deeper Cut, 2011)(Wilber, Intergal Spirituality - A Deeper Cut, 2011).
Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching Sydney
Executive Coaching Melbourne
Executive Coaching Hobart
Leadership Coaching
Leadership Development
Coaching For Executives
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Leading The Inner Game - Meta Stating & Emotions
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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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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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.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Coaching Relationship
The Executive Coaching Relationship
By Joseph Scott of The Coaching Room
Coaching is often misunderstood, most often! To this end, I am aiming to give a rambling, yet comprehensive, overview of the coaching relationship (between coach and coachee), its functionality and purpose.
The coaching relationship is designed to be an intimate one, based on trust, honesty, equality and love, though for some, you may prefer the label, unconditional positive regard.
The coaching relationship is about the coachee, it is also about the coach and it is also about the organisation that the coachee works for. All of this sounds fundamental as I write this - yet it is most often overlooked.
Coaching is a mutual commitment to the coaching process in service of the coachee. Coaching is a safe space where coach and coachee share together, individual and collective interiors. From here coach and coachee co-create, share and explore the coaching needs and objectives as they hold a rare and authentic ‘we’ space, in service of the coachee's desired outcomes and their New Way of Being (NWOB).
Next, we'll look at the functionality of the coaching relationship.
There are several functions for coaching; the primary one is having conversations that enables coach and coachee to meet each other at the very heart of the coachee's Current Way of Being (CWOB) and doing. We explore their thinking, feeling, understandings and perspectives; We call this your way of ‘seeing’. Of yourself, others and the world.
The functionality of coaching is also about looking at the coachee's current behaviours and communicating around specific or general experiences (out there); their way of ‘going’ through the world.
Thirdly, the functionality of coaching is about how the coachee shows up with ‘others’ and their ‘environments’ physically and emotionally. It is about their shared actual interactions and collective connections. We call this your way of ‘checking’ - how you check out yourself and your results.
This enables us to fully understand the coachee's integrated current way of dealing (or thinking/feeling, interacting and moving) with and through their personal and professional life. (yes, we get personal!)
Along with the functionality of coaching, are the types of conversations that are available to you to help you actualise the very best 'you' - in your chosen coaching topic.
There are numerous contexts or coaching conversations that you can have, we’d like to share just six of the most utilised conversations from our experience.
We can have a coaching conversation for the exploration of clarity. To explore, discover, causes, drivers, symptoms etc.(that arise internally) with regards to an external event. This allows you time to think out loud, to help you really see the reality of your situation.
We can have a coaching conversation for making decisions and or commitments. This conversation is about exploring the pros and cons with a focus on motivation and usually leads to some form of decision and commitment being realised.
We can have a coaching conversation about planning and implementation, to help you co-create and take effective action on a strategy or game plan, in line with your desired way of being and doing, seeing and checking.
We can have a conversation that helps you to embody, feel and incorporate into your neurology a new skill or role. We can have a conversation that helps you translate the knowing into your body - this is called a mind to muscle conversation for accelerated ‘doing’.
We can have a coaching conversation about transformation. This is an extremely powerful conversation, one that can alter, add or eliminate toxic and unhealthy thinking and doing, it can also change and empower your thinking, beliefs and even your sense of identity.
The last (sixth type of conversation) type of conversation we can have is the confrontation for accountability conversation, which offers a space to address an unpleasant or challenging issue. This tuype of conversation will enable you to be held accountable for doing what you say you are going to do, or to enable you to hold others in this space. It is about resolving conflict internally or out there, with others.
Finally, the purpose of coaching.
There is a widely held corporate theory (or unspoken assumption) that if you are in coaching, then you need fixing, you are falling behind or not good enough.
The actual truth of it is the exact opposite. Coaching is for health people that are not broken! Coaching is premium octane fuel for a high performance output.
Coaching is about unleashing and actualising your greatest and highest potentials, it is about supporting you as you reach further and father than you have ever reached before.
