If you’re a busy professional, business coaching may not seem like an efficient use of time. You may think, Just give me the bullet point summary so I can process the information and head to my next meeting. Maybe you think the key to your next career breakthrough is just one Harvard Business Review article or TED Talk away. The truth is that successful professional coaching is more than mere information transfer. Whether for personal or professional growth, coaching becomes transformative when it uses an approach that is less mechanical (downloading new data) and more intentional (focusing on growth).
Coaching Emotional Beings Who Think
People aren’t computers that need proper inputs to produce better results. Coaches who inspire lasting change and growth help the client connect with more than just the rational side of their brain. To quote Dr. Antonio Damasio, professor of psychology, philosophy, and neurology at the University of Southern California, “We are not rational beings that feel but emotional beings that think.”
The Co-Active Training Institute approach to professional coaching uses insights gleaned from leading-edge neuroscience to train coaches who seek to address the whole person and employ not only the client’s rational mind but also their emotions and imagination to encourage and inspire personal growth and lasting change.
More than 100 years ago, an Italian psychiatrist named Dr. Ernesto Lugaro introduced the concept of neuroplasticity: the ability of the brain’s neural networks — biological structures within the brain that make connections — to grow and build new connections. In the last 50 years, neuroscientific research has provided confirmation and validation of this idea. Coaching can help direct a person’s behavior to reinforce newly built connections and habits in the brain using intentional repetition and training.
Coaching that produces results, however, does not merely seek to address choices or behaviors. Neurologist Dr. Donald Calne noted that “emotion leads to action, while reason leads to conclusions.” If we are to be successful in creating lasting change, we must direct the emotions that will drive our actions and build our habits.
Better Coaching Through Brain Science
The Co-Active Coaching Model employs multiple neuroscientific frameworks for guiding clients toward personal growth.
Integrating Multiple Brain Narratives for Insightful Change
One way that Co-Active coaches do this is by considering how the various systems and functions within the brain must work together to accomplish goals and direct new actions. The way a client sees their circumstances is shaped by the various “narratives,” or storylines, that make up their internal dialogue (including their rational, emotional, and instinctual narratives). Helping to direct the client’s awareness of which “story” is being told in their thoughts and feelings will help provide context for why they respond in certain ways or make specific decisions.
Activating Key Brain Networks for Growth and Problem-Solving
Additionally, a person’s brain relies on neural networks to process information and understand themselves and the world around them. These networks include:
- the task-positive network, which directs outward actions
- the default mode network, which makes mental connections
- the salience network, which moderates these internal voices
- the social brain network, which builds connections with other
Expert coaches can help clients learn which brain networks to employ for brainstorming solutions, reframing situations, and applying insights for effective change.
Harnessing Somatic Intelligence for Mind-Body Awareness
Co-Active coaches also work with clients on somatic intelligence — understanding and using signals from one’s body to make informed decisions and improve overall well-being. Research in somatic intelligence demonstrates that our body posture and movement affect our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (the systems that govern stress and relaxation responses). Co-Active coaches are trained to lead their clients to understand how their physical and mental states are connected. This helps clients become mindful of their inner and outer states and employ specific techniques to trigger physiological responses that support their mental health and development goals.
The Cornerstones and Principles of Co-Active Coaching
The Co-Active Coaching Model is built on four cornerstones of understanding both the art and science of behavioral change.
- First: People Are Naturally Creative, Resourceful, and Whole. Teaching clients how to activate their default mode network and step back to reframe their circumstances encourages self-confidence in problem-solving.
- Second: Dance in This Moment. Learning to be fully present in a situation helps us foster connection and confidence in our clients so that they can engage any challenge with hope and intention.
- Third: Focus on the Whole Person. Recognizing how the mind and body connect and interact with each other enables clients to employ practices that stimulate the parasympathetic response system and improve relaxation and mental clarity.
- Fourth: Evoke Transformation. Using repetition and intentional practice stimulates neuroplasticity and the development of new neural pathways. This enables clients to take bold steps in their personal development.
These coaching strategies are shaped by three guiding principles for leading clients in personal growth and change.
- Fulfillment: Providing clients with a compelling vision of future fulfillment and personal development helps them connect the “how” of instruction with the “why” of motivation, leading to behavior modification. In other words, vision influences behavior. Emotional connection is the true driver of personal change, so having a clear mental model of a desired future state that involves the senses makes future success seem even more attainable.
- Balance: In moments of anxiety or indecision, coaches help clients take a step back and reevaluate their circumstances so that they can consider all their options. This reorientation of perspective helps clients gain clarity and feel empowered to move forward so that they can take decisive action based on their personal vision and goals.
- Process: Life is dynamic, challenging us to adapt to new circumstances, emotional ups and downs, and personal growth opportunities. Process coaching honors where each client is in the moment — not just how close they are to their desired outcomes. Coaches walk with clients through each stage of this personal, unpredictable, and sometimes messy process by helping them stay grounded and connected to their own unique unfolding .
The Impact of Co-Active Coaching
When coaches employ the Co-Active Model, the positive outcomes quickly become evident. Clients develop new neural pathways through positive reinforcement, repetition, and intentional practice. Co-Active coaches and clients develop trust-based partnerships that give clients the space to engage the process emotionally and test new mental frameworks and patterns. Teaching techniques that address internal dialogue and mind-body connection empower clients to be fully present and aware of their own physiological responses to each situation. Learning to recognize their own emotions enables clients to connect with others through understanding and empathy.
By employing science-backed models for understanding the interplay of a client’s rational, emotional, and physical self, Co-Active coaches can lead the whole person in a journey of growth and personal empowerment.