Coaching Circles

COACHING CIRCLES BOOST TEAM PERFORMANCE

ROI OF COACHING CIRCLES We recently surveyed coaching circle participants in a dozen countries to find out what they learned, what impacted them the most about their experience and what benefits accrued to their team and organization. The full report is available on our home page (https://coachingcircles.ca) Take a look and share your comments! (Aussi disponible en français)... The results provide a powerful testament to how coaching circles (more than any other learning and development experience previously enjoyed) support individuals, teams and organizations in developing the capacities they need to grow and to boost their performance. See what people have to say. It will inspire you to take a look at how coaching circles can be integrated into the work you are already doing or could be doing with your clients or within your own organization.

GLOBAL SURVEY RESULTS The results from our recent global survey on the efficacy and impact of coaching circles are in! There is a lot of wonderful data coming that will help make your case for introducing coaching circles to the teams and organizations you work with.... Here are a few glimpses: - 89% of participants say that they gained something from their participation in the coaching circle that they wouldn’t have received elsewhere - 80% say they are performing better in their role now compared to what they experienced following previous learning activities - 91% valued the time spent in the coaching circle even when under other work pressures - 91% feel they are more able to coach others and support their development - 82% say they have improved the way they work and lead in noticeable ways - 84% say their work with colleagues is more effective and generates a greater impact - 81% say they are able to achieve better results in their team and organization A huge THANK YOU to all of you who provided the names of their coaching circle participants for this survey and to all of you who continue to lead coaching circles and making these such a powerful experience for all. Most of all, thank you Martina Lupo and thesis supervisor Luigina Sgarro from European Economy and Business Law in Tor Vergata University in Rome for your collaboration in conducting this research. I am polishing the report now and will make it available in its entirety in the next weeks. Stay tuned!

COACHING CIRCLES BOOST THE DEVELOPMENT OF GROWTH CULTURES In a recent article (link below), Tony Schwartz makes a critical distinction between building a culture focused on performance and one focused on creating a culture of growth. A true growth culture focuses on deeper issues connected to how people feel, and how they behave as a result. In a growth culture, people build their capacity to see through blind spots; acknowledge insecurities and shortcomings rather than unc...onsciously acting them out; and spend less energy defending their personal value so they have more energy available to create external value. How people feel and make other people feel becomes as important as how much they know. This is such a beautiful endorsement of the contribution that coaching circles make to bringing about this shift in people. As true change agents, coaching circle participants then spread their growth mindset and conscious leadership influence throughout the rest of the organization thereby fueling what Schwartz calls a growth culture. Schwartz goes on to say that building a growth culture requires a blend of individual and organizational components that correspond exactly to what coaching circles are designed to do: 1. An environment that feels safe, allowing people to be vulnerable and take responsibility for their shortcomings. 2. A focus on continuous learning through inquiry, curiosity and transparency, in place of judgment, certainty and self-protection. 3. Time-limited, manageable experiments with new behaviors in order to test our unconscious assumption that changing the status quo is dangerous and likely to have negative consequences. 4. Continuous feedback grounded in a shared commitment to helping each other grow and get better. Find out more about how coaching circles support the development of growth cultures by visiting our website: www.coachingcircles.ca Read the full article: "Create a Growth Culture, Not a Performance-Obsessed One" by Tony Schwartz, Harvard Business Review, March 7, 2018 https://hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org//create-a-growth-cultur

PRESENCE - FOR THE SAKE OF WHAT? Being fully present to others is one of the greatest gifts we can offer. In a state of presence, we are fully attuned to our own sensations, feelings and thoughts while being in direct contact with and impressed by those we are meeting. Cultivating presence is at the core of what we do in coaching circles. Read on to find out what we see as the critical steps in building this capacity and how this fits into our facilitator-coach training.... https://coachingcircles.ca/presence-for-the-sake-of-what/

PRESENCE AND THE BODY This excerpt from Carolyn Baker’s Book Navigating the Coming Chaos: A Handbook for Inner Transition (2011) emphasizes the central importance of centering ourselves in the physical body to cultivate our presence. This capacity is so crucial to what we do in coaching circles that we created a whole module and Workbook on cultivating presence in our Facilitating Coaching Circles Online Course. The practice of "being present" was included as part of Richa...rd Rohr’s Daily Meditations (Center for Action and Contemplation) this morning. https://cac.org/order-disorder-reorder-part-two-weekly-sum/

INQUIRY: WHAT'S BEYOND THE FIRST ANSWER? We often feel comfortable and reassured when we find "the" answer to a dilemma or a choice we have. But...what else can be revealed when we dig a little deeper? Read on to see how the practice of inquiry embedded in coaching circles generates more possibilities for people to respond creatively to the challenges they face. https://coachingcircles.ca/inquiry-whats-beyond-the-first-/

The Power of Collaborative Inquiry: What Possibility is Awakened by What you Don’t Know? One of the defining features of coaching circles is a process we call "collaborative inquiry". It is designed to disturb the comforts of knowing and tap into the freshness of what the present moment reveals. Read our blog to find out more! https://coachingcircles.ca/the-power-of-collaborative-inqu/

VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT & COACHING CIRCLES I came across this short article on vertical development by the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL). It identifies 3 primary conditions to support vertical development: heat experiences, colliding perspectives and elevated sensemaking. These definitely resonated with what we're up to in coaching circles. https://www.ccl.org//developing-talent-what-youre-probab/

COACHING CIRCLES - FOSTERING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT When it comes time to dealing with the truly complex issues of our lives, we often scramble looking for what worked before, what worked for others, or the latest tip from experts. We hope for a simple and quick solution that will allow us to relax and move on to the next problem. While some of our issues are indeed technical in nature and can be fixed with the right knowledge (like fixing a computer bug), our mo...st difficult challenges emerge from the constantly shifting dynamic of human interaction and the simple fact that the world shows up differently for each and every one of us. This realization calls into question our conventional ways of dealing with complex situations as problems to be solved rather than mysteries to uncover. We often act with the narrow and short-term goal of fixing (or avoiding pain) rather than seizing an opportunity for learning and growth. It is with this distinction in mind that coaching circles were createdto offer a safe and inspiring environment for people to support each other in exploring what they do and who they really are when facing the situations that call their attention. In our process, we inquire as a way of letting others discover and find their own way forward while tapping into the collective intelligence of the group and their growing coaching skills. This way of working produces breakthroughs in how people manage the work or life situation they bring to the group. We call this horizontal development. It also produces shifts in their way of being, giving rise to new freedoms and new possibilities to respond to how complexity shows up in their lives. We call this vertical development. Working on both axes generates awareness, autonomy and resilience. More importantly, this experience brings about a deep sense of connection and humanity that is so often missing in our rush to be effective, productive and useful. If you want to learn more about coaching circles or train as a facilitator-coach, visit our website. Take the opportunity to watch the video on our main page or to read our blogs and articles to discover how coaching circles can inspire performance and growth in a truly supportive environment.

Why teams and organizations are making coaching circles part of their learning & development strategy

Learn what makes coaching circles a powerful value proposition for teams and organizations https://view.genial.ly//video-presentation-coaching-circle

BEING RIGHT AS A DEAD END I was listening to Charles Eisenstein this morning (The trap of being right YouTube) and his compelling invitation to be in the unknowing. When he asks what we are willing to sacrifice to be in the unknowinghe points to being right about whatever facts, worldviews or stories that define who we are. He reminds us to pause once in a while and wonder: What if I’m wrong? so that we can see what’s off the radar of our confined perception of reali...ty. He says that too often our questions are already pointing to answers from within the same realm of knowing. Answers become an escape from the questions and the deeper inquiries they evoke. They give us a false sense of security and control. He invites us to awaken the quest in questions, or in my words, to make the questions loving and disturbing friends rather than means to an end. What worlds would open up if we were truly curious about our values, positions or challenges? Not surprisingly, I believe that coaching circles create an ideal environment to nurture this kind of curiosity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB2RANaY65E&feature=youtu.be

ONE COACH TO MANY COACHES There is something both awesome and unusual about the idea that a group of people could be coaching you, all at the same time. It’s hard to imagine how coaching conversations, typically one-on-one affairs, can happen any other way. Yet, working together to support a colleague or peer in breaking through a difficult issue or moving an important project forward is exactly what happens in coaching circles. When a coaching circle gathers, each member ha...s a dedicated air time to explore a significant aspect of their role or mandate. With the help of a facilitator-coach, members gradually learn to go beyond their well-honed tendencies to offer advice or solutions and to step into a coaching posture. This means supporting the client in observing in a new light their habitual ways of doing and being, and in exploring new possibilities for action uniquely relevant to their context and their life. Like one-on-one coaching, many factors contribute to coaching circles being so powerful, especially when many share the experience. Here are a few: - A trusting environment that allows people to share their vulnerabilities without fear of being judged or shamed - An openness to learning about self and from others even when resistance shows up - A willingness to experiment with new strategies and practices, including using coaching as a development tool, both in the circle and on the job - A sense of solidarity among members that supports difficult conversations and getting at one’s truth - An orientation to serving others rather than proving what one knows or has achieved - Attunement to the client and sensitivity to the rhythm of the group - A skilful facilitator-coach (and with time a skilful group) that can spot openings for coaching and support meaningful lines of inquiry for the client and the group as a whole With these conditions in place, it takes only a few sessions for a coaching circle to become effective and to develop the capacity to coach together in powerful ways. This diversity and synergy enable creativity, resourcefulness and development unmatched in other environments. If you are a team leader, coach, facilitator or OD specialist, designing and leading coaching circles offer a proven way of growing your business and being part of a fascinating human development laboratory. Get started by getting the Quick Start Guide or dive right in by taking our self-paced Online Course on Facilitating Coaching Circle. Discover how you can leverage your skills in this unique and dynamic environment. https://coachingcircles.ca

On being in a coaching circle...

