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INTACT: A COACHING TOOL FOR STUCK CLIENTS

 

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While intact is an English word meaning not altered, broken or impaired, here I have deliberately and purposeful coined the word from key challenges many coaches face – intention and action. Many clients start their coaching sessions with good intentions to get better, but simply fail to take action or stay consistent with action. The client may prefer to stay “INTACT,” meaning they want to maintain status quo.

A deep look into the cause for this situation reveals an interesting formula:

 

D= EB2

Where D=Dynamism, E=Enthusiasm, B=Buoyancy and B=Binder.

Let me explore each component:

 

Dynamism is the sum of an individual’s ability to be vigorous, competitive, achieving and decisive.

  • Vigor is client’s ability to be action oriented vs. inert. Inertia can set in when the client sees the coaching journey as long and requiring a lot of change.
  • Some clients would like to achieve their goals because they are competitive, while others may be very subdued and may fear competing.
  • Achievement is the need to see end results; some clients enjoy seeing the end results and they may set ambitious goals, while others may just be happy trying and would be happy to set smaller goals.
  • Decisiveness is the ability to take a key decision that will move oneself along in the path of goal achievement.

 

The word enthusiasm has its root in Greek; literally it means “the God (entheo) inside (iasm).” The etymology of the word thus points at its divine origin. Enthusiasm can be seen in the twinkling of your client’s eyes, the determination in his/her step, the power in his/her hands, and the irresistible energy pull of what he or she has decided to create. It is here the goal and the vision statement becomes of paramount importance. Could a person be very enthusiastic if he is low in four components of dynamism?

 

Buoyancy is the upward force that a client feels from within. When compared to the “achievability” of the goal, it is what makes a client flow, sink, or remain neutrally buoyant in the situation. When the coachee is in flow, the upward buoyant force exerted by the goal is greater than the downward force of the client’s low dynamism, enthusiasm and binder. Buoyancy is impacted by enthusiasm (and vice versa) and will impact dynamism.

 

Binder is synonymous with commitment. I have chosen to use the word binder as it “binds” buoyancy and enthusiasm. It is the high or low ability to bind that has positive or less positive impact on dynamism.

 

Improvising on the concept of organization commitment developed by John Meyer and Natalie Allen, it can be affection for the client’s goals (affective commitment), fear of loss of not attaining goal (continuance commitment) and lastly sense of obligation to stay INTACT (normative commitment) that keeps a client from moving forward in the coaching engagement.

 

It is important to remember that the coach would also be impacted by this formula. Compatibility between client and coach will be defined by this formula.

 

So in summary, moving the coachee out of “INTACT” can be done using the formula D= EB2

 

R.R.-Krishna

R.R. Krishna is PCC, RPCC, CMC, CPC , CELC, EMNL with around 30 years of experience in people development. He has published his first book Prismatic Coaching – Getting to the heart of matter through self-directed coaching. Krishna is based out of Chennai in India. He has also established BRICMCC