Positive Psychology Coaching ppt

Positive psychology coaching : putting the science of happiness to work for your clients / Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean... Among the most important and novel insights vided by rese

Positive Psychology

Coaching

P u t t i n g t h e S c i e n c e o f

H a p p i n e s s t o Wo r k

f o r Yo u r C l i e n t s

Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Positive Psychology

Coaching

Positive Psychology

Coaching

P u t t i n g t h e S c i e n c e o f

H a p p i n e s s t o Wo r k

f o r Yo u r C l i e n t s

Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Copyright © 2007 by Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Biswas-Diener, Robert.

Positive psychology coaching : putting the science of happiness to work for your

clients / Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean.

Foundation II Character Strengths

Special Topics in Positive Psychology Coaching

Appendix: Planning Positive Psychology

A few years ago, as the world prepared for the change of the lennium, I was living in Calcutta and researching happinessamong people living in the slums I have long had a soft spot in myheart for people living in poverty and have often been inspired bythe ways they sometimes rise to the challenges facing them Foranyone who has ever been to Calcutta or traveled through otherpoor parts of the world, you know the sight of abject poverty can

mil-be heartbreaking as well as guilt producing My time in Calcuttahad me thinking about what kind of impact I could make on thelives of the people with whom I was conducting my research Ipaid my participants and donated money to neighborhood associ-ations, local slum clinics, and doctors In the end, though, I sawthat I was taking information away from India—I was collectingdata that would ultimately benefit a Western understanding ofpsychology—and not giving any education back Through my in-terpreter, I began setting up a series of lectures, at local universi-ties and even in slum schools, in which I could teach the citizens

of Calcutta about the latest findings from social and personalitypsychology The lectures were well attended, well received, and itfelt great to work outside my basic job description and give a littlesomething back

One of the aspects of positive psychology I have long been tracted to is the sense that it is for the public good As such, itis—relative to other systems of change—being given away free.

at-As yet, you will not find much in the way of proprietary ments or expensive, formulaic trainings No positive psychologyresearcher worth his or her salt is charging big money for “fiveways to discover happiness” or “three things that are interferingwith your fulfillment” or “My private tool for measuring positiv-ity.” At its heart, positive psychology is a science and, as such, ispart of the public domain The latest research findings are pub-lished in professional journals, many of which can be accessedonline Top scientists have web sites that, rather than trying tokeep a lid on their proprietary findings, clearly spell out the de-tails of research for anyone who is curious enough to look Uni-versity of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, thefounder of positive psychology, once said that this dynamic newfield was, in part, about “increasing the total tonnage of happi-ness in the world.” That’s a hefty mission, and one very much inline with the philosophy that underlies all coaching Of course,just as coaches charge for services positive psychologists chargespeaking fees, workshop tuition, and write for-profit books But

assess-in each of these cases, the men and women behassess-ind the science arebeing paid for their expertise, rather than some secret happinesssystem they have devised, trademarked, and sold to the public.Within the confines of positive psychology, you will see exem-plars of generosity such as the Values in Action Institute, funded

by the Mayerson Foundation, which provides a free, online sessment of strengths that could be generating millions of dollars

as-in as-income Or, the Center for Applied Positive Psychology, as-inEngland, a nonprofit center running educational programs inpositive psychology Or, the Hero Within Charter School, afledgling positive psychology school serving low income kids ininner city Philadelphia The list goes on Not only do people rec-ognize the value of positive psychology, they recognize the value

of giving it away

Which brings me to my co-author, Ben Dean I first met Ben at aconference on positive psychology, where he was eagerly learningthe latest findings from the field He is a psychologist who is pas-sionate about positive psychology and coaching, has been involvedwith the field from its early days, and firmly believes in disseminat-ing it as widely as he can In fact, publishing articles in professionaljournals and giving talks at conferences are just not enough forBen, he wants to make sure that the theories, assessments, and ap-plications of positive psychology make their way into mainstreamlife For example, Ben partnered with Martin Seligman to deliverthe Authentic Happiness Coaching Program™ that—between

2003 and 2005—trained professionals from 19 nations to applySeligman’s work on positive psychology to their work and lives Heruns MentorCoach®, the first coach training school in the world tospecifically focus on positive psychology and coaching As if thatwere not enough, Ben also writes a free electronic newsletter onpositive psychology with 131 thousand readers worldwide andpresents on coaching and positive psychology throughout NorthAmerica Ben impressed me with his value-laden attitude towardbringing positive psychology to the world In fact, his orientationtoward service is so sincere that I once saw him arrange for probono positive psychology coaching services for a flight attendantwho was suffering through a financial crisis

This book is the natural product of two people who would likenothing more than to get the story of positive psychology out ofthe ivory towers and into the mainstream as well as into otherprofessions, such as coaching, for which it is particularly wellsuited We will not get rich from this book, nor do we care to Weare interested in showing readers and coaches of all stripes thatthere is an exciting new science available to inform their assess-ments and interventions We are thrilled about the fact that much

of what coaches do has now been shown to pass scientific muster,and we are excited about what this means for the future develop-ment of the profession We think positive psychology is just toogood to hide from the public, and we hope that you agree

What is positive psychology anyway? In short, it is a new branch

of psychology that focuses on what is going right, rather than what

is going wrong with people If traditional psychology has sized the understanding and treatment of depression, schizophre-nia, and anxiety, then positive psychology takes aim at happiness,optimism, and character strengths Positive psychologists are re-searchers who investigate the dynamics of healthy relationships,the factors that lead to highly functioning work groups, and whatleads to lasting personal fulfillment Positive psychology asks im-portant questions about the human condition and provides com-pelling answers In the years since it was founded, this new branch

empha-of science has grown to include a cutting-edge prempha-ofessional journal,

a string of fascinating books, a new master’s degree program at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, and some highly effective workplaceconsultancy programs In this book, we give you a nutshell educa-tion about positive psychology

