CCMC-MBA Tab 3 Brain-Based Coaching 2012-11 · Unit1! Unit!3,!Page! ©2001+2013SusanBrittonWhitcomb! For!exclusive!use!by!participants!inthe!CCMC+MBA!Track!Program.! Reproductionor!transmissionof!any!part!of!this

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© 2001-‐2013 Susan Britton Whitcomb For exclusive use by participants in the CCMC-‐MBA Track Program. Reproduction or transmission of any part of this work by any means including photocopying, without express permission of publisher, is prohibited.

Brain-‐Based Coaching Unit 3, Page 1

B R A I N - B A S E D C O A C H I N G

KEY POINTS

• Recent research in neuroscience indicates professional coaching competencies engage the parts of the brain responsible for visioning and change

• There are several coaching models that parallel brain-‐based approach to coaching

• The languaging we use is critical to support optimal brain functioning in students

ICF COMPETENCY FOCUS FOR THE WEEK

D. Facilitating Learning and

Results

ICF Competency #8 Creating Awareness -‐ Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed-‐upon results

Competencies in Action: The Academies’ Suggestions of How This Competency Might Look in

Coaching Create awareness of strengths and how to leverage them, as well as potential blind spots.

a. Goes beyond what is said in assessing client's concerns, not getting hooked by the client's description,

a. What are the truths at the heart of that situation? How would others (manager, coworkers, direct reports, networking contacts, potential bosses, interviewers, etc.) describe this? What’s the higher-‐level perspective?

b. Invokes inquiry for greater understanding, awareness and clarity,

b. How would you connect the dots in all of this? Awareness is the first step in any change—as you think of that, what’s it going to be important to be aware of? How do your beliefs/actions impact people/situations? What’s your take on how others perceive this/you? What choices do you have the power to make here?

c. Identifies for the client his/her underlying

c. (Delivered in a tone of voice that is advocate and not accuser, of course!)

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concerns, typical and fixed ways of perceiving himself/herself and the world, differences between the facts and the interpretation, disparities between thoughts, feelings and action,

There’s a hesitancy [label what you hear -‐-‐ uncertainty, resonance, excitement, etc.] in your voice. Say more about that! Sounds like you’ve typecast yourself into this limiting role. What identity would be a bigger game for you? What’s the bigger picture here in terms of what role you play in the world … if you used the metaphor of [choose something appropriate to student, whether sports or a stage production], would you be playing the lead?, best supporting actress?, extra?, playwright? How would others [an impartial bystander, a judge, your best advocate] perceive this situation? Is this consistent with how you are perceiving the situation? Your talk indicates a great desire to see this happen and yet the action isn’t following suit … what’s that about? [or, what’s at the root of those roadblocks?] [or, if you sense someone perceives himself/herself with a sense of entitlement] What’s the typical path or “dues that are paid” that someone follows to hold that type of position? … How does your path compare?

d. Helps clients to discover for themselves the new thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, emotions, moods, etc. that strengthen their ability to take action and achieve what is important to them,

d. Ask, don’t tell. What beliefs or ways of thinking would allow you to proceed with confidence and strength? What incidents, activities, or people trigger inactivity? What would put you in a place of choice?

e. Communicates broader perspectives to clients and inspires commitment to shift their viewpoints and find new possibilities for action,

e. What might the broader perspective look like? What’s the 30,000-‐foot perspective? Let’s say your situation is right here in the center of this imaginary round table-‐-‐on one side is where you are currently, on the opposite site is where you are after experiencing sure success … from the viewpoint of “sure success,” what do you notice about the situation? Where is the “way of ease” in this for you? As you look for serendipity or those “Godwinks” we spoke about, what possibility might be in plain view that you hadn’t seen before!

f. Helps clients to see the different, interrelated factors that affect them

f. As you’re sharing, I’m noticing that when you don’t yet have all the answers to a challenging situation, there’s a tendency to hold off and not take action, which triggers greater stress and

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and their behaviors (e.g., thoughts, emotions, body, background),

overwhelm. So when you push hard and work until 2 a.m. four or five nights a week, it affects your ability to control your emotions and be patient.

