A Coaching Power Tool created by Olga Zalane
(Life Coaching, LATVIA)
The planet does not need more ‘successful’ people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds. It needs people to live well in their places. It needs people with moral courage willing to join the struggle to make the world habitable and humane and these qualities have little to do with ‘success’ as our culture is the set. Dalai Lama
Modern world is fast-changing, very dynamic environment where material expression of what we do in life is measured by being successful. Who are those successful people? Social researches and outlines says that the most successful people are result-oriented, goal-oriented, action-oriented, people-oriented, health-oriented, honest, etc. If we take all our honesty and answer a question, if being successful is making your life meaningful, we understand that not always and not only.
Anna is a 30 years old single woman, living in a megapolis city. For the last couple of years she doesn’t have a partner, she is working a lot, weekly use of alcohol and restaurant food is absolutely common habit, she doesn’t like to cook for herself, usually she doesn’t know what she would like to have for the dinner and chooses a daily menu. Anna travels at least once a month with her friends (mainly women and single as well), enjoying the nightlife and shopping. But sometimes Anna feels that her life is impersonal, meaningless, she is looking at her friends with the kids and starts to think about the maternity more often, then she looks around and realizes again that there is no any option for her as a partner, she goes to the nightclub again to have a drink and fun and finds herself in the morning with the headache in her own apartment in the skyscraper. She goes to the bathroom and looks at herself – she looks tired, a couple of acnes on her face, some wrinkles around her eyes, which looks tired and upset, a little outstanding belly, a little slouch, sagging knees in the poufy home shoes. Anna feels worried about her body, she has realised that her body is not in her desired state and she decided to hire the coach to help her to get the new body.
With the support of the coach she sets the goal to lose 5 kg of weight in 6 months. Anna is a result-oriented person, she proudly shares with the coach that it was the main characteristics why she was accepted to the last job.
Anna doesn’t know the answer to the question
Is there other outcome you would like to receive from the training process?
Then she says, maybe I would like to feel better. Anna decides she will run every second day 10km (because it is publically recognized the best way of losing weight) and make some abdominal exercises after the training.
Being Result Oriented
Result orientation is made up of two practices. The first is the practice of continuity so that you become better at what you do. The second practice is that of time management, which means setting very clear priorities on what you do and then concentrating single-mindedly on the most valuable use of your time. Most successful people say they are intensely result oriented.
So, what happens with result-oriented Anna? The first week she is training as she has planned – 10 km every second day plus abdominal exercises. The meets with the coach and says that everything is going according the plan (but she is very tired of unusual physical load) and she says that she will do the same training next week.
The second week Anna says that she went to the night club last weekend and because of that skipped two trainings, she mentions also tiredness and is not so enthusiastic anymore. Her weight stays the same. Anna is result-oriented, that’s why she promises to make one extra training next week to gain everything she missed this week. Anna feels disappointed about herself as she doesn’t see any results now and she is not so committed anymore.
Result oriented people are people who want to just get things done and get them done quickly. They do not look at the process of getting things done, they choose the most effective and fast track to get things done.
Being Process Oriented
Being focused on the process, may take longer and focus on improving themselves. Goal-oriented people are just focused on results and just trying to get things done. Hence, goal oriented people are result oriented and process oriented people are well, focused on the process. They want to do things better, enjoy the moment of now.
Next session with Anna started with her story about failing the plan, she recognized that she is enormously tired and stressed and cannot even think about running anymore. Her weight has increased for a couple kilograms; she feels that there is no way to make things done in 6 months. Being asked about other type of training she might enjoy, she said, none. Anna doesn’t trust herself anymore, she thinks that she is not worth having a desired body, she doesn’t want to communicate with new people and first signs of depression come visible. A coach offers her to brainstorm about her life style in general: what are her favourite things she is already having in her life, what makes her energized and happy, what brings her joy, when she felt the most alive? Is there anything else besides the body she would like to improve?