Much of this book focuses on happiness To some extent,everybody wants to be happy, although few of us agree on whatthis means or how best to achieve it Fortunately, modern sciencehas some fresh new insights into the age-old question of the secret

to happiness Among the most important and novel insights vided by research in positive psychology is the fact that happiness

pro-is much more than a destination Study after study shows thathappiness is actually beneficial Feeling positive is like havingmoney in the bank that can be spent in the pursuit of other goals.The fact that happiness is associated with better health, more cre-ativity, higher income, and better workplace evaluations ought tocatch the attention of any coach or consultant We spend timecovering modern happiness research including how it is defined,how it is measured, how much is enough, and which routes tohappiness are worthwhile and which are deadends In each case,

we tie together the research findings with helpful suggestions forhow the information can be used to help your coaching practiceand help your clients succeed

We also spend a great deal of time discussing personal strengths.The idea of tapping client strengths will not be new to you, but pos-itive psychology offers some wonderful new ways to do so ChrisPeterson and Martin Seligman worked with a team of brilliant col-leagues to develop a classification of character strengths that exist

in cultures all around the world The team developed the tive online assessment of strengths (and it’s free of charge!) Thesethought leaders commonly espouse the idea that there is as muchmileage to be gained from harnessing strengths as there is fromshoring up weaknesses This radical notion is more than simpleopinion; positive psychologists provide the empirical research andfirm data to back up just these types of claims

innova-From executive coaching to life coaching, from psychotherapy

to consultancy, the new science of positive psychology offers a tle something for everyone It is a solid science with empiricallysupported assessments, validated interventions, and exciting newtheories that can revolutionize your practice Best of all, positivepsychology is a discipline that is compatible with what you are al-ready doing and need not be swallowed whole or exchanged forwhat you already know works Instead, it can be an adjunct toyour current practice, and one that will be attractive and helpful

lit-to your clients Positive psychology is yours every bit as much as

it is ours, and we hope you enjoy it!

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my father Ed Diener, andMartin Seligman, as well as to George Vaillant, Mihaly Csikszent-mihalyi, and the many other courageous researchers who have pi-oneered the field of positive psychology Without you, the worldwould be a little less happy

This book never would have progressed beyond an idea at acocktail party if not for the support and encouragement of oureditor, David Bernstein Thanks for your patience, kindness,and insight

I would like to thank my co-author, Ben Dean Ben, I havelearned much about coaching from you and have enjoyed watch-ing you give positive psychology away

I would also like to thank the many people who helped in thepreparation of this manuscript by submitting to an interview, givingwise counsel, or commenting on the ideas contained herein Thisgroup includes Betsy Bass, Susan David, Sandra Foster, MichaelFrisch, Carol Kaufmann, Michelle Marks, James Pawelski, CarolRyff, Nicole Stettler, and Lauren Vannett Thanks to you all I alsoowe an extra special thanks to Alex Linley for the last-minute advice.Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Keya, and my childrenfor supporting me through the writing process The three of youput up with far more than I deserve I love you

R B-D

I’m especially grateful to Martin Seligman, whose phone call in

2002 ultimately led me into the field of positive psychology Ourtwo-year collaboration in delivering the Authentic HappinessCoaching Program™ has been one of the high points of my career

My thanks to Chris Peterson, for his leadership in ing the Values in Action (VIA) project and whose research andteaching in positive psychology have been so important for meand many others

spearhead-I owe a great debt of gratitude to Robert Biswas-Diener Whatbegan as a joint project has clearly become his book I first metRobert in 2005 while reading about, of all things, Joan Didion’s

reaction to his work in The Year of Magical Thinking I’ve come to

value his keen intelligence, his research and field work in tive well-being, his extraordinary ability to integrate and writeabout science in multiple domains, and his friendship

subjec-I would like to thank David Bernstein, an exceptional editorand central figure in bringing coaching to the helping professions

I would like to thank the wise thought leaders I interviewed cluding: Bonni Akalis, Vikki Brock, Jocelyn Davis, CatherineFitzgerald, Dan Gilbert, Jon Haidt, Richard Kilburg, AmandaLevy, Christine Martin, Ellen Ostrow, Chris Peterson, Peter Red-ding, Pam Richarde, Geno Schnell, Tracy Steen, Bruce Taylor,Patricia Wheeler, and Nancy Whichard,

in-I especially want to thank Anne Durand, an incomparable ecutive coach and friend, who has been instrumental in leadingMentorCoach®

ex-I owe a great debt of gratitude to all the brilliant, gifted souls inMentorCoach®, in the MentorCoach Alliance for Positive Psy-chology, the MCP Trainer Team, the (131,000 strong) CoachingToward Happiness and eMentorCoach communities, and thegraduates of the Authentic Happiness Coaching Program™ whoshare my passion for the field and continually teach me

And, finally, I’m deeply grateful to Janice, my wife, and our dren, David and Sara, for being with me every step of the way

chil-B D

in the business world, coach training programs are improvingtheir curricula in an effort to meet more rigorous standards forcredentialing, and private practices are flourishing Even univer-sities are beginning to take notice of our profession, and graduatedegree and certificate programs in coaching are popping up onseveral continents The tiresome days of explaining the differencebetween athletic coaching and working as a personal changeagent are rapidly drawing to a close We, as coaches, are no longerstruggling to find basic acceptance as a legitimate profession In

so many ways, we have arrived, and it feels good It feels good toopen major newspapers and see articles on the benefits of coach-ing and profiles of leading coaches We experience vicarious pride

when we see the success of our peers who design and implementcoaching workshops for organizations, or witness the financialsuccess of a colleague It can be tremendously rewarding to speakwith enthusiastic new students in coach training programs, a signthat our profession is growing At last, we can bask in the sameoptimism that we attempt to instill in our clients.

