Coaching Leaders in a Rapidly Changing World.

New ways of coaching, new ways of being.

I first became interested in coaching back in 2006 when I was a Leadership Programme Leader at the Uni of Manchester. I led several national programmes, had 100s of students and a large tutor team. One of the consistent pieces of feedback we heard from students was when they had a skilled leadership coach, their learning was significantly enhanced.

At the time I was lucky to work with Professor Gerard Egan , Author of The Skilled Helper. The key focus of the book was around issue management and opportunity creation with a clear 3 stage process:

• What’s happening now?
• What’s my preferred future?
• What action will I take to get there?

It was hugely helpful to work in this way, we engaged in our own development and led a successful series of programmes for leaders based on the work. Over time, I noticed the recurrent emphasis on doing things differently. But what if we could be different? What if we could cultivate a different ‘way of being’?

Six years ago I pulled a book from a friend’s book shelf called 'Coaching to the Human Soul’ by Alan Sieler . It was easily the most sensible and insightful reading I’d come across about coaching in years.

Alan walks us through ontology (a study of the quality of our human existence and coexistence) and leads the reader through deep connections with ontological philosophers and how applying their interpretations and work can enhance our ability to ‘observe ourselves’ and see our world differently.

And observing is a key message. Early on Alan unpacks 2nd Order Learning; ontological coaching isn’t focussed on changing behaviour or carrying out tasks differently. The focus is on how the world is showing up for us, and how through our language, emotions and body we can shift how we see the world, opening up new possibilities to take effective action helping us live the life we want.

What do we mean by observing ourselves?

Observing is based in language - how we talk to ourselves about what’s going on, how we narrate our experiences. When we practice 2nd Order Learning as a leadership skill we:

1. Notice our internal stories and interpretations - we dig in and ask,

• What’s going on for me right now?
• What story am I telling myself?
• Can I ground that story in facts or is this just my opinion?

2. Notice how these stories and interpretations impact on our behaviour, moods and emotions and even our physiology and posture.

3. Become skilled at learning how to shift our language and interpretations, emotions and postures, helping us become more resourceful and powerful (by which I mean more able to take effective action)

The ontological coaching focus on 2nd Order Learning, helps coachees generate long term capacity to manage the inevitable changes in life and work, creating a more fulfilling existence. The focus is on learning (not fixing), and the relationship between coach and coachee one of deep respect and care, with the coach always seeking permission to explore areas of understanding and potential for new understanding and insight. It starts with noticing and a deep desire to learn.

"The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds."

R. D. Laing

For more you can listen to our podcast:

??? https://linktr.ee/helenmg

Huge thanks to Alan for sharing so openly and for all the learning I’ve been privileged to enjoy through working with him.