Foralltheworkthathasbeendonetoilluminatethesubjectofcoachinginthepast15or20years,whatactuallyhappensincoachingengagementsremainsquitemysterious. ~RichardKilburg ~

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COACHING,CLIENTS&COMPETENCIES:HOWCOACHESEXPERIENCETHEFLOWSTATEAND

WHYITMATTERSPRESENTEDBY

BARRETTW.MCBRIDE

AGENDA

• Introduction

• Background

• KeyFindings• ImplicationsforPractice

• Conclusion

• Questions&NextSteps

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INTRODUCTION4

RESEARCHERBACKGROUND• Coachingfor20Years

• Onthefacultyofacoachtrainingorganization

• Adjunctfaculty,UniversityofSanFrancisco

• Deepinterestinadultdevelopment-- coachdevelopment

• MCCStatuswiththeICF

• CertifiedCoachthroughtheCenterforCredentialingandEducation

• FoundingmemberandFellow,InstituteofCoaching

• MasterCertification- Evidence-basedCoachingProgram

• CertifiedCoachSupervisor

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INSPIRATION

• Haveexperiencedflow,incoachingwithpositiveoutcomes,butdidnotunderstanditatdepth.

• Dedicationtoprovidingmeaningfulexperienceforclients.

• Dedicationtoprovidingstudentswitheducationalexperiencethatgoesbeyondthetechnicalaspectsofcoaching.

• Coachinghasservedmeinmypersonalandprofessionaldevelopment.

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PURPOSEOFTHESTUDY

• Exploretheexperiencesofprofessionalcoacheswhoexperienceflow.

• Understandperceivedcoachingcompetenciesrelatedtoflow.

• Identifypotentialforfuturecoachdevelopmentapplications.

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SIGNIFICANCEOFTHESTUDY

• Researchfillsagapintheempiricalliteratureoncoachdevelopment.

• Providesinsightintotheexperienceofcoaches,forwhichthereislittleresearch.

• Contributesunderstandingofthenatureofflowasitappliestocoaches.

• Newperspectiveoncoachdevelopmentandcompetence

• Providesnewmodelsforfacilitatingdevelopment.

• Alsoapplicabletootherhelpingprofessions.

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FLOWDEFINED

Forpurposesofthisstudy,flowisanalteredstateofconsciousnessthatoccurswhileengagedinameaningfulactivitythatproducesasenseofgratificationfortheactivityitself.

(Csikszentmihalyi,1996,1990,1988)

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PROFESSIONALCOACHINGDEFINED

• ProfessionalCoachingis“adistinctservicewhichfocusesonanindividual'slifeasitrelatestogoalsetting,outcomecreationandpersonalchangemanagement”(ICF,2012).

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RESEARCHQUESTIONS

• Whatistheexperienceofcoacheswhoentertheflowstatewithinacoachingsession?

• Whattriggersofflowdocoachesexperience?• Whatperceivedcoachingcompetenciesarerelatedtocoaches’experienceofflow?

• Howcantheinformationgainedfromthisstudybeusedforfuturecoachdevelopment?

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APPROACH

• LiteratureReview

• PotentialSynergyAnalysis

• Semi-structuredInterviews

• ThematicAnalysis

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LITERATURESTUDIED

• Flow

• Motivation-intrinsic,competence

• Adultlearningtheory

• Coachingtheory

• Theoriesofpsychology

• Psychotherapy

• Self-actualization,peakexperiences,trancendence

• Self-efficacy

• Personality,temperament&character

• Experienceoftime

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CSIKSZENTMIHALYI’S WORK

• Ph.D.fromtheUniversityofChicago,1965

• Doctoraldissertationfocusedonthemotivationofartstudents

• Postdoctoralresearchfocusedonwhyintrinsicallymotivatingexperienceswererewarding

• Studentsinterview200peopleinnumerousactivitiesresultinginoriginsofflowtheory

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THECONCEPTOFFLOW

Flowisanautotelicexperiencecharacterizedbythefollowingcharacteristics:

1. Theactivityhascleargoalsandobjectivesrequiringresponse.2. Theactivityprovidesimmediatefeedback.3. Theindividual’sperceivedskillsaresuitedtothechallenge.4. Theindividualfeelscompletelyabsorbedintheeffort– ahighlevelof

concentration,minimaldistractions.5. Theindividual’sawarenessandactionsmerge.6. Theactivityfeelseffortless.7. Intrinsicmotivationispresent– theengagementisself-rewarding.8. Theindividualexperiencesanalteredsenseoftime.9. Theindividualexperiencesalossofego-awarenessorself-consciousnessandhas

thesenseofexpandedconsciousnessandexpandedstrength.