Yes, we have finally arrived But, now that we are here, whatare we going to do? As a group of individuals and as a profession,

we are just too energetic, too dynamic, and too motivated to sitidly for long You probably recognize that achieving one goal,while cause for celebration, also clears the way to begin workingtoward the next Change is inevitable, and what could be more in-teresting than considering the ways in which coaching mightchange over the next decade? In which directions coaching mightmove, and how our interventions and services might evolve in thenear future The possibilities are fascinating to consider Ad-vances in technology, for instance, will undoubtedly affect theprofessional tides Similarly, widespread public understandingand acceptance of the coaching endeavor and its many benefitswill impact our chosen vocation in exciting new ways, as willbreakthroughs in psychological research The field of psychology,our professional cousin, is a wonderful resource for sophisticatedassessments, clever interventions, and research validation thatcan—and will—advance our work by leading to better serviceand “proof” that coaching works This book describes one such

breakthrough—the new field of positive psychology—and explains

the many ways in which positive psychology can inform coachingpractices of all kinds Positive psychology is the first of manystimulating answers to the question: “Where do we, as a profes-sion, go from here?”

Coaching has long been a powerful force for transformation inpeople’s lives Whether conducted with executives, schoolteach-ers, graduate students, work-from-home Internet entrepreneurs,

or small business owners, coaching is about harnessing the best inpeople and inspiring them to live out their potential Coaching is a

wake-up call, challenging folks to tap their inner abundance cause of this natural leaning toward positivity, growth and opti-mism coaching has attracted practitioners who value service workand clients who are achievement oriented If you consider theways in which you and your clients are similar, it is likely thatplacing a premium on self-growth is one area of common ground.Those of us who have worked with or worked as coaches recog-nize the frequent times in sessions when a self-imposed limit islifted, when an “aha” moment is reached, or when we catch anemotional second wind These are the gems of coaching and,when coaching is done well, they tend to be common It is thisproof of positive change in action that makes coaching a worth-while endeavor for both the practitioner and the client.

Be-But beneath this veneer of positivity and effectiveness, there is

an irony in the profession that we think of as the coaching paradox:

For a profession that systematically helps people aspire to andreach their innate potential, coaching has not yet reached its ownpotential In fact, although coaching—in its modern form—is acouple of decades old, it is still in its relative professional infancy.Indeed, the hallmarks of youth are readily apparent Coachinglacks a coherent, widely agreed on definition, coach trainingvaries in content (although less now than in recent years), andcoaching interventions differ greatly Some coaches work with in-spirational stories and games, others rely heavily on assessments,and still others focus on goals and behaviors In short, coaching isstill a broadly defined endeavor in need of refining The profes-sion of coaching is fortunate to have so many skilled and imagina-tive people working toward this end But our chosen line of workneeds more than isolated breakthroughs and good ideas that areimplemented in only a handful of private practices Coaching isjust too good to be undermined by a sense that we are “wingingit.” Our professional service—whether it takes the form of execu-tive, entrepreneurial, or life coaching—will improve when we de-velop an agreed on definition for coaching and systematic sharing

of the high quality interventions in our craft

To be sure, progress has been made in these areas The tional Coach Federation (ICF), the largest governing body of theprofession, has made gains in establishing both a code of ethics forpractice and standards for the training of new coaches Steve Mit-ten, former president of the ICF, made the professionalization ofcoaching a major part of his presidential platform Mitten was in-vested in establishing coaching as a bona fide profession, withclear standards for training and practice.1 Similarly, in England,members of the British Psychological Society have formed a spe-cial working group to advance a program of coaching psychol-ogy.2Despite this forward progress, even seasoned coaches agreethat the profession is in its formative stages Carol Kaufman, forinstance, a coach and psychologist at Harvard’s medical school,distinguishes between “first and second generation coaching.”3

Interna-The first generation of coaches, according to Kaufman, was made

up of the visionary and courageous individuals who helped to tablish their services as a viable enterprise Now, says Kaufman,

es-we are on the brink of the second generation of coaching, inwhich the discipline needs to grow through the development ofexplicitly defined theories of human development and research oncoaching effectiveness Just as medicine has advanced throughthe discovery of viruses and the use of antibiotics, coaching isready for sophisticated theories and exciting new interventions.One of the recent pushes toward the development of a moremature coaching profession has been increased attention to themany benefits of science In 2003, Anthony Grant, a coach whoteaches at the world’s first university-based coaching psychologyprogram in Sydney, Australia, issued a call to ICF members toturn to science as a method and body of knowledge to help guide

symposia, in which the scientific method was used to investigateissues ranging from the effectiveness of working with cultural mi-norities to understanding client perceptions of coaching.5In later

Pearce7 have echoed the original call to embrace research as a

powerful tool to improve the practice and effectiveness of ing In 2006, ICF president Pamela Richarde spoke with theheads of Accredited Coach Training Organizations (ACTO),reaffirming the organization’s commitment to supporting a re-

coaches in London, Sydney, Philadelphia, and New York havelooked at the role of science in coaching by forming specialcoaching psychology task forces, hosting academic conferences,launching peer reviewed journals, and developing university-based curricula Simultaneously, professional books on evidence-based coaching or those adapting well-researched psychologicaltheories and techniques have begun appearing If these trendsare any indication of the direction in which coaching is moving, it

is reasonable to assume that at least one arm of the profession, inthe future, will be scientifically grounded coaching, in whichmany practitioners will have graduate degrees from accrediteduniversities, and in which many clients will want to see empiricalvalidation of coaching services We do not mean to imply that this

is the only direction in which the coaching profession will evolve,but this is one likely route Regardless of the background of indi-vidual coaches, now or in the future, it is certain that those on thecutting edge of science will have additional tools in their profes-sional toolboxes

