Member Article

Motivation: The key to change In executive coaching

“Motivation comes from the Latin word for “to move”. It is a goal-oriented behavior. In essence, we take action because it feels good to do so. It feels right to take a break when we are on overload, then it feels right to go back to work. The real challenge is to make it feel right to take action that does not have an immediate reward. In order to feel motivated, we have to tap into the part of ourselves that has a longer view, which also feels right.

Take the long view

Executives like everyone else make countless decisions every hour. In part, we make those decisions unconsciously based on our patterns and habits. So, if we want to redirect our decision to take a longer view, we need to both shape unconscious habits and examine priorities to make sure they match. Therefore, completing the coaching assignments between sessions is far more likely to lead to permanent change than the time spent in the sessions.

Creating the correct environment can motivate others

In addition to motivating ourselves, it is important to learn to create an environment where others can become motivated. There are many ways to do so. For example, one major hospital chain offers a wide range of in house courses for physicians that are designed to assist them in communication with staff and patients. Other courses are offered relative to team building and leadership.

Physicians whose behavior is defined as “disruptive” are given an opportunity to access these classes without cost. If a “disruptive” physician fails to show improvement after attending these courses, he or she may be mandated to attend Emotional Intelligence Coaching for “impulse control, have his or her pay reduced or given a “last chance” agreement.

When carrots fail, sticks are seen as another option. Once a physician enters Emotional Intelligence Coaching, it is the responsibility of the coach to provide a coaching experience that may motivate the physician to actively participate in the change process. The physician should be helped to focus on the deficits learned from his or her assessment and commit to practice skill enhancement techniques offered in the DVDs, client workbooks and other ancillary coaching material.

Learn to think of consequences

Teachers, parents, and others have often told us to control our emotions and cut them off from the decision-making process, especially feelings of anger and fear. For physicians and executives, poor impulse control can be a career detailer. Therefore, it is imperative that as coaches, we constantly remind our clients of the consequences of impulsive actions.

You can change if you want

A careful review of the initial Emotional Intelligence Assessment (EQ-i-2.0.) provides a comprehensive list of competencies in emotional intelligence. As a coaching client becomes more conscious of the patterns that he or she exhibits, it becomes possible to:

Analyze these behaviors and replace them if they are inappropriate.

Interrupt the pattern or replace it with conscious behavior that moves us close to our real goals.

This is simple, but it’s not easy. It is a task that requires hard work and a desire to change—but it is not difficult to begin.

It can be as simple as taking a brief pause to allow the conscious brain to begin to intervene in the pattern.

George Anderson, the Anger Management Guru

www.andersonservices.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by George Anderson .