g. Expresses insights to clients in ways that are useful and meaningful for the client,

g. For example, using sports analogies for someone who is big sports fan, or this chess analogy. “You talked about your love of chess … sounds like this job search strategy you’re talking about putting together is a bit like strategizing a chess game … and staying in the center of the board to maintain your visibility.”

h. Identifies major strengths vs. major areas for learning and growth, and what is most important to address during coaching,

h. So you’re fabulous at running the numbers and analyzing the data, and to further your career success, you want to make sure the interpersonal relationships are also solid. What will it take to factor in the “people” and human emotion side of the equation into your strategy? What’s most important to focus on as it relates to growing your networking skills?

i. Asks the client to distinguish between trivial and significant issues, situational vs. recurring behaviors, when detecting a separation between what is being stated and what is being done.

i. So, would you say that your response in that meeting was typical for you when communicating with your network? How can you convey your interest and potential value to alumni? What actions will best support that? What would it mean to show up “courageous” in your job search?

BRAIN RESEARCH SUPPORTS COACHING

Why the Brain Benefits from Coaching

For years, both coaches and clients receiving coaching have lauded professional coaching for its ability to create and sustain positive change. As research into neuroscience advances, there is increasing data that validates why coaching is so powerful in effecting change.

A noted leader in the field of neuroscience and coaching is David Rock, author of Quiet Leadership (Harper, 2007) and Your Brain at Work (Harper, 2009). To better understand how choices change the brain, Rock has collaborated with medical researchers, including Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D., an expert

in obsessive-‐compulsive disorder. Schwartz has experienced notable success treating OCD patients without drugs or behavioral approaches. Many of his discoveries are applicable to understanding what happens in the brain when coaching clients approach change.

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In an interview by Rock, Schwartz explains that our brains are wired to detect and alert us to any changes in the environment. These changes are interpreted as “errors” in the brain. The part of the brain that alerts us of these errors is closely connected to the amygdala, an area of the brain that controls fear circuitry where we get our fight, flight, or freeze reactions. When change or uncertainty of any kind takes place (e.g., career decisions, job search, networking with strangers), the brain sends out a signal that something is not right—that a threat exists—, which distracts our attention and derails our rational thoughts. It requires significant mental focus to overcome these perceived threats. (See the “SCARF” model later in this unit for more details.)

The other challenge in mastering change is a basic “power struggle” within the brain. Schwartz explains that the part of the brain responsible for learning new activities—the prefrontal cortex—requires more energy to operate than the part of the brain responsible for habitual routine activity—the basal ganglia. Research suggests that the prefrontal cortex is easily fatigued and has a limit of functioning just 2.5 hours a day. The governance system within the prefrontal cortex protects the brain by allowing it to conserve energy resources that may be needed by other parts of the body. The limits of the prefrontal cortex are a matter of energy conservation. And yet, the prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that needs to be engaged during coaching, as well as after coaching for implementation of action items.

For a more in-‐depth look at why our brains benefit from coaching when it comes to change, please read Rock’s interview with Dr. Schwartz, pages 3-‐8 at http://www.workplacecoaching.com/pdf/CoachingTheBrainIJCO.pdf.

Coaching with Compassion

In another study, researchers studied neural responses to different styles of coaching (a compassionate coach and a standard coach) with the goal of improving learning outcomes. When the persons being coached (undergraduate students) underwent brain scans and recalled the different coaches, more activity was seen in the part of the brain responsible for positive visioning, or imagery, when recalling the compassionate coach. Researchers now know that these positive visioning areas in the brain light up when “being encouraged to connect with a vision that inspires you, as opposed to the defensiveness caused by the sense you are being judged or pressured to conform to externally imposed goals” (Coaching with Compassion Can ‘Light Up’ Human Thoughts).

Of course, it’s not likely that coaches would intentionally judge or pressure a student to conform to externally imposed goals. However, as coaches, we might unknowingly pressure a student toward a goal because we think it’s what the student wants or perhaps because it will be an impressive win (the student wins a coveted internship, the university’s placement rate increases, etc.).

Or, the student may misinterpret a word or phrase the coach uses and feel judged in the process. Compare, for example, the phrase “what’s the problem you’re having?” to “what kind of solutions are you looking for?” The former question, which includes the word “problem,” could cause the student to focus on the problem and feel incapable or like a failure. In this scenario, the amygdala is now engaged where the student perceives a threat to his status as a capable problem-‐solver. The latter,

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which includes the word “solution,” could shift the student to engage the prefrontal cortex area of the brain and find solutions. (See more at “Languaging.”)