In this book, we propose that the dynamic new field of positivepsychology—described in detail next—is a branch of science thatshows tremendous potential as a natural interface with the profes-sion of coaching Because it is grounded in sophisticated scientificmethodology, positive psychology offers an answer to the call for

an increased role of research in coaching What’s more, as an plied science, positive psychology offers theories, interventions,and assessments that form a valuable addition to current coachingtools Among the most elegant aspects of a marriage of coachingand this new science is the fact that positive psychology is notdogmatic, proprietary, or incompatible with existing approaches

ap-to coaching Positive psychology is a body of theory, research, and

practical tools that can be added to any coaching practice, less of theoretical orientation, or whether you conduct life coach-ing or work with executives Further, we argue here that such anaddition is good for individual coaches as well as for the profes-sion as a whole.

regard-Although we are attracted to the creativity that permeates the profession of coaching, we argue that the movement towardempirically-based interventions and solid theoretical frameworksfor practice is in the best interest of both individual practicingcoaches and the coaching profession Coaches Dianne Stoberand Anthony Grant argue that such a trend will boost the credi-bility of the profession and provide the foundation for higherquality coach training.9 We live in an age where science is thepre-eminent system of inquiry The claims of science are testable,and the results of careful studies are both replicable and general-izable Because the scientific method is so widely accepted, coach-ing practices that are grounded in science will be easier to “sell” to

a skeptical public or potential clients, and especially to tions that want reassurances that the service will be effective.Susan David, founding member of Evidence Based Psychology, aconsultancy firm with corporate clients in the United States, Aus-tralia, and Asia, encourages coaches to set their services on afoundation of solid empiricism “Companies and executives havegotten savvier when talking about psychological topics,” she told

organiza-us in a recent interview “It makes sense to them that mood can fect worker performance The people I deal with at pharmaceuti-cal companies and accounting firms ask intelligent questionsabout the research behind my services, and I have to be readywith answers.” Our prediction is that coaches who can honestlyclaim to work from a foundation of the latest scientific researchand theory will have a tremendous market advantage over theirpeers Not only will prospective employers look favorably onthem, they will enjoy the comfort of knowing that their interven-tions are tested, effective, and—where possible—appropriate totheir unique client base The addition of a scientific basis to

af-coaching is one of the greatest potential growth areas for generation coaches.

second-The importance of science to our field was recently noted in adramatic way by Jim Clifton, the CEO of the Gallup Corpora-tion, the company famous for its polling services In late 2005,Clifton addressed a large group of psychologists and coaches at ameeting at the Gallup office in Washington, DC Clifton has asharp mind and a flair for strong, provocative words “Gallup usespositive psychology,” he began, “because positive psychologyworks If the data showed that yelling at my employees was moreeffective, then I would do that instead.”10Regardless of how liter-ally Clifton intended this statement to be taken, his point wasclear: Businesses and other clients want to invest in workshops,trainings, and services that work They want proof that the meth-ods and assessments they buy are actually valuable, and not sim-ply the flavor of the month In this way, coaches can makescience, and psychological science in particular, work for us as wedevelop our profession

What might a scientifically driven coaching practice look like?Anthony Grant and others originally trained in clinical psychol-ogy have pointed to the “scholar-practitioner” model in whichmost psychologists are trained.11 In this educational model, stu-dents are taught to design research studies, analyze statistics, andevaluate the relative merits of other people’s research in addition

to developing clinical acumen The underlying rationale for thismodel is that graduates will enter the workplace as informed con-sumers of the research that guides their own clinical practices.Unfortunately, as sensible as this strategy is for psychologists, it isnot easily applicable to coaching Many coaches do not have abackground in research methods or statistics, nor a background

in psychology, and an emphasis on these skills is unlikely to havenewcomers flocking to our profession Although it is likely that inthe future many coaches will hold master’s degrees in coachingpsychology from major universities, it seems doubtful that in theshort term all coaches—or even the majority of coaches—will

have a background in psychology Therefore, evidence-basedcoaching ought to rest on the aspects of science that are accessible

to coaches of diverse educational backgrounds We have fied three areas in which coaches of any educational or profes-sional background can easily employ science:

identi-1 Survey readings of relevant background material couldgreatly benefit coaches We have great faith in the intelligence

of coaches and believe that they can easily understand sions of major studies This allows for the fact that not every-one attracted to the profession thinks in the rigorous,questioning way common to researchers For those with a pri-mary interest in the direct contact with clients and an empha-sis on the service aspect of the work, a general familiarity withrelevant background research is probably adequate But basicknowledge of the scientific literature may also be necessary Inour experience, the most innovative coaches are those individ-uals who challenge themselves by reading and learning aboutthe change process Whether it is essays by Abraham Maslow,leadership books by Robert Quinn, or professional journal ar-ticles, keeping up with major theories and new interventionsgives coaches a competitive edge We encourage coaches of allstripes and persuasions to become acquainted with the rele-vant psychological research literature, if even in a cursoryway We encourage you to extend this learning well beyondthe covers of this book and into other informative domainssuch as trusted web sites and professional journals

ver-2 The second natural intersection of science and coaching is to

be found in well-validated measurement tools Empiricallyvalidated and widely used assessments can be enormously use-ful to coaches Many coaches are already familiar with toolslike the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Firo-B,and know that these instruments can help the work of coach-ing in important ways But, formal measures of personality,

ability, preferences, and other related assessments have torically been the domain of psychologists—created by psy-chologists, administered by them, and interpreted by them Inaddition to the information they provide, formal assessmentscan be interventions when they are used to identify strengths

his-or areas needing attention, and they can also guide practice

by measuring outcomes of interest Although it is true thatmany coaches currently use some stock-in-trade assessments,such as the MBTI, many coaches are unaware of other usefulmeasures available to them, including many that are easy-to-take, easy-to-interpret, and free of charge