Foundations for Coaching Circles The Coaching Circles philosophy and approach draws from the contributions of multiple authors and experts in four main bodies of work: action learning, integral coaching, inquiry and andragogy. In our Online Course on Facilitating Coaching Circles, you’ll find in-depth resources describing the core insights for a range of key concepts in these domains and the corresponding implications for the way coaching circles are structured and work. Che...ck out the Online Course on our website and the possibility of training as a facilitator-coach of coaching circles. This training will extend your capacity to coach clients in small group and team settings. https://coachingcircles.ca/c/facilitating-coaching-circles/

Article gratuit - Cercles de coaching: Libérer la force créatrice du groupe Découvrez en quoi la structure inhérente aux cercles de coaching permet aux participants de se soutenir mutuellement dans leur développement et de concevoir des nouvelles façons de répondre aux défis et aux possibilités qui se présentent dans leur quotidien. Voyez pourquoi les cercles de coaching sont devenus une partie intégrale des programmes de développement en leadership d’organisations de par le monde. https://coachingcircles.ca/creative-power/

Free Article - Coaching Circles: Unleashing the Creative Power of the Group Discover how the structure of coaching circles enables participants to truly support each other in their development and to design new and effective ways of responding to life challenges and opportunities. See why coaching circles have become an intricate part of the leadership development programs in organizations around the world. https://coachingcircles.ca/creative-power/

MYSTERIES, YES By Mary Oliver Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood.... How grass can be nourishing in the mouths of the lambs. How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity while we ourselves dream of rising. How two hands touch and the bonds will never be broken. How people come, from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem. Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers. Let me keep company always with those who say Look! and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.

THE DANCE OF KNOWING AND NOT KNOWING I find that we are usually pretty addicted to knowing things. Simply notice how many times a day you repeat to yourself or to others I know. It’s an unconscious habit of speech, an automatic response. I wonder where it comes from. Perhaps it’s tied to the historical importance given to knowledge in defining how smart we are. If I know, I’ve got something solid and valuable to be ME. Perhaps it’s a form of self-assurance that underlies ...our need for connection and for being seen, a form of acknowledgment that we’ve got something in common, something we agree on. Being conscious of our relationship to what we know feels crucial to realizing the potential that not knowing holds. I am not talking about the absent-minded or sleepy teenager responding with a low, hollow voice, I don’t know to his parent asking how their room turned out to be such a mess. Nor am I referring to the times when our inner critic gets holds of us and has us feel inadequate for not knowing something, a voice we may hear saying: You’re so useless. Au contrairethe I don’t know I am talking about comes from the curious untethered part of our self, the part that is free enough of its historical containment to meet the moment with freshness and vulnerability. Meeting this moment allows for creativity to flow and intuition to rise to the surface of consciousness. Perhaps you’ll remember these as oh shit moments, feeling momentarily lost or out of breath. In coaching, I don’t know is a golden opportunity for inquiry. We also call it an opening because it’s an interruption of our trance-like determination to manage our life. I recall what Leonard Cohen sang in his Anthem: Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in We can easily miss this opening if we see it as a lack or if we’re too efficient at regaining our balance. Others easily miss it if they can’t stand being with the disturbance and the emotions that arise. In coaching circles, we cultivate an awareness of these openings and the courage to step into them because of the discoveries they bring forth. We help one another navigate these mysteries, trusting that all the intelligence needed is in the room to support the journey, not in some file folder on the cloud. If this intrigues you, consider taking our self-guided elearning course on Facilitating Coaching Circles. One of the 16 modules and capsules in the course is dedicated to exploring the role of Openings and Threads in the coaching circle process. Check it out on our website: https://coachingcircles.ca

WHAT TREASURES LIE BEYOND WHAT WE KNOW? "To make important discoveries anywhere in science, it is necessary not only to acquire a broad knowledge of the subject that interests you, but also the ability to spot blank spaces in that knowledge. Deep ignorance, when properly handled, is also a superb opportunity. The right question is intellectually superior to finding the right answer". E.O. WIlson - From "Letters to a Young Scientist". E.O. Wilson was the founder of social biology and I love the way he points out the gift of "blank spaces", we might call also call them "blind spots" in the process of inquiry we support in coaching circles.

WHAT DOOR TO TAKE... One of the areas that often seem top of mind for those of us leading coaching circles is the dilemma we face between letting the group find its own way with the process and reinforcing the coaching posture we know will yield great benefits over time. Most groups new to coaching circles find it easier to play to their strength in the solutions space and can become impatient with the growing pains of developing their new coaching muscles. How have you approached this challenge as a facilitator-coach? When do you know it’s time for rigor and when it’s time to ease back? What do you do to prepare the environment for participants to enter into this field with their development in mind?

Free article - Coaching Circles - Leveraging your coaching skills in a truly inspiring environment Understand how coaching circles build on and extend the benefits of one-on-one coaching to small groups and appreciate the powerful outcomes they generate for individuals and organizations. Find out what it takes to lead these with skill and presence. https://coachingcircles.ca/leverage-skills/