Cognitive Therapy for Weight Loss

What does weight loss have to do with coaching? It’s no surprise that many people who want to lose weight are unsuccessful in their diet attempts. And, when they are successful, the success is short-‐term, with the weight (and sometimes more) returning within a year. Although not a coaching study, the techniques used in this weight loss study—where dieters beat the norm and maintained their weight loss for 18 months—mirror much of what happens in coaching.

Dieters start off with great intentions but, more often than not, fall back into old, bad habits. Career changers and job seekers often start out similarly—with great intentions—and, all too often, become discouraged or frustrated because of the new skills that need to be mastered. The table that follows describes the elements of the weight loss study (on the left) and the corresponding ICF coaching competencies (on the right).

Element of Weight Loss Study Corresponding ICF Competency(ies)

Education, Self-‐Monitoring & Problem-‐Solving ICF #8 Creating Awareness

Accountability and Support ICF #11 Managing Progress & Accountability

Change in Habits & Responding to Sabotaging Thoughts

ICF #9 Designing Actions

Experiments to Decrease Fear and Increase Tolerance (of Risk/Change)

ICF #8 Creating Awareness & ICF #9 Designing Actions

Staying Motivated during Maintenance ICF #11 Managing Progress & Accountability

COACHING MODELS

Perceived “SCARF” Threats Derail On-‐Target Action

Recall that the brain sends error messages when it encounters anything unusual, alerting us to potential threats within the environment. Those perceived threats can be real dangers, such as a stranger aggressively approaching with a knife or an oncoming car veering into our lane of traffic. In career management or job search, the perceived threats are more subtle but are still quite significant to the brain. David Rock in his book, Your Brain At Work, describes five potential threat responses to which the brain responds: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness.

Studying these from the perspective of a career changer or job seeker, a number of potential threats may surface:

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• Status: The job seeker may perceive his or her status as “less” than that of those who are employed. Other status factors include comparisons of compensation, years of experience, title, degrees, connections, and so on. If a job seeker is comparing himself to a potential networking contact who is employed, earns more, has more experience, holds a more weighty title, has a Ph.D., is well-‐connected within the industry, and more, it’s easy to see how the job seeker could feel threatened. Coaching tip: Ask your student how they can level the playing field … ask your student how they measure up for where they are at this point in their career, and what, if needed, they can do to increase that status.

• Certainty: Questions relating to certainty on the mind of students might be: Will the future hold the job of my dreams? Will I be able to pay my bills and student loans? Will I make the right career decision? Coaching tip: Ask your student what part of the career transition equation they CAN control, such as how much time they’ll devote to networking, where they’ll do their networking, how they’ll meet new networking contacts, how they’ll prepare mentally, and so on.

• Autonomy: Autonomy refers to choice. Students may feel that they have no choice or limited choices with respect to summer internships, or positions that are beneath what they had hoped due to economic conditions. Coaching tip: Ask your student what other choices might be available to them (when you sense they feel there are no choices). Oftentimes, the one choice we have is our attitude.

• Relatedness: Relatedness refers to the connection that students feel, whether with you, as coach, or with the networking contacts, colleagues, employers, and so on. The less the connectedness, the more the perceived threat. Coaching tip: Ask your student how they can increase their due diligence around networking contacts to find commonalities … ask your student how they can identify target companies that share their interests, values, passions.

• Fairness: For job seekers, fairness may center on how much work they need to do for a successful transition. They may think it unfair that networking contacts don’t immediately trust them or see their value. Any of these perceptions can cause the student to shift from the prefrontal cortex and into the amygdala, where fewer insights, ideas, and rational actions can take place. Coaching tip: Ask your student to think about what the payoffs will be for the effort invested in their search … ask your student to turn the tables and think like an employer or think from a networking contact’s perspective.

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Putting On the Brakes

Regardless of the threat, the student can stop and shift from the threat response (amygdala area of brain) to the proactive response (prefrontal cortex) by using this four-‐step model. You can coach the student through these steps, as well:

• Notice it: By noticing the threat response (e.g., “hmm, I’m noticing that I’m getting nervous about talking to the senior vice president.”)

