Learn, Demonstrate, Improve:

Self-Management is Continuous,

As Is Coaching

It is human to assume (perhaps subconsciously) that the process of improving self-management is a linear one. This often leads to confusion, frustration, and self-shaming when a path in the "right" direction seems to reverse or go in circles. Giving up can result, along with fixed negative ideas -- "I'll never change." 

You can help students shift this defeatist mindset by helping them understand self-management as a practice. They may decide on particular study or self-care actions, perform them for some time, and experience improvement -- and then find that they do these actions less steadily or even stop for a while, for whatever reason. If they can accept ups and downs as part of the journey, and know that they can always return to the practice, they may find greater success and steadier self-worth over time. We all learn and improve through this dedication to self-growth and mastering self-knowledge, and coaching skills go hand in hand in achieving this.

When a student feels they have "fallen off the wagon" with a self-management action, you can ask questions like these to promote learning, demonstrating and improving in incremental ways:

• What benefit did this action give you? 

• What do you perceive led to you stopping this action?

• What are the consequences of not doing this?

• When, and/or how, would you like to start this action again?

• How can you remind yourself of the benefit of this action?

Coaching, too, is a practice which grows with daily use and dedication. Not only does the coaching experience change with the changes in students and their environment, coaches need reminders and refreshers with the practice of coaching, and an opportunity to stop, reflect, and make choices. These choices make the learning, the doing and the mastery possible.

LifeBound has an opportunity for you to reflect and refresh this October with a three-day training to learn, demonstrate and improve as a coach by mastering the twelve basic skills of coaching. Join us!

1-Day Introduction to Coaching

Register for Friday, Sept 29 Class

3-Day Inclusive Coaching

Register for Oct 13, 20, 27 Class

Coaching Certification

Register for Fall Cohort, Begins Sept 26