Reframing Circumstances

Friends in Deed was formed in the 1990s to help people live and die with HIV and AIDS. The Tuesday night Big Groups were facilitated by the founder of the center, Cy O’Neal. When participants were about halfway through their story, Cy would interrupt and ask: “How are you right now, in this moment?” Sometimes the answer was simply, “sad,” or “angry,” or often, “scared!” Those responses were much more helpful than the story itself, in helping clients moving toward action in realizing their immediate quality of life. Cy was bringing those in the room into presence. As a coach, I rely on my experience in the Tuesday Big Group to streamline the way I thought partner with my clients. Coaches, too, need only enough story to understand how to help the client identify what’s critical to focus on in the session.

Coaching MAPS: Metaphor, Analogy, Parable and Simile

In recent years, psychologists and human service providers have coined a term, “intersubjectivity”, that refers to our capacity, in interaction, with other people to create reality together. This co-creation is often modified if another entity (such as a third person) enters the relationship The third entity need not be a person. It can be an image, idea or story. The third entity enters a coaching relationship when either the coach or client offers an analogy—or when the coach and client engage a metaphor, parable or simile. We are looking at “reality” in a new, enriched way when the third entity interplays with the dynamic relationship we have already created. Professional coaching is one of the most dynamic relationships in which we engage. A timely analogy, metaphor, parable or simile can be introduced that makes this reformed reality that much more a source of insight, inspiration, guidance and enactment.

We turn finally to four essays concerned with personal and executive coaching strategies.

Positive Psychology

Leaders are stressed. Their families are affected by it. This is interfering with both their business and personal lives. Low morale, modest engagement and uncertain performance are increasingly becoming the norm. With anxieties about work overload, burnout, stagnant wages and future job loss, these challenges create significant employee disconnect and anxiety among the work culture. What role do concepts of positive psychology have in helping people to not only effectively handle these issues but open their hearts and minds to move forward with newfound confidence, resilience, determination, hope and vision for a better future? How can workers and their organizations create a more positive and proactive workplace that bridges economic and human goals? What will give employees satisfaction?