Implications of Neuroscience Findings

The final survey provided an assessment of the third major NECS theme: what is the impact that recent findings from the neurosciences have on executive coaching perspectives and practices? Conducted in March of 2022, this survey was distributed to those registered in the in-person or virtual summits. It yielded results from the 29 respondents. These results were reported, like results from the second survey, via a set of power points that were presented by William Bergquist and recorded on Zoom (and transferred to Vimeo). Following are the major findings from this survey:

More than 70% positive response rate.
* [The neuroscience findings] suggest that executive coaches should devote more attention to the potential distortions in their own perceptions of their client’s reality and the potential reasons for these distortions (biases).

60-69% positive response rate
* Suggest that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to Stress Management.
* Suggest that executive coaches should focus on the framing of questions rather than offering of answers (“the questions are often more important than the answers”).
* Suggest that executive coaches should devote more attention in their own motivations and patterns of behavior as a coach—what “lights up” inside themselves and in the clients they serve.
* Suggest that executive coaches should become more knowledgeable about “emotional intelligence” and bring concepts from this field into their coaching sessions.
* Suggest that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the unique strengths of their clients and to areas/functions that are not being used (and perhaps should be more frequently used) by their clients.
* Suggest that executive coaches should remain optimistic about the potential for their clients to make significant progress in their improvement of important skills.
* Suggest that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the potential distortions in the perceptional of reality in their clients and the potential reasons for these distortions (biases).
* Suggest that executive coaches should focus at times on their client’s images of potential future selves. How do their clients anticipate their sense of self shifting in the future and what might bring about this shift?