(Csikszentmihalyi,1988)

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BENEFITSOFTHEFLOWEXPERIENCE

• Deepsenseofenjoyment

• Peopleoftendotheirbestwheninflow

• Promotespersonal&professionalgrowth

• Increasedself-efficacy

• Enhancescreativity

• Reducesstress

• Maypromotehealing

Sources:Csikszentmihalyi,1988,Bandura,1977,Csikszentmihalyi 1993,Perry1999

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ICFCORECOACHINGCOMPETENCIES

1. Meetingethicalguidelinesandprofessionalstandards

2. Establishingacoachingagreement

3. Establishingtrustandintimacywiththeclient

4. Coachingpresence

5. Activelistening

6. Powerfulquestioning

7. Directcommunication

8. Creatingawareness

9. Designingactions

10. Planningandgoalsetting

11. Managingprogressandaccountability

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PARTICIPANTSELECTION

ParticipantRequirements:1. Currentlyhaveanactivecoachingpractice2. ArecertifiedthroughtheICFattheAssociateCoach

Certification(ACC),ProfessionalCoachCertification(PCC),orMasterCoachCertification(MCC)level

3. Haveaminimumof10yearsexperienceasaprofessionalcoach

4. Possessaminimumeducationofabachelorsdegree5. Haveexperiencedflowincoachingsessionsmultipletimes

withinthelastyear6. Feeltheycandescribetheirexperiencesofflow

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Participant Characteristics n=13 %

Gender

MaleFemale

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3169

YearsofCoachingExperience

1011-1516-2021-25+

3622

23471515

Education

Bachelor’sDegreeMaster’sDegreeDoctorate

274

155431

ICFCertification Level

ACCPCCMCC

283

156223

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ParticipantCharacteristics n %PrimaryTypeof CoachingIdentifiedCoacheswith>50%ExecutiveCoachingClientsCoachwithExecutive, WellnessEach50%NoDefinedSpecialty

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11

84

88

Est.%ofSessionsFlowExperiencePerceived

30-5051-7071-9091-99UnabletoMeasure

51511

3883888

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ExecutiveCoaching:Coachingindividualsorteamsthroughorganizationalchange,throughcareerorjobtransitions,throughtheprocessofprofessionalspecificskilldevelopment,and/orthroughtheprocessofresolvingproblems(Peltier,2010).

ICFCORECOACHINGCOMPETENCIES

1. Meetingethicalguidelinesandprofessionalstandards

2. Establishingacoachingagreement

3. Establishingtrustandintimacywiththeclient

4. Coachingpresence

5. Activelistening

6. Powerfulquestioning

7. Directcommunication

8. Creatingawareness

9. Designingactions

10. Planningandgoalsetting

11. Managingprogressandaccountability

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KEYFINDINGS

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COACHPRECONDITIONSTOEXPERIENCEFLOW

• Gloria:Youhavetohavetheexperience,andconfidence isapieceofit,inknowingthatifyouaskthewrongquestion,itwillbeokay.Also,IfeelbynowthatIamcompetentenoughasacoachthatIcanletgooftryingsohard...Ithinkthatiskey.

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CLIENTPRECONDITIONSFORCOACHTOEXPERIENCEFLOW

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CLIENTPRECONDITIONS

• Christina:Theclienthastohavethewillingnesstotrulydiscussthetopicthattheybringup,regardlessoftheirstageofreadinesstochange.Iwillmeetthemwheretheyare.But,theyneedawillingnesstoventureout.Theyhavetohaveawillingnesstosearch,tolookfortheanswers.

• Francine:Clientswhoarewillingtoengageandreallystretchandgrow.Clientswhoarewillingtotakeonachallengeandclientswhoareabletoexperiencenotjustthepracticalandcognitivesidesoftheirissues,butalsoexperiencetheemotionalandabstractcontributetomyabilitytoexperienceflow.Someclientsaresooutcomedriventhattheywanttospeedthroughtheprocess,gettheaction,gettothestrategy.Ifinditmorechallengingtogetintoaflowstatewiththoseclients.

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FLOWENTRYTRIGGERS

• IdentifiabletriggersexistformovinginandoutoftheFlowstate.

• Flowistriggeredbyaflowentryprocess.

• Flowexitistriggeredbyspecificevents.

