A Coaching Power Tool created by Anne Avento-Krapf
(Life Coaching, FINLAND)
Definitions of words used
Stagnation
A dictionary definition (dictionary.com) for word stagnation is: a failure to develop, progress or advance It can also describe a state of condition of having stopped as by -ceasing to flow. In a coaching context the coach works with functional people who are committed to growth. Anyhow is not uncommon to find a situation where a client is stagnated by certain issues in their life. For a functional individual stagnation is not total, but it may well feel like that. It can be also something that appears in a form of a “jojo effect” coming and going triggered by certain circumstances.
Continuous action
A dictionary definition (dictionary.com) for word continuos tells about something that is uninterrupted by time or being in immediate connection. Continuous action or even better continuous improvement is based of ancient Japanese wisdom of Kaizen; Kai (change) Zen (good). Kaizen is widely used to improve productivity on variety of fields, it was used first in 1940s in manufacturing, but it can be also used in personal life. (The Kaizen Way, P.Dh Robert Maurer)
Case
Case Lisa – Keeping in action;
Lisa is a career woman in a new position. The organization had waited for this position to be filled by a true professional for a while and everybody is trilled to have a new person abroad. Lisa is and feels welcomed in the new company. Very soon Lisa notices that there is a lot more to do that she is able to accomplish. To add to the dilemma she works in a matrix organization and she starts to realize that this doesn’t add much support to her but doubles the workload and number of persons who like to act as her direct boss.
She loves her work, she is glad and honored to be part of the company but she starts to see her commitment and enthusiasm fading and the quality of the work she is delivering is not what she would like to present. Lisa is not complaining, nobody sees her whining. She fights herself back to track, she meets her bosses (both of them) to discuss the priorities, she creates task lists and timelines for different projects. But she is stuck – once her team gets one project moving forward there is a new one waiting round the corner that requires her attention. And wow, are there new projects! Plenty of them – the company is on the big ride. All new possibilities are so interesting.
Lisa is needed everywhere. She spends most of the days in different meetings busy planning future. “The real work”, executing the plans waits in the evenings or in early mornings and is never completed.
Any new definitions, changes needed to any parts of the projects she has already worked on makes her very irritated. She ends up feeling enormously tired.
What has happened to Lisa?
- She is fast and smart, a great achiever with a good flexibility and adaptability.
- She has a good team and she is able delegate effectively.
- She has the big picture clear.
- She has the small steps defined.
- She has created most of the deadlines by herself – her 100% commitment is there.
BUT She is not delivering – not even the results, she knows she is able to.
Lisa hires a coach and defines stagnation as the main topic she wants to work on. With the coach she soon realizes that there are some old underlying beliefs that are not benefiting her in this situation, some contradictions between fear and desire to succeed etc.