• Name it: Label the reaction (e.g., “I think I’m psyching myself out. This is my brain warning me of a difference in status.”)

• Refocus: Focus on the goal (e.g., “I’m committed to the due diligence necessary to get this relationship off to a good start.”)

• Sustain: Continue repeating the new/positive action.

These four steps – Notice, Name, Refocus, Sustain – force the brain to shift from the amygdala area to the prefrontal cortex. Doing so can slow heart-‐rate, reduce blood pressure, and bring insights and solutions.

Building Super-‐Highways in Your Brain

“The principal activities of brains are making changes in themselves,” says Marvin Minsky, cofounder of MIT’s Artificial Intelligence laboratory and author of several texts on AI. That’s good news for our students as they learn to wire new brain pathways that will cause new actions to become second nature. This F.A.C.T.S. model can aid in that process:

• Focus: There is a direct correlation between what we focus on and the depth/breadth of the neural pathways in our brain. If the brain focuses on problems, the neural paths grow to reinforce the belief that there are problems. If the brain focuses on solutions, the neural paths grow to reinforce the belief that there are solutions. As David Rock notes “changing behavior requires deepening our ability to choose what to focus on...” Focus on the solution! Ask: “Where do you notice your focus in all of this?” or “What’s most important to focus on?”

• Again (and Again!): Neural pathways increase with frequency and repetition. If networking in a manner that focuses on providing value instead of asking people for a job is the goal, then that type of networking must be repeated, over and over and over again in order to make it the default. Once it is the default, the basal ganglia take over so that this type of action is second nature. Ask: “How can you keep this front and center?” or “What will help you remember to do this?”

• Carrot: There must be a reward, whether it be a job offer or the satisfaction of having done a job well. Ask your student what would be a good reward, incentive, or payoff for this new action. Ask: “What will this bring you?” or “What’s a good reward to make this compelling?”

• Time: Change takes time. Whereas the second item in the FACTS model—“Again (and Again!)”— refers to frequency, time refers to duration. Ask your student what a good timeline for their goal would be to help them think about realistic but best-‐case scenario

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timelines and benchmarks for identifying target companies and networking contacts, researching opportunities, interviewing, and so on. Ask: “What’s your time frame for this?” or “What will keep your focus on this over time?”

• Support: Accountability is key. One study indicated that people were seven times more likely to experience positive change when they had an accountability partner in place. Ask your student, “who or what works best for you when it comes to accountability?”

LANGUAGING TECHNIQUES

The words and phrases we use can make the difference between the student operating in the prefrontal cortex (the place of possibility) and the amygdala (the place of push-‐back, fear, and flight-‐fight-‐freeze). Consider the differences in the following languaging.

Avoid Amygdala Words Preferred Prefrontal Cortex Words

Issues, problems Challenges, opportunities

Why What, how

If you can do this When you do this

Let me help you May I share some thoughts

Try to, maybe do Do, commit

Yes, but Yes, and

How come you haven’t… Why aren’t you…

What thoughts do you have about what’s getting in the way…

Failure Learning

It’s not possible Opportunity to see new possibilities

You need to… Other have found this to work

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You need to think differently! What gives you hope?

WRAP-UP & APPLICATION

• If learning something new requires use of the prefrontal cortex—where resources are already being tapped out for most students with demanding classes, homework assignments, and other commitments—, is it any wonder that the brain is not anxious to learn new tasks, such as how to network effectively, prepare for an interview, and more …? How can you coach your students to set aside time, or “reserves,” of their prefrontal cortex time to devote to critical career planning, decisions, actions?

• Referencing the SCARF model discussed earlier in this unit, what are the common perceived “threats” that your students might experience? How would you coach them on these topics?

• Which of the words in the “Languaging” table near the end of this unit do you want to be aware of dropping and/or adopting as you coach your students? How will you measure success?

Documents

CCMC-MBA Tab 3 Brain-Based Coaching 2012-11 · Unit1! Unit!3,!Page! ©2001+2013SusanBrittonWhitcomb! For!exclusive!use!by!participants!inthe!CCMC+MBA!Track!Program.! Reproductionor!transmissionof!any!part!of!this