Harvard psychology of leadership 1508 03 coaching

By acceptance I mean a warm regard for him as a person of unconditional self-worth—of value no matter what his condition, his behavior, or his feelings.. 1995 • Person versus Behavior “W

Psychology 1508:

Leadership Coaching

“We must continually remind ourselves that our lives and our partners’ and followers’ lives are not problems to be solved They are callings to be

answered, mysteries to be lived.”

Richard Leider, Leader to Leader

Coaching

The Coaching Model

Unconditional Acceptance

“I find that the more acceptance and liking I feel toward

this individual, the more I will be creating a relationship

which he can use By acceptance I mean a warm regard for him as a person of unconditional self-worth—of value

no matter what his condition, his behavior, or his feelings

It means a respect and liking for him as a separate

person, a willingness for him to possess his own feelings

in his own way It means an acceptance of and regard for his attitudes of the moment, no matter how negative or

positive, no matter how much they may contradict other

attitudes he has held in the past This acceptance of each fluctuating aspect of this other person makes it for him a relationship of warmth and safety, and the safety of being liked and prized as a person seems a highly important

element in a helping relationship.”

Carl Rogers

Being a Beautiful Enemy

• Affective versus Cognitive conflict (Amason

et al 1995)

• Person versus Behavior

“When you must reprimand your child, do so in a loving manner Don’t ever try to degrade or humiliate him His ego is a precious thing worth preserving Try saying:

I love you very much but I will not have the kind of

behavior

Do you know why I won’t tolerate that? Simply because you are too bright to behave that way.”

Being a Beautiful Enemy

• Affective versus Cognitive conflict (Amason et al 1995)

• Person versus Behavior

– Leads to acceptance of feedback (feedforward)

– Behaviors are knowable

– Behaviors are measurable and quantifiable

Appreciative Inquiry

Ap-pre’ci-ate v., 1 Valuing; the act of recognizing

the best in people or the world around us, affirming past and present strengths and potentials; to

perceive those things that give life (health, vitality,

excellence) to living systems 2 To increase in

value, e.g., the economy has appreciated in value.

In-quire’, v., 1 The act of exploration and discovery

2 To ask questions; to be open to seeing new

potentials and possibilities.

Defining AI

“Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative, coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them It involves systematic discovery

of what gives life to an organization or a community

when it is most effective and most capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.”

David Cooperrider & Diana Whitney

“Traditional approaches to problem solving are, by

definition, a way of seeing the world as a glass half

empty The Appreciative Inquiry is an alternative

process to bring about organizational change by looking

at the glass as half full Essentially, Appreciative Inquiry varies from other approaches to organizational change

in that it builds on what works well.”

Gail Johnson & William Leavitt

Creating a Growth Spiral

• Grounded positivity

“One aspect differentiating Appreciative Inquiry from other visioning and planning methodologies is that images of the future emerge out of grounded

examples from an organization’s positive past.”

Cooperrider & Whitney

“Because the statements are grounded in real

experience and history, people know how to repeat their success.”

Sue Annis Hammond

Basic Assumptions of AI

• Assumption # 1

In every society, organization, or group,

something works.

“At its broadest level, AI is about discovering

value in people, places, and things It is about discovering the positive core A fundamental concept related to AI is that every person, place, and thing has something of value, some worth, some untapped opportunity; one simply has to inquire into it.”

Stavros & Torres

Basic Assumptions of AI

• Assumption # 2

What we focus on becomes our reality.

“By paying attention to problems, we emphasize and amplify them.”

Sue Annis Hammond

• The problem with problem solving

Basic Assumptions of AI

• Assumption # 3

Questions influence reality.

“Inquiry and change are not separate moments, but are simultaneous Inquiry is intervention The seeds of change—the things people think and talk about, the things people discover and learn, and the things that inform dialogue and inspire images of the future—are implicit in the very first questions we ask.”

Cooperrider & Whitney

Questions Begin a Quest

“At the heart of good executive coaching is the ability to ask provocative questions.”

Murray Axmith

“I have now come to believe, after listening to

hundreds of managers discuss difficult decisions

of personal and professional responsibility, that the most useful guidance involves asking

questions, not giving answers.”

Joseph Badaracco

What Questions?

• Challenging questions too

“Building and sustaining momentum for change requires large amounts of positive affect and social bonding—

things like hope, excitement, inspiration, caring,

camaraderie, sense of urgent purpose, and sheer joy in creating something meaningful together We find that the more positive the question we ask, the more long-

lasting and successful the change effort The major

thing a change agent can do that makes a difference is

to craft and ask unconditional positive questions.”

Cooperrider & Whitney

“What would happen to our change practices if we begin all our work with the positive presumption that organizations, as centers of human relatedness, are alive with infinite constructive capacity?”

Cooperrider & Whitney