In a previous post I wrote about the concept of Destiny in Appreciative Coaching. For many, the 'radical' approach outlined in that article made sense and breathed new life into their coaching practice; however, many people are curious - how do we evaluate or monitor our client's progress as they live out their Destiny? The International Coaching Federation (ICF) requires its members to adhere to eleven core competencies. The purpose of these competencies is to help coaches support and maximize their client's personal and professional potential. One core competency involves managing a client's process and accountability. This article intends to suggest some methods to: measure, track and evaluate the progress of one's coaching, assess progress and accountability, and reinventing what these terms can mean for us as appreciative coaches.

 

Progress and Movement

There is a paradigm of progress that says that to progress we must close the gap between where we are and where we want to be. We start here and move to there. In this paradigm milestones, markers, progress indicators all make sense and are very helpful in making good progress. Let's call this the traditional paradigm of progress.

 

There's another paradigm that says that progress is really only seen in hindsight. We look over our shoulder and say, "yes I progressed", but we cannot actually 'progress' in the present moment. In the present all we can do is live and act according to a set of beliefs and assumptions about what is possible for us right now. There is, of course, progress in this paradigm (as well as hard work), but the notion of struggle to 'close the gap' is absent. We are relieved of the struggle to succeed, and instead act in accordance with the future that calls us. The future we are 'living into' lives as something possible in the present. It is held in our images of the future. Read Full Article>> 

All managers would like their teams to be more productive. Yet most companies are using the same old methods: strategic plans, goal-setting, streamlining operations, reducing inefficiency. Others are offering employee perks, such as on-site food, daycare, or gyms. Others are offering bigger bonuses or flexible schedules.

Kim Cameron and his colleagues at the University of Michigan, however, have discovered a way to improve performance that has nothing to do with dishing out benefits or deploying new processes. In a research article published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science Cameron and his coauthors found that a workplace characterized by positive and virtuous practices excels in a number of domains.

Positive and virtuous practices include:

• Caring for, being interested in, and maintaining responsibility for colleagues as friends.
• Providing support for one another, including offering kindness and compassion when others are struggling.
• Avoiding blame and forgive mistakes.
• Inspiring one another at work.
• Emphasizing the meaningfulness of the work.
• Treating one another with respect, gratitude, trust & integrity.

Cameron and his colleagues explain that there are three reasons these practices benefit the company . Read Full Article>> 

How do we free the energy within organizations to find what works in order to enable positive change?

Imagine that you receive a call today telling you that you will be moving from your current home in the next 30 days. Furthermore, the caller offers "sketchy" details as to the nature of the new house that you will be occupying and no clear idea of what assistance you will be receiving in the move. You are told that additional information may come at "some future time," on a "need to know basis." What are your reactions? Perhaps you think, "Fantastic, an adventure." Or, you might think, "Hey, wait a minute move?...Nobody else has said anything about moving. I think that I'll just wait and see if this is really serious." Or your reaction might be, "I love my home. I don't want to move. Everything is fine the way it is. Why would I want to pull up roots and relocate? I'm not moving!"

The metaphor of moving is one that we believe captures the emotional intensity and uncertainty that many of us experience when faced with organizational change.

Now, imagine another scenario. You are approached with an invitation to consider the possibilities of moving to another location and occupying a house that you will have a part in designing and building. The invitation carries with it a promise that the things you cherish most about your current home will be considered in building the new home. Furthermore, you are asked to consider what you would like to see in a "dream" house, and those ideas will be included for consideration in the new home. Finally, because you have been involved in the specifications and the architecture of the new house, you have faith that it is built on solid ground and will weather internal and external environmental challenges. Now, what are your reactions?

All of us have a dream house within a place that we can envision as the perfect setting for our perfect life. We believe this is also true for organizations that people have a dream organization a place where they and others can do their best work. This article is about freeing the energy that already exists in people and organizations towards reaching that dream. Read Full Article>> 

That's the first step to fixing everything from addiction to corporate malaise to malnutrition. A problem may look hopelessly complex. But there's a game plan that can yield movement on even the toughest issues. And it starts with locating a bright spot - a ray of hope.

When Jerry Sternin arrived in Vietnam, the welcome was rather chilly. The government had invited his employer, Save the Children, the international organization that helps kids in need, to open an office in the country in 1990 to fight malnutrition. But the foreign minister let Sternin know that not everyone in the government appreciated his presence. The minister told him, "You have six months to make a difference."

Sternin had traveled to the country with his wife and 10-year-old son. None of them spoke the language. "We were like orphans at the airport when we arrived in Vietnam," he said. "We had no idea what we were going to do." Sternin had minimal staff and meager resources.

The conventional wisdom was that malnutrition was the result of an intertwined set of problems: Sanitation was poor. Poverty was nearly universal. Clean water was not readily available. The rural people tended to be ignorant about nutrition. Read Full Article>> 

Infuse Appreciative Inquiry into your coaching/consulting practice to strengthen the positive core of both you and your clients.