A Coaching Model By Nathalie Legault, Leadership Coach, Women Leaders Coach, Change of Mindset Coach, CANADA
Empowering Women Leaders with STAF Navigation Coaching Wheel
I dream that women leaders become their true unique best selves by being free to choose and design their own journey toward fulfillment! Nathalie Legault
My intent with this paper is to put words on a coaching model that may be more powerful to experience than to write on. Thus, to enhance your reading experience, imagine yourself behind a ship’s steering wheel. Navigating in agitated waters and having professional co-pilot support you with indicators/tools to choose the best routes.
So many inspiring discoveries and tools appeared to me in the past few years. Looking back at my own navigation route when I was recreating mySelf and developing my coaching practice. I see how women leaders like you and me could benefit from the STAF navigation coaching wheel.
My Journey: Staf Navigation Coaching Wheel
It took me a while to understand that I was behaving automatically as a woman leader in business, as the organizations and society dictated me to be. I was a high achiever and a good performer. I could not fail, I could not be weak (i.e., show my emotions), and I had to demonstrate that I was in control and tough. Even more so, I was strong enough to play in the men league, which is still the majority of executives in companies. All the success boxes were checked!
Deep down, these were my integrated beliefs and values and what I was thriving for all my life. However, I had never thought that this definition of success was not perfect!
A few significant events happened in my personal and professional life in the past few years, including the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite those events, I was still automatically taking on additional work and helping my understaffed teams as much as possible. As a result, I had sleeping problems and became apathetic, frustrated, overwhelmed, and anxious. It led me to a place I did not want to go, burnout!
The Discoveries
During my recovery, I did a lot of introspection by reading excellent books on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Letting Go, and Self-Compassion. Then, I chose a coach to help me get back in the water and move forward again.
I learned that behind each Action is at least one Thought and one Feeling combination associated with it. Therefore, I trained myself to identify each separate Thought and Feeling related to automatic behavior. By becoming aware of a distorted Thought and exposing its related Feelings to the surface, that related negative energy was almost released(1)instantly. I was then able to change my thoughts to more suited and useful ones to generate better Feelings and improve my Actions. This is where I realized that I could master these TAF(2)combinations to enhance my well-being. The gradual learning generated by this process allowed me to choose what I wanted to do and find who I was indeed, my unique Self.
It was a surprise for me to discover that your Thoughts and Feelings are not reality but your interpretation of the situation. Your perception is tinted by your belief systems built throughout your life and experiences. That your perception might be distorted and not helpful anymore. It was interesting to find that most of our thoughts and feelings are unconscious, therefore not chosen by you, nor necessarily suited for your life expedition.
The STAF Coaching Wheel Concepts
The concepts of the STAF coaching wheel will be used in coaching for the discovery of your true Self (‘S’), and the exploration of related thoughts, Actions, and Feelings (‘TAF’)(2)will provide indicators to find your route. Changing your TAFs to be aligned with yourself may give you additional energy and support.
As your coach, I will partner with you in bringing awareness to your STAF combinations. These will allow you to reframe the perspectives that could help you achieve your destination, your goal. I will provide a safe space to process observations, acknowledgments, and discoveries that may be brought to the surface through active listening and powerful questioning. As your coach, I will help you distinguish the crosscurrents (i.e., the unhelpful TAFs) and help you learn to release their resistance, obstructing you from moving forward.
The ongoing reflection on your needs, values, and beliefs will generate mixed emotions within and between coaching sessions. You might realize that you are more affected by life events than you thought. Sometimes, when the Feelings coming up are strong, the release takes time! They are overwhelming, scary, sad, etc., and inhibit you from moving on or make you say or do absurd things. You may even deny them or put them aside as you might not be ready to address them. However, as time passes and the discovery process unfolds, coaching will allow you to deal with those intense emotions without judgment and acceptance that they are human.
I will partner with you to gradually become aware of the negative collateral impacts of some old beliefs. This is when additional mechanisms of surrender, like letting go, are worked on with me and eventually by yourself. You will have more space and fewer biases to see possibilities for change. You will then begin to re-own your power and initiate your inner transformation.
As your coach, I will help you to reframe your inner thoughts, attitudes, and feelings. Learning to use your STAF navigation wheel will help you choose your shifts and determine your Action plans. As a result, you will design more authentic goals and find more sustainable routes to achieve them.
You will gradually discover a unique and beautiful Self and your route to your destination!
Experimenting with a one-degree shift today will bring your ship to a new world to discover.
You realize that this is what you were always seeking but didn’t know it! You had gotten lost in the maze!
So, Get Your STAF on Board and Be Amazed by Yourself!
Knowing how you can navigate with your STAF could be very powerful and practical. Your STAF (staff) will always be there when you need it! It will never be sick, pregnant, on vacation, sleeping, or attracted by another competitor. It is your free endless, inexhaustible source of guidance and support to help you find your path to true fulfillment! Your STAF will become your best friend, your best fan, and your angel in enjoying your journey to your dream destination!
Enjoy your journey to your True Best Self!
Learn How to Create Your Own Coaching Model
Your Coaching Model reflects your values,
philosophies, and beliefs and must communicate who you will coach
and the problems you will solve. Read more about creating your coaching model
References
https://forum.icacoach.com/discussion/150737/resisting-vs-releasing – latest
https://forum.icacoach.com/discussion/150738/empowering-women-leaders-with-the-compelling-taf-awareness-coaching-tool/p1?new=1
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