Power Tool: Craig Morton Action vs. Inaction

Power Tool Assessment Name:Craig Morton Date: 19 June, 2012 Student ID: 265912 Email: mortcraig@gmail.
com
Complete your Power Tool in the space below and then email as an attachment to assessment@icoachacademy.com
Action vs. Inaction Power Tool

Introduction
The desire to do something is strong in all of us. We have our secret fantasies, daydreams and people we hold up in high regard because what they do in life is something we aspire to do as well. However, taking those desires and thoughts and implementing them into tangible actions iis often a challenging task and sadly left unfulfilled. Why?
A look at our core values

As we grow up, we are shaped by our environment; society, schools, and home life. These environments impose external values upon that serve when we are young. However, as we get older and develop our own personalities, what we truly believe about life may be different from what we were told life should be like; our true core values do not match the external core values we were given as a child. When difficulty arises in life and we are frozen with inaction or current action becomes increasingly difficult, it is because our true core values are not in alignment with our actions. The role of the coach is to help the client fully explore their core values and examine areas in their life that are not in agreement.
Inaction
A common scenario is to have an idea, get excited about it, but then as time or reality sets in, the idea fades away without being acted upon. That flame of an idea burns brightly for that short amount of time and then dies; sometimes slowly and more often than not, very quickly. What is it that keeps us from acting upon
Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006
our ideas? What limits us from bringing our true core values out into the world? There are many, many factors of why people do not act as there are people, however there are some very common themes that restrict our actions when it comes to acting from a place of our true core values rather than what we were given.
Reasons for Inaction

1. Fear--The reason for fear is varied. It can be fear of listening to our true selves, being different, what others will say, fear of failure, and/or the emotional component of exploring our values and beliefs. 2. Uncertainty--Having our core values handed to us and not questioning them (even though we are not happy with them) is a defined path and with that comes some comfort (to use the expression of the devil we know vs. the devil we dont). Exploring our true core values, and venturing out on another course of action puts us out there on new uncertain ground (Fields, 2011) 3. Limiting personal habits--Despite wanting to implement our true core values, our life may not be structured to facilitate that happening. Time management, monetary priorities, addictions, poor self concepts and/or an overly negative outlook of the future are all activities and behaviors that not only take up time and energy, but also create an environment that does not nurture growth. 4. Gremlins (or Sabateurs)--These are the voices in our heads that tell us what we are thinking is crazy, a waste of time, doomed to fail and we should give up now before its too late (Carson, 2003) These factors, either alone or in concert, can keep us stuck and frozen with the inability to act. Furthermore, left unchecked they
do not only promote a lack of progress, but also start to move us backwards stripping us of self confidence and our authentic selves.
Action
Moving from the realm of inaction to action is a process that requires critical steps along the way to ensure a lasting and meaningful change. Jumping from the starting point to the end point can not only can be sustained for very short periods of time, but is also setting one up for failure. The work of going through the process is where the learning occurs, and the end point is simply a validation of the hard work that led the client to get there.
Preparing for Action

1. Examining core values. This is the first step in analyzing the state of inaction. The inaction may perhaps be over a certain issue and then the exploration may simply focus on their core values around that issue (for example, why am I not exercising despite wanting to? or I know I need to drink less but I dont want to quit). Conversely, the inaction may be widespread in many areas of the clients life and there is a general feeling of simply being stuck. This may require a more wide scale look at the core values and an exploration into what the client was told to believe about life and what they truly do believe. 2. What is currently going on After the core values are defined, the coach and client then look for evidence of their core values in their current lives. In some cases, there may be a lot of evidence and therefore alignment between certain core value and actions (i.e. wanting to be the best parent that they can be and seeing evidence of themselves working hard in that area) However, with some core values, there may be little or no evidence between those core value and actions in their lives (returning to the initial questions above of I
want to exercise more but I am not currently or I need to cut down on drinking, yet find myself intoxicated every night watching TV. This allows the client to become aware of what core values are present and which ones are not. Once this awareness is made, it is possible to then help the client choose the behaviors that support their core values and let go of those areas that no longer represent their desires for their lives.
Creating Action
3. What do they want to create (action) Now that the client is aware of his/her core values and the areas of their lives that are showing evidence of these core values (or not showing evidence), the client can now start to map out where they would like to steer their lives. This is where action is now possible. At this step, many of the reasons for inaction (see above) may potentially surface (fear, uncertainty, limiting personal habits, and/or gremlins/saboteurs). The client is aware of where they are in life, what is important to them, but now that they are capable and aware of actions that may start directing their lives in a direction that they would like, they can often be frozen.
Moving the client forward