3 Research is fundamentally important to coaching because itcan provide a basis for evaluating interventions Studying thenuts and bolts of our actual work can tell us much about whycertain interventions work, when they work, and with whomthey are most effective Take, for instance, the research con-

ducted by Suzy Green on the effectiveness of Solution-Focused

Life Coaching, in which she and her colleagues found that

coaching produced appreciable gains in hope, happiness,and goal striving for the clients in their study.12Without thiskind of careful, systematic evaluation of our interventions,coaching is reduced to a series of well-meaning hunches andguesswork Knowledge of the empirical underpinnings of in-terventions actually allows coaches to break out of a one-size-fits-all mindset Results from studies can tell us howgender, culture, or educational background might play animportant moderating role in the coaching process Famil-iarity with such research makes coaches both responsibleand increasingly competitive Science can help us under-stand the nuances of interventions, an awareness that mightseparate good coaches from great coaches

Science is much more than artificial laboratory studies andboring, structured results The scientific process includes the

development, testing, and revision of important theories Now,

at a time when the coaching profession is growing—both lectually and in terms of number of practitioners—theoreticalfoundations for practice are more necessary than at any point

intel-in the profession’s history Theoretical orientations are views that guide practice For example, the “medical model,” anorientation subscribed to by most modern doctors, holds that aphysician’s job is to diagnose illness, discover the cause of thesymptoms, and develop and implement treatments While there

world-is no question that modern medicine under thworld-is model has duced amazing gains in the treatment of illness it is also unclearwhether this is the best, or only, way to look at the mission

pro-of doctors For example, Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel winning medical missionary, often spoke of his desire to collabo-rate with patients in an effort to “awaken the healer within.” Wesuggest that the underlying view of our work is as important asthe practical strategies of coaching itself, and encourage coaches

Prize-to continually evolve their own theories of change and humannature Unfortunately, although coaches share, at the broadestlevel, a common vision of coaching as including a focus on help-ing clients achieve their goals, there is much that remains uncer-tain about our task as facilitators of change What is the best way

to help clients achieve their goals? Is it more important to helpremove obstacles, or should we focus on developing strengths,

or some combination of both? Similarly, should we help clients

to achieve goals that are highly inconsistent with our own ues, or those that common wisdom tells us are not likely to pro-duce lasting well-being? For that matter, are client-driven goalsthe only yardstick for the measure of coaching success? An ex-plicitly defined theoretical orientation can be a map that guides

val-us through this uncertain territory

Positive psychology is just such a map In this book, we suggestthat the interface of positive psychology with coaching is a naturalstep toward answering the call to address the coaching paradoxand develop the profession in new and dynamic ways Positive

psychology was originally introduced by Maslow who, in addition

to his famous “hierarchy of needs,” also wrote extensively on peakexperiences, existential growth, and the importance of building

on personal resources for success in life.13Unfortunately, much ofMaslow’s brilliant writing was largely overlooked by both thegeneral public and practicing psychologists In recent years, how-ever, legendary psychologist and former president of the Ameri-can Psychological Association (APA) Martin Seligman succeeded

in touting the importance of the development of a strength-basedpositive psychology When he assumed the reins of leadership ofAmerican psychology’s professional body, Seligman made thebold claim that psychology, in its present form, was really onlyhalf a discipline.14 According to Seligman, the lion’s share of re-search and treatment in the field had focused on pathology and onanswering the question: “What is wrong with people?” While thisemphasis undoubtedly led to important breakthroughs in the un-derstanding and treatment of depression, it did little to provide in-sight into the everyday experience of the majority of people Whatdoes psychology have to offer the masses, asked Seligman, thosecountless individuals who successfully raise families, work atgood jobs, and do not suffer from clinical disorders? The profes-sional literature has been conspicuously silent on the matter ofpersonal strengths, happiness, and engagement at work and in re-lationships Seligman popularized the positive psychology move-ment as a means of rewarding the few researchers who werealready working in these areas, cobbling together a cohesive un-derstanding of human flourishing, and attracting new scholars tothe discipline.15Positive psychology is psychology’s answer to theother crucial question: “What is going right with people?”

We propose that positive psychology is a natural fit with ing because both rest on the assumption that people are basicallyhealthy, resourceful, and motivated to grow What’s more, be-cause positive psychology is a theoretical orientation built on afoundation of science, it contains the many virtues of scientificstudies with broad samples and the ability to replicate findings

coach-This means that research on positive psychology, unlike tional anecdotes, can provide insight into how to provide effectiveservices for the widest range of people by looking at individualdifferences, the timing of interventions, and including surprising,counterintuitive results Results from research in positive psy-chology, for instance, suggest that focusing on strengths and de-veloping the positive in people are actually more effective thanaddressing weakness and problems Further, there are surprisingfindings that suggest that goals, that Holy Grail of coaching, maydiffer in how much they contribute to our clients’ well-being Pos-itive psychology provides a systematic way to implement a posi-tive worldview, and offers unique insights that lie outside thebounds of traditional wisdom and intuition.

inspira-In short, Gallup CEO Jim Clifton is right when he says positivepsychology works Exciting new research from a wide variety ofdomains shows that strengths, optimism, and happiness are psy-chological capital with tangible benefits To skeptical readers, theidea of selling happiness to large companies might seem preposter-

ous While the word happiness might be off-putting in an

organiza-tional setting, the scientific findings from positive psychology aregreatly reassuring For instance, a recent review of the benefits ofpleasant emotions such as happiness conducted by University ofCalifornia-Riverside psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky and her col-leagues shows that happy people make more money, take fewersick days from work, get along with their colleagues better, spendmore time volunteering, are more likely to help strangers, receivebetter supervisor evaluations on the job, are rated more highly bycustomers, and exhibit less work turnover than less happy individ-uals.16 These are bottom-line facts that tend to be welcomed bymanagers and executives On the flip side, the organizational cul-ture that effective positive psychology interventions tend to pro-duce is often welcomed by employees who are overjoyed by bonafide efforts to improve their welfare while on the job Not only is apositive approach a win-win in the workplace, it is good news forpositive psychology coaches

Even better news is the fact that you do not need to be a trainedresearch scholar to understand and use the literature on positivepsychology Unlike mathematical theories of light refraction orthe cellular development of mycosis fungoids, psychology is acommonsense science that is easily accessible to all What’s more,

by the time studies are printed in refereed journals, they have ready passed muster with ethics review boards as well as expertpeer reviewers On this issue, we take the same view of our read-ers that we do of our clients: We assume you are smart, resource-ful, and certainly capable of understanding the content of thisbook Thus, in the pages that follow, we have included a broadsurvey of the most important topics in positive psychology andtied them together with specific applications to coaching In Part I

al-of Positive Psychology Coaching, we present a core foundation al-of

pos-itive psychology coaching: the definition, cultivation,

mainte-nance, and benefits of happiness In Part II of Positive Psychology

Coaching, we cover an additional pillar of positive psychology, the

development and use of character strengths and virtues Finally,

in Part III, we apply positive psychology coaching to the place, as well as discuss ways to use positive psychology to buildyour practice

The first foundation of Positive Psychology Coaching is happiness.

Lasting personal fulfillment is a concern that touches us all piness is the pot of gold at the end of the emotional rainbow, and

Hap-it permeates Western culture from Hap-its inclusion in the American

Declaration of Independence to the happy endings of Hollywood

films Experienced coaches realize that clients rarely, if ever, seekout our services with the explicit goal of increasing happiness.Nobody takes advantage of a free coaching session to increasehappiness 1 or 2 points on a 10-point scale Perhaps this is be-cause happiness is implicitly understood to be the single ultimategoal underscoring all other goals that grace the minutes of our

coaching sessions Perhaps it is because happiness is commonlyseen as trivial, lighthearted emotional happenstance, which ought

to take a back seat to weightier matters of work and family spite the fact that clients aren’t knocking down our doors or ring-ing our phones off their hooks in the pursuit of happiness,research shows this emotion is far more than a goal it is of vitalimportance to healthy functioning In fact, happiness is probablyone of the greatest personal resources your client is currentlyoverlooking

De-Research on happiness shows there is much more to emotionthan meets the eye For instance, most people think of happiness

as a desirable outcome, something to be achieved through theenjoyment of creature comforts, a bit of good luck, or through ajob well done Happiness, in this view, is the emotional paycheckfor effort and achievement As commonsense as this notion is, re-search on the topic paints a very different picture For instance,studies show that happiness is actually beneficial in and of itself,and acts as important psychological capital, which can be spentwhile working toward other goals For example, happier peopletend to be more helpful, creative, prosocial, charitable, altruistic,and healthier Happier people also live longer, are more likely tomarry, tend to stay married longer, tend to have more closefriends and casual friends, and actually earn more money As ifthis weren’t enough, happier people also win out in the work-place, with better organizational citizenship, performance evalu-

looked at as a means to a valued end rather than a goal in itself.The take-home message is that by encouraging optimal levels ofhappiness in your clients, you can actually open the door to awhole new set of emotional resources for them to tap en route totheir dreams

But how can clients be encouraged to be happier? Is there amagic formula, a new pill, or a secret mantra that can bestow ful-fillment? Such ideas seem laughable In the absence of a miracleemotional cure, it makes sense to continue questioning:

• How is happiness achieved by any of us?

• Is happiness a matter of changing material life circumstanceslike making more money or moving to a nicer house in amore desirable neighborhood?

• Is happiness a matter of psychological gymnastics such as ing the glass half-full or overlooking failures and setbacks?

see-One of the most promising ways to facilitate emotional ing in your clients is to work with them to set realistic expectationsabout happiness Happiness, as it turns out, is not a bottomless pit

flourish-or overflowing cup There is, in fact, an optimal level of happinessthat is mildly pleasant rather than ecstatic and euphoric Theworld’s leading expert on the science of subjective well-being, EdDiener, suggests that one of the most powerful interventions forincreasing happiness is to educate folks not to expect fulfillment to

be extremely intense or permanent.18Clients who can accept therealities of day-to-day pleasantness and satisfaction, rather thanchasing the elusive emotional highs that accompany rare lifeevents such as promotions and weddings, set themselves up foremotional success Clients who view mild satisfaction as a success,rather than seeing it as the failure of not having achieved completesatisfaction, are typically more motivated, optimistic, and positiveabout future outcomes This one small area of success sets them upfor future successes in other areas of their lives

In addition to the interesting findings on optimal happiness,there is a line of research that suggests that helping clients focus onexistential challenges such as mastery, connectedness, and self-acceptance, can be an important and fruitful route to happiness Infact, happiness research contributes to our innate understanding

of this prized emotion by providing several useful definitions—such as existential challenge—based on careful examination ofreligious, philosophical, and psychological texts In this way, well-being researchers add insights that extend well beyond commonsense or armchair theories The results of their studies point to

useful strategies for achieving and maintaining happiness that clude attention to physical circumstances, personal attitudes, sub-jective evaluations, and social capital.