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FLOWENTRY

• Dian: Ididn’tfeellikewewereconnectingreallywell.Then,Isaid“Iwasjustwonderingwhatthelaughterwasabout inthecoachingcallIlistenedto.”Andthatwonderingpromptedawholeshiftintheconversation.Shewasn’tsure.Andshestartedprocessingit.Itwasfascinatingtolistento.Sothat’swhentheflowhappenedforme–whenshewasintheprocessofdiscoveringsomething.

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FLOWEXITEVENTS

• Time• Consciousmovementtoanewstageofthecoachingprocess• Distractions

Francine:Ithinkthegearsinthebackofmyheadstartedclickingandsaying,“Youneedtostepbackandtakechargeheretohelp[theclients]pullthistogether.”Andthatwasarecognitionthatconflictconversationsoftenneedtohavesomeassistanceatclosingthethreads,deceleratingtheemotionalstate,helpingpeoplemakethetransitionback.Whenpeopleareinadeepemotionalstate,they’renotpresentwiththemselvesinsomeways.Sobysteppingoutofflow,it’shelpingtheminsomewaysgetbackintothemselvesandtheirlivesanduseorreflectontheexperienceinaconstructiveway.And,soIsteppedbackinandkindoftookchargetohelpthemregainasenseofcontrolandcalm,andatthesametimeacknowledgetheiremotionalconversationasagift.

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SELF-TRANSCENDENCE

“Inflowtheselfisfullyfunctioning,butnotawareofitselfdoingit,anditcanusealltheattentionforthetaskathand.Atthemostchallenginglevels,peopleactuallyreportexperiencingatranscendenceofself,causedbytheunusuallyhighinvolvementwithasystemofactionsomuchmorecomplexthanwhatoneusuallyencountersineverydaylife”(Csikszentmihalyi).

3AspectsofSelf-Transcendence:1. Self-forgetfulvs.self-consciousexperience2. Transpersonalvs.self-differentiation3. Spiritualacceptancev.rationalmaterialism(Cloninger).

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SELF-TRANSCENDENCE

Brian:AlthoughIwasveryaware,althoughIwaspartofthesituation,Ireallywasn’tpartofthesituation,ifthatmakessense.Itreallyjustwasaboutherandthisdiscoveryprocess.IwasalsoawareofmedoingexactlywhatIwassupposedtobedoingintheuniverseatthattime.IrememberitbeingsuchagiftandbeingawareofitbeingagiftthatIwasactuallyapartofthediscoveryprocess,orwitnesstoit.It’sinspiringandit’shumblingandit’saweprovoking.Anditmakesyourheartsingafterwards.Andonsomelevelitistrulyaspiritualanddivineexperience.

Susan:There’sreallyamergingwiththeclientinaway,whilenotgettingcaughtupinherstory.

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EXTENDEDPOSITIVEAFFECT

TheFlowStateProducesanExtendedPositiveAffect• Gratitude• SenseofPurpose• Self-Efficacy

Kelly:ItcontinuestodripdripdripintothatpotofjoyintheworkthatIdo.Iconsideritaprivilegethatpeoplewouldtrustmetoreallyopenthedoortowhotheyreallyareandwhattheyreallyneedandwant.Angie:MyworldshiftsbecauseIremindmyselfthatanythingispossibleandthatwe’reallconnected.And,Ioftenfeelempowered thatIcanseethechangethatIwanttoseeintheworld.AndIalsofeelthatignitedisthepowerinme,empoweringsomeoneelse.David:It’saconfidencebuilder.Iknow,onceagain,thatI’mdoingsomethingright.Christina:Ihavemoreenergy.Ihavethatspringinmystep,likethisisagreatlife,gettingtodowhatIlovesomuchandmakingadifferenceinthelivesofotherpeople.Brian:There’saleftoverhigh.Itcanimpacttherestoftheday.ItconfirmsformethatI’mdoingwhatI’msupposedtobedoing.ItconfirmsformethatI’mintherightplace.

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COACHINGCOMPETENCIESANDFLOW

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COMPETENCIESANDFLOW

Susan:IfIamintheICFcompetencies,flowismorepossible... [Inflow],thepowerfulquestionsareatahigherlevel.Soislistening,communicating,thencreatingawareness.Listeningandcoachingpresenceareatahighlevel– IwouldsayMCC.Iwonderifonecanreallycreateawarenesswithoutbeingintheflowstate…

Kim:Theearlyonewastrust.Ourrelationshipwasatthepointthathecouldtalktomeaboutthisthingthathehadnottalkedwithanybodyelseabout,evenhisspouse.