So, if coaching is for you, make sure you hold your coach accountable to being clear about the coaching relationship (between coach and coachee), its functionality and purpose.
Radiantly, Joseph
By Joseph Scott of The Coaching Room
Coaching is often misunderstood, most often! To this end, I am aiming to give a rambling, yet comprehensive, overview of the coaching relationship (between coach and coachee), its functionality and purpose.
The coaching relationship is designed to be an intimate one, based on trust, honesty, equality and love, though for some, you may prefer the label, unconditional positive regard.
The coaching relationship is about the coachee, it is also about the coach and it is also about the organisation that the coachee works for. All of this sounds fundamental as I write this - yet it is most often overlooked.
Coaching is a mutual commitment to the coaching process in service of the coachee. Coaching is a safe space where coach and coachee share together, individual and collective interiors. From here coach and coachee co-create, share and explore the coaching needs and objectives as they hold a rare and authentic ‘we’ space, in service of the coachee's desired outcomes and their New Way of Being (NWOB).
Next, we'll look at the functionality of the coaching relationship.
There are several functions for coaching; the primary one is having conversations that enables coach and coachee to meet each other at the very heart of the coachee's Current Way of Being (CWOB) and doing. We explore their thinking, feeling, understandings and perspectives; We call this your way of ‘seeing’. Of yourself, others and the world.
The functionality of coaching is also about looking at the coachee's current behaviours and communicating around specific or general experiences (out there); their way of ‘going’ through the world.
Thirdly, the functionality of coaching is about how the coachee shows up with ‘others’ and their ‘environments’ physically and emotionally. It is about their shared actual interactions and collective connections. We call this your way of ‘checking’ - how you check out yourself and your results.
This enables us to fully understand the coachee's integrated current way of dealing (or thinking/feeling, interacting and moving) with and through their personal and professional life. (yes, we get personal!)
Along with the functionality of coaching, are the types of conversations that are available to you to help you actualise the very best 'you' - in your chosen coaching topic.
There are numerous contexts or coaching conversations that you can have, we’d like to share just six of the most utilised conversations from our experience.
We can have a coaching conversation for the exploration of clarity. To explore, discover, causes, drivers, symptoms etc.(that arise internally) with regards to an external event. This allows you time to think out loud, to help you really see the reality of your situation.
We can have a coaching conversation for making decisions and or commitments. This conversation is about exploring the pros and cons with a focus on motivation and usually leads to some form of decision and commitment being realised.
We can have a coaching conversation about planning and implementation, to help you co-create and take effective action on a strategy or game plan, in line with your desired way of being and doing, seeing and checking.
We can have a conversation that helps you to embody, feel and incorporate into your neurology a new skill or role. We can have a conversation that helps you translate the knowing into your body - this is called a mind to muscle conversation for accelerated ‘doing’.
We can have a coaching conversation about transformation. This is an extremely powerful conversation, one that can alter, add or eliminate toxic and unhealthy thinking and doing, it can also change and empower your thinking, beliefs and even your sense of identity.
The last (sixth type of conversation) type of conversation we can have is the confrontation for accountability conversation, which offers a space to address an unpleasant or challenging issue. This tuype of conversation will enable you to be held accountable for doing what you say you are going to do, or to enable you to hold others in this space. It is about resolving conflict internally or out there, with others.
Finally, the purpose of coaching.
There is a widely held corporate theory (or unspoken assumption) that if you are in coaching, then you need fixing, you are falling behind or not good enough.
The actual truth of it is the exact opposite. Coaching is for health people that are not broken! Coaching is premium octane fuel for a high performance output.
Coaching is about unleashing and actualising your greatest and highest potentials, it is about supporting you as you reach further and father than you have ever reached before.
So, if coaching is for you, make sure you hold your coach accountable to being clear about the coaching relationship (between coach and coachee), its functionality and purpose.
Radiantly, Joseph
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