in-Research on happiness shows that two variables are of key portance to achieving and maintaining subjective well-being:goals19and social relationships.20 Goal setting has long been theanchor point of action-oriented coaching Results from research

im-on goals have shown time and again that persim-onal strivings mote happiness by structuring people’s time, giving them a sense

pro-of meaning and purpose, and supplying a useful target for

that not all goals are created equally So-called “good goals” share

a common architecture, including being attainable, concrete,

with the clever goal-related acronym SMART (Specific, able, Attainable, Realistic, and Timelined) While SMART is auseful shorthand for developing goals, this simple method doesnot explicitly address some important aspects of good goals Re-search shows, for example, that there are certain goals, such asthose related to promoting friendships, which contribute to happi-ness while others, such as trying to persuade others, are actuallytoxic to well-being.23Familiarizing yourself with this research canhelp you better facilitate positive change in your clients by under-standing the types of goals that are likely emotional deadends, andthose that hold the greatest potential for emotional payoff

Measur-The framing of goals also turns out to be of crucial importance towhether they promote lasting satisfaction Whether your clientseeks out a desirable outcome, or whether he seeks to avoid a pos-sible catastrophe, can heavily impact whether his goal will add to,

or take away from, his psychological well-being Typically, whengoals are structured to avoid possible negative consequences (Idon’t want to get fat, I don’t want to embarrass myself in the morn-ing meeting, I don’t want to get cancer) they lead to more dissatis-faction than when they are framed so as to target positive outcomes(I want to run a half marathon, I want to give a well-received talk)

Knowledge of the research on how goals lead to lasting fulfillment,and vice versa, can help you work with clients to establish healthyshort-term and long-term action plans.

Apart from the genetic underpinnings of emotion, relationshipsare, perhaps, the single most important influence on happiness Infact, friendships are more than a chance to pal around, and roman-tic relationships are more than simple sexual attraction Social re-lationships of all kinds offer a sense of security, opportunities forgrowth, and even promote physical health Trusting relationshipscan be viewed as social capital that can improve performance atwork and set the stage for a tranquil home life

Whether on the job or at home, good relationships with othersare important because they lead to effective work and living De-spite this fact, the benefits of relationships suffer from a diminish-ing marginal utility, a point at which additional friendships offerlittle additional happiness Understanding the mechanisms bywhich relationships lead to happiness, and being aware of the lim-itations of relationships, can serve as an important piece of wis-dom that can easily be applied to the coaching endeavor

The second foundation of Positive Psychology Coaching is character

strength The great tales of human history, from the Greek myths

to the story of Martin Luther King Jr., are essentially narratives

of virtue; people working from a position of terrific strength Theidea of paying attention to people’s strengths is not a revolution-ary concept to most experienced coaches Many skilled coacheshave long looked at client resources as fertile ground in which toplant the seeds of growth and change And with good reason:Talking about strengths rather than weaknesses is attractive tomost clients, and taking ownership of personal strengths is a greatway to boost confidence and optimism Now, for the first time,the science of positive psychology has contributed exciting newinsights on character strengths, not least of which is the fact that

focusing on strengths is often far more productive than ing to shore up deficits Positive psychology provides empiricalsubstantiation for coaches who work with strengths, as well as ahelpful road map for those who do not.

attempt-Although your instinct might tell you that a strengths-basedcoaching practice is an effective way to work with people, youmay not have the luxury of time to parcel out all the fine points ofthe matter You might wonder which character traits arestrengths, when they are best used, or how might they effectively

be measured Positive psychology provides fresh new answers tothese age-old questions Researchers, including one of us (RBD),have begun looking at those character attributes that are widelyvalued, both throughout history and around the world Studiesshow, for instance, that bravery, curiosity, and leadership are alltraits that are held in high esteem whether one is living in theAfrican bush, in the remote Arctic, or in Omaha.24 Further, re-search shows that people are at their best when they have oppor-tunities to use these strengths.25Unfortunately, not all clients areaware of which strengths they possess or how best to use them.Sophisticated new measurements have emerged that help clientsfocus on their strengths, and identify those qualities that makethem exceptional people University of Michigan psychologistChris Peterson has worked with Martin Seligman to create a for-mal classification of human strengths and virtues.26Their excitingnew measure is available online, free of charge, and easy to under-stand Perhaps most importantly, their taxonomy of strengthsprovides an ideal opportunity for you to open a discussion ofstrengths with your clients

Helping clients identify their signature strengths is only half thewin We also encourage you to work with your clients to learn touse their strengths optimally Having a tendency to be brave orcurious, for instance, may not be enough to guarantee success In-stead, it might be helpful to take stock of these strengths and askwhen they might best be employed, and when they might not behelpful at all Research and common sense tell us that there is a

time to harness courage and a time to keep it in check and act dently.27The ability to discern between the two is, as the serenityprayer suggests, a matter of developing wisdom Understanding,for example, when optimism motivates your clients, and when itmight be time for them to put a goal on the back burner can actu-ally help you coach more effectively and overcome client ambiva-

pru-lence In Chapters 6 and 7, we focus on specific intra- and

interpersonal strengths, and discuss how you might use the

re-search on these topics to forward the action with your client

We are so excited by these recent developments that we courage coaches to use strength-based positive psychology to fa-cilitate their own growth and development Through the process

en-of taking our own medicine, as it were, we have identified anotherway to overcome the coaching paradox—not only can the field as

a whole grow, but individual practitioners can develop as well Tothis end, we challenge coaches to use the information contained inthis book to identify, develop, and utilize their own strengths inorder to improve their coaching and grow their practices