Many of the reactions to change and action that the client has experienced in the past were due to having their core values either out of alignment or being unaware of them; their reactions have become an association or habitual reaction. However, now that the work has been done to bring awareness to their core values along with the older outdated core values
having been consciously let go, the client can purposely act with intention. The role of the coach is to help them see that many of their hesitations are no longer needed and now an outdated. Despite best initial efforts, these reactions and habits take time to not only understand but to change, and therefore, in some cases, the actions that the client would like to implement will evoke reactions of hesitation. Therefore as a coach, the role to the client is as follows: 1. Holding up the clients vision. More so in the beginning, reminding the client of what it is that they are trying to do is important to start the process as well as keep it going. In the beginning, the client will be out of their comfort zone and in the thick of thin things (Covey, 1989). Allowing the client to see the larger picture and not get caught up in the smaller details provides valuable perspectives forward as well as honours how far they have already come. 2. Validate their hesitations. Allowing the client to understand the accurate magnitude and size of their change or action is important. It is easy to overestimate or underestimate a challenge, and through dialogue, the coach needs to let the client fully express their excitements and hesitations so that they see an accurate picture of what it is that they are trying to do. 3. Provide perspective. As the client moves into action (or at least contemplates it), when obstacles arise, they can often seem impassable. However, if the client can explore other perspectives, then the course of action forward becomes easier, and/or in another direction but most importantly consciously in alignment with their core values. 4. Focus on the process, rather than the end goal. Rushing the process to get to the end goal can not only produce undue stress, but can also create unrealistic expectations. The work of getting to a goal is the most important and the final end point is simply a culmination of all the hard work along the way. Allowing
the client to value their process and set realistic goals in a realistic amount of time (Connolly, 2012) will help them not only deepen their understanding of the process but also enjoy it. 5. Progress is not linear. There will be days of setbacks and frustration however there is valuable learning to be done in these experiences. By working with the coach, the client will be able to glean learning from what he/she initially perceives as wasted or misused efforts. 6. Creating motivation. Depending on the situation, the coach needs to help the client become very clear about their motivation. This motivation helps them keep the end goal in mind but also gives them the strength and reasons to put forth a daily effort (Heath and Heath, 2010). 7. Creating critical behaviors. In moments of weakness, will power will only take a client so far and over time, desires to repeat the behaviors that the client is trying to change will easily win over simple will power. Therefore, helping the client identify areas or environments where they will be more susceptible to falling back on old habits is essential. For example, if the client is trying to reduce drinking but often does after dinner during the week on the couch, then creating critical statements that do not allow for any interpretation will take the pressure off will power and enable the client to be successful. An example would be no alcohol in the house from Monday to Thursday. This type of statement is much more effective than I will try and cut down or I will only have 2 drinks after dinner. The intentions are good but in those moments of weakness, it would be too easy for the client to keep drinking past their desired amount (Heath and Heath, 2010)
8. Shaping their environment. Despite the best of intentions coming from within the client, if their environment is not
sufficiently supportive, then their efforts to implement change or action can be met with enough resistance to stop any progress. Therefore with the client, the coach needs to identify people, environments and situations that may present an overwhelming degree of difficulty (especially in the beginning). Obviously, the situations cannot be ignored forever, but in the beginning they can be controlled and as the client becomes more adept and confident in their process, then those situations can slowly be reintroduced back into the clients life. (Heath and Heath, 2010)
Continued Support
Once the client has taken the initial steps forward into action, challenges will continue to arise, fears will resurface and new difficulties will present themselves. Keeping the client in a space of being open and honest with their situation will require: 1. Reviewing their core values 2. Holding their vision up 3. Letting them analyze, move through and accurately address the emotions they feel as they move deeper into their action and change.
Bibliography
Carson, Rick. (2003) Taming your Gremlin. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, USA. Connolly, Jim. (2012). A personal conversation with Jim Connolly from Jims Marketing Blog
Covey, Steven. (1989). The habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. RosettaBooks LLC, New York. Fields, Jonathan. (2011) Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance. Penguin Books Ltd, USA. Heath, Chip and Dan Heath. (2010). Switch: How to change things when change is hard. Random House, Canada.

Power Tool: Craig Morton Action vs. Inaction

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Power Tool: Craig Morton Action vs. Inaction

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Power Tool Assessment Name:Craig Morton Date: 19 June, 2012 Student ID: 265912 Email: mortcraig@gmail.

Action vs. Inaction Power Tool

A look at our core values

Reasons for Inaction

Preparing for Action

Moving the client forward

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen