A Coaching Model Created by Henry Hahn
(Executive Coach, UNITED STATES)
Outcome based, Openness driven, Transformational, with Barriers removed!
Yes, we have all heard the business jargon “Out of the box” as a moniker for thinking differently before! I submit to you a process of asking provocative questions in a session that helps a client to think “Out of the Box”. I see it as a framework to build structure in a coaching session by thinking of it as;
O=outcome based, O=openness driven, T=transformational with, B=barriers removed!
When we think about our thoughts on our own, aren’t we in a metaphorical sense in a box? Trying to wrestle those thoughts into new ideas takes work. Getting to those thoughts takes awareness by the client. The thoughts come into our minds and therein is the box. They swirl around and around, and for most of us the thoughts become stuck in that proverbial box. We sometimes struggle and wrestle with these thoughts for days, months, years, or for some a lifetime.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful, even peaceful and joyful, if we could get Out of the Box that closes us in, that keeps us constricted? How, you may ask, can we make that breakout and jump out of the box? This is my greatest desire as a coach, helping people transform their thinking to gain new perspective on their lives, and break free from the barriers that keep them in the “Box”!
The answer resides in the question. With my coaching model you can be “Jack-in-the-Box” and jump free from those barriers that hold you back from your full potential! My “Out of the Box” coaching model will propel you toward a future of personal and professional growth!
Coaching Application
I partner with clients in a session wherein we outline and describe thoughts the client is bringing to the session. I often find that the client isn’t actually bringing the real issue or hindrance until we start exploring with powerful questioning and deep listening. We then define the outcome of the issue and what that may look or feel like. I like to think of the BOX as an acronym, Bringing Openness to X (unknown) Becoming Open to X. So, how do we become more open? With powerful questioning, deep listening, and challenging the client we begin to uncover and explore more deeply the root of the issue or blockage. Now as we bring more openness, thoughts begin to shift, opening up even more new ideas. Sometimes the process involves a shift in perspective that wasn’t originally thought of and we begin to feel barriers removed. Or sometimes the client needed to really dig in to find their values and see how they line up with the issue that has them stuck. Dis-empowering thoughts also emerge which can be a huge hindrance to further development. Herein lies the transformation where new ideas emerge and barriers start to be removed! The process doesn’t stop here however, follow up and accountability are the remaining key components that help the client grow. I partner with my clients in their new discoveries over time chosen by the client, 
until they are comfortable in their new found freedom, empowering them to their full professional and personal potential!
Now the client is free to believe in their new thoughts and behaviors and realize that there simply is no more box!