SPECIAL TOPICS IN POSITIVEPSYCHOLOGYCOACHING

Positive psychology is far more than “happiology” or a familiarsong and dance about the importance of focusing on personalstrengths In fact, sophisticated positive psychologists will be thefirst to admit that negative emotions, struggle, and personal fail-ures are also an important, as well as inevitable, part of life There

is a swelling literature on growing through adversity, and we courage you not to overlook client setbacks and difficulties as im-portant fodder for work as you help facilitate positive change.Several topics in positive psychology speak to the fundamentaltruth that negatives need to be weighed alongside the positives.Researchers have investigated, for instance, positive topics thatrelate to adversity ranging from wisdom to resilience to opti-mism.28In fact, positive psychology is too large an arm of the pro-fession to succinctly summarize completely in this book We have,

en-therefore, chosen to include only a handful of positive psychologytopics beyond happiness and character strengths Because somuch of coaching—whether it is executive, career, or life coach-ing—revolves around issues at work, we devote a full chapter tousing positive psychology coaching in the workplace.

Businesses and organizations make up a large part of thecoaching milieu and professional concerns account for the lion’sshare of coaching work Fortunately, positive psychology isquickly coming to the attention of CEOs and managers Largecorporations from Sprint to Best Buy are beginning to make use

of positive psychology programs, and coaches familiar with thismaterial will be poised to increase their business Take, for exam-ple, the Gallup Organization, a company with offices in 20 coun-tries Under the leadership of the late Don Clifton, the GallupOrganization used positive psychology strategies to produce hap-pier, harder working, and increasingly loyal employees, as well asgrowing numbers of satisfied customers Clifton instituted a posi-tive company culture; one that valued its employees, and one thatattended to their individual strengths From “learning lunches” toon-site daycare, from rewarding outstanding performances to cre-ating teams based on unique employee strengths the Gallup Orga-nization invested heavily in a positive paradigm in the workplace.The move paid off The company’s bottom line was boosted bybenefits ranging from exceptionally productive workers to re-duced costs associated with low employee turnover Clearly, posi-tive psychology works in the workplace

One fascinating new line of positive psychology research withthe potential for exciting applications in the organizational settinglooks at “job crafting,” the way in which individuals modify theactual work they do to make it more fulfilling.29The surprising re-sult from this research is that some individuals—those with a

“calling orientation”—are far more likely to engage in this type ofbehavior and, therefore, reap the rewards Orientations such asthe calling attitude were first suggested by sociologist Robert Bel-

lah in his influential book Habits of the Heart.30Recent research on

the topic shows that in any given profession—whether it is law,hotel management, or plumbing—people tend to vary in their re-lationships to their work.31Some individuals, for example, disliketheir job, dread going to work, and are only motivated by theirpaycheck Others enjoy aspects of their job, but view their workprimarily as a stepping-stone to other benefits, such as wealth,status, responsibility, or feelings of agency Still others feel

“called” to their job and exhibit a passion for their work that oftentranslates to professional success and deep satisfaction These in-dividuals, who feel that they are in a calling, spontaneously mod-ify their work to make it feel more meaningful

We are as excited to share the findings from positive psychologywith you as we were in discovering them for ourselves In partic-ular, we find that one of the most dynamic aspects of positive psy-chology is not just the rigorous scientific foundation on which itrests, not simply the surprising research findings or sophisticatedassessments, but the spirit of innovation that surrounds the field.Positive psychology is, refreshingly, not confined to the profes-sional journals or ivory towers of academia As we researched thebackground material for this book, we came across individualswho were applying positive psychology in new ways and thosewho were laying the groundwork for future directions in the fieldwith their provocative thinking In each case, the enthusiasm thataccompanies a focus on the positive was apparent In writing thisbook, we relied not only on our firsthand knowledge of positivepsychology and coaching, but we interviewed dozens of thoughtleaders, including coach trainers, workshop leaders, coaches, edu-cators, and researchers In nearly every case, we saw that usingpositive psychology was more than just another tool in the profes-sional toolbox; it was an approach to life and work that affectedpeople in profound ways We hope that this book is just the firstchapter in your understanding of positive psychology coaching

Over the years, we have met a number of coaches who appearless interested in hearing about background research and more in-vested in learning about practical, specific coaching interventions.This attitude is more than understandable: Most coaches are busygrowing private practices or dealing with the demands of provid-ing high-quality service to their employers In a world that in-creasingly moves at break-neck speed, many people simply do nothave the time for explanations and theories that cannot be told inthe span of a quick breakfast All of us are inundated with infor-mation, and it makes sense that readers will want to know not justthat some interesting things popped up in the research laborato-ries of prestigious universities, but also how these findings can beapplied in the real world.

Despite this natural sentiment, we encourage you to take thetime to learn the theory and science that forms the foundation of

Positive Psychology Coaching We promote the idea of regularly

re-flecting on what is going right, and what needs improving in yourcoaching practice We encourage you to periodically return tosource material, whether it is a weekend read of Rollo May’s es-says or a conversation with your spouse about how the positiveexpectations of your parents during your childhood affected yourgoals as an adult This is a great way of evolving professionally Tothis end, we hope that this book provides provocative new per-spectives for you to consider We have attempted to distill decades

of important research on a wide variety of topics into a potenttincture, and one that is easy to swallow Taking the time to famil-iarize yourself with the background research will make you astronger practitioner There is an art to coaching, often seen in thespontaneity, playfulness, and use of intuition common to coachingsessions We do not suggest here that systematic science ought toreplace this art, nor do we argue in favor of cookie cutter inter-ventions Instead, we believe that the research literature itself isfull of hidden gems, and that you can use your own ingenuity andcreativity to design interventions that will be locally effective withyour particular client base

F OUNDATION I Happiness and

Positivity