David:Twoofthekeycompetenciesarepresenceandactivelistening.Youcan’tbeinasessionandlookingatyourblackberry.Youneedtobeintunedinwithyourclient,inthepresentmoment.

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MODELDEVELOPMENT:IMPLICATIONSFORCOACHINGPRACTICE 40

MODELOFCOACHFLOWEXPERIENCE

IntheModelofCoachFlowExperience:• Coachesmovethroughaseriesofstepswhentheyexperienceflowduringacoachingsession.

• Clientscontributetocoaches’experienceoftheflowstate.

• Coachingcompetenciesplayanoverarchingroleincoaches’abilitytoexperienceflowduringasession.

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MODELOFCOACHFLOWENTRYPROCESS

• EmbeddedintheModelofCoachFlowExperienceisTheModelofCoachFlowEntry.Accordingtothismodel:

• Flowistriggeredbyafourstageprocesswithinacoachingsession:

• TheCognitiveDance—Cognitiveexerciseofquestions,answers&reflections

• TheChallenge-- PowerfulQuestionorReflection

• TheShift-- ShiftinClientBehavior

• FlowEntry– CoachenterstheFlowState

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IMPLICATIONSFORCOACHINGPRACTICE46

IMPLICATIONSFORCOACHINGPRACTICE

FromEarlierResearch:

• Deepsenseofenjoymentofwork

• Peopleoftendotheirbestwheninflow

• Promotespersonal&professionalgrowth

• Reducesstress• Maypromotehealing

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IMPLICATIONSFORCOACHINGPRACTICE

FORCOACHESWHOHAVEEXPERIENCEDFLOW

• Frequencyofflowincreaseswithexperience

• Greatereaseandperceivedeffectivenesswheninflow

• Lingeringpositiveaffect

• Increasedself-efficacy&affirmationofpurpose

• Templateforevaluatingcoachingsessionsfromaflowperspective

• Examinationmayincreaselikelihoodoffutureflowexperiences–autotelicpersonalitydevelopment

FORCOACHESWHOHAVENOTEXPERIENCEDFLOW• Providesaroadmapofthejourney

toflow

• Benefitformtheinsightofexperiencedcoachesintoprocesses,competenciesthatfurthermaster;bringthemclosertotheflowexperienceincoaching

• Proactiveandreflectiveguideformeasuringflowpotential

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IMPLICATIONSFORCOACHEDUCATORS

• Mayserveasabasisforcoursesandplanningthathelpstudentsachieveflowintheircoachingdevelopment.

• Educatetheeducatorsonthefacetsofflow.

• Addsaflowperspectiveontheapplicationofspecificcompetencies.

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IMPLICATIONSFORTHECOACHINGPROFESSION

• Addstoagrowingbutstillscarceresearchoncoachexperience,especiallyfromadevelopmentalperspective.

• Providesevidenceoftheimportanceofspecificcompetenciesincoachingdevelopment.

• Presentsanewmodelandsuggestsanapproachtotheoryandmodeldevelopmentthatisachievableandaccessible.

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MODELOFFLOWEXPERIENCEFORTHEHELPINGPROFESSIONS

ModelofFlowExperienceforHelpingProfessions:

• Helpersmovethroughaseriesofstepswhentheyexperiencetheprocessofflowduringanintervention

• Clients/patientscontributetoaprofessional’sachievementoftheflowstate

• Professionalcompetenciesplayanoverarchingroleinprofessionals’experienceofflowduringanintervention.

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FUTURERESEARCH

• Dyadicapproach– bothcoachesandclients(RelationalFlow)

• Theinfluenceofcoachingflowinotheraspectsoflife• ComparingcoachesabilitytoachieveflowwithMyers-BriggsTypeIndicatorsorCloninger’s 7-FactorModelofTemperament&Character

• Comparecoachflowexperiencesfromdifferenttrainingprograms

• Furtherresearchonhelpingprofessionsfordistinctflowentryprocess

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CONCLUSION

Whatistheexperienceofcoacheswhoentertheflowstatewithinacoachingsession?

• Amultifacetedintegrationofcognition,heart,transcendenceandcompetencethatservesandisservedbytheirexperience,competenceanddedicationtotheserviceofclients.

• Coachesexperienceaprocessthatincludesskill,trust,integrationofcoachingcompetencies.

• Competenciesplayakeyroleincoaches’abilitytoachieveandsustainflowinacoachingsession.

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• Questions?• Suggestionsonhowthiscouldbeusedforcoachand/orsupervisiondevelopment?

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