A Coaching Model Created by Lorena Jauregui
(Life Coach, NETHERLANDS)
Introduction
In this busy world, with busy agendas and multiple distractions, on many occasions, we find ourselves not listening to others and most importantly to…ourselves. As a result, there are fewer opportunities to be “listened” to and to “listen” to ourselves.
Listening to ourselves is a key element to any journey, change, the transition we may embark on, knowing who we are, what we like, what we want, what is important to us, who we want to be, and so on. Sometimes our true selves can be misunderstood by the outside and inner noises causing some confusion.
I believe that coaching offers that safe and friendly space for US to listen to OURSELVES and embark on a self-discovering journey to achieve our dreams and goals; The LISTEN model. There is a Spanish poem by Antonio Machado that says “caminante no hay Camino, se hacecamino al andar”, translated in English “wanderer, there is no path, the path is made by walking”[1]. By listening, we can take action and start creating our own path. It is through this vision, the LISTEN model came to life.
The coaching model
L
Learn about yourself – during life we listen to others, learn behaviors and habits, acquire a vast amount of knowledge, experience moments and emotions creating our memories and build our beliefs and values. In the modern world, the interaction with the outside has increased dramatically, the amount of information available, social media, advances in communication. It has become even more important to take time and learn about ourselves. We may think that we thoroughly know ourselves, however, if we stop and listen, we may be surprised to discover the actions we take are often not aligned with our goals, what we believe in, or what we truly want. This step is the foundation towards walking the path we want, knowing where we are at and where we want to be.
I
Imagine what is possible – once explored where we are at and where we want to be, we can start discovering our possibilities. What is supporting our goals?, What is empowering us?, How do we feel?, What is working for us?, What do we want to change? How our lives will be impacted? What is relevant?, What perspective is not serving us?. There is not only one possibility, start by imagining what is possible.
S
Stillness and reflection – during the self-discovery process we begin to unfold different aspects of ourselves. We must take time to sit and reflect on our discoveries/awareness, to deeply understand our current state…and how to create the change to move forward and achieve what we desire. Another important element as part of our awareness is understanding our motivation, the engine of our actions.
T
Take action – action is as important as the foundation. Without us committing to specific steps, no change nor movement towards where we want to be will happen. The more precise the steps are defined, the more clarity we have on the path to follow. “Small steps, lead to big changes”[2]. By defining small steps, we design an action plan that is achievable and therefore can commit to. It brings a sense of achievement and motivation every time we complete one step and creates accountability. Our own “will” also plays an important role in taking action. Defined action plans need to be realistic and aligned to our will, otherwise, it can be disempowering.
E
Experience your journey – the journey started when we began to LISTEN, now we are starting to take the small steps that we designed in our action plan. The small steps are part of this journey that we continue to experience, continue to listen, nothing is set in stone, and changes to happen. This journey is ours, so we must be accountable for the action plan and reflect on the progress. Celebrate achievements as well as the fact of taking action. We may try something that does not work, but that should not stop us from working towards our goal, revisit steps if needed, etc.
N
Note and acknowledge – Life is dynamic, as well as our reality and where we want to be. Like the image, the path is not linear, it has curves. The same applies to any process we embark on, during the way we may need to revisit some steps and make modifications. We must continue to LISTEN to ourselves. Where we are at?, How we have celebrated our
achievements? How are we feeling about those achievements? What is working?, What can we improve?, What has changed?
Coaching Application
During the coaching process, the coach will partner with the client’s self-exploration by following the LISTEN model. The LISTEN model is designed to ensure that all-important steps are explored for achieving the client’s goal and not missed. Some clients may tend to jump into action without really knowing their values, purpose, or goals without feeling any sense of achievement; or clients that may tend to procrastinate and stay in the analyzing phase feeling overwhelmed; every step of the LISTEN is relevant and important. The coach will guide the client organically through each step by being the client sounding board and listening carefully to what is being said and not said. Through a strong coaching agreement between the client and the coach on session goals, the coach will challenge the client in each area of the model to guarantee the client has a full understanding of every aspect without missing a relevant step of the exploration.
[1]En.wikiquote.org
[2]https://www.pinterest.com/pin/554224297891337712/