Imagination as the source of creativity 

Imagination may not be everything, but it is a critical part of the creative process. To create the results you want, ask - What do you imagine the ideal to look and feel like? This will take you into the domain of metaphor. Once you have applied your mind to the outcome and know how far you need to travel to bridge the gap from where you are now, the tension created in your imagination stimulates the process of designing the actions you will need to take and the inner resources you will need to muster to accomplish your goal. 

• PERFECT OUTCOME - what you imagine it to look and feel like. 
• CURRENT PROBLEM - what you imagine the current state of things to be
• STRUCTURAL TENSION - on a scale of 1 to 10 imaging where you are now 
• GOING FORWARD - imagining the steps that will be needed to deliver your outcome
• ACTION PLAN - imagining what can actually be done that will count toward the outcome

Creating opportunities to stimulate the imagination can take people to higher levels of consciousness. As Einstein reminded us, nothing will change in the future without fundamentally new ways of thinking. Working in groups allows different perspectives to emerge and stimulate new patterns of thought and action. By changing the structure more imaginative ways of engaging people in their own learning can be created.  

  Learn more about Coaching for Creative Thinking . . .

 

 

 

 

Its all about relationships

Well-being is built on quality relationships. Our relationship with a higher power (top-down) such as our boss, our god or guru, that guides us on matters of conscience and the acceptability of our actions. There are the relationship we have with our thoughts (inside-out) that influence our ability to control and ensure that our actions serve our best interests. In addition, the relationship we have with others (bottom-up) enables us to feel a sense of belonging and support for our actions. And then the relationship we have with our environment (outside-in) which creates the context that enables or limits our actions and feelings. Wellbeing is shaped by:

• BALANCE - making work-life choices that are both practical and meaningful
• WELLNESS - knowing how to eat, exercise, breathe, relax meditate and have fun
• HAPPINESS -feelings of confidence, self-esteem and general outlook on life
• RELATIONSHIPS - good conversation, trust, honesty and openness 
• TRANSCENDENCE - living with gratitude, appreciation, love and acceptance
• SELF-AWARENESS - knowing how to live more consciously and with purpose

Well-being involves self-discipline and responsibility that can so often be neglected when juggling the rigorous demands of every day living.

  Learn more about Coaching for Well-Being . . .

 

Delivering on your promises

Improvements in performance are achieved when people deliver on their promises. Having a 'solutions focus' helps clarify priorities, overcome barriers and align words with actions. We mustn't limit ourselves to targets, but think how we can be the best we can be at what we do in different contexts. An effective route is to practice using active language and implement the promise cycle.  This involves:

• ASSESSMENTS - offering opinions without evidence
• ASSERTIONS - offering opinions based on facts
• OFFERS & REQUESTS - calling for a commitment to act
• DECLARATIONS - creating space or giving permission to act differently

Performance is the result of what people do. This is influenced by their values and their temperament which influence how they go about their life and work. Also important is how they relate to changes in context, whether it liberate their 'true nature' or limits them within their roles and responsibilities. The ability to understand and then challenge their 'world view can make all the difference to how they perform.

  Learn more about Coaching for Improved Performance ...

 

 

Managing risks to the environment

Earth observation technology is enabling us to look at our environment in new ways. Satellite data and aerial images are being combined to give local businesses and public organisations access and better manage growing environmental risks such as biomass, air quality, temperature, flood risk, traffic management, etc.

As a change leader in the modern world you must understand global and local threats to the environment and issues of sustainability.

• GREENHOUSE GASES - leading to higher temperatures and pollution in cities
• FOOD PRODUCTION - depends on crop health, soil conditions and growing seasons
• AIR POLLUTION - detrimental to human health, wildlife and buildings
• LAND USE - monitoring tree canopy, urban sprawl, flood risk and erosion

G-STEP the Space Technology Exchange Partnership based in Leicester is developing applications for businesses and the public to use. There is a growing awareness of the interconnectedness and the benefits that can flow from a more holistic understanding of our planet and the risks we are facing from climatic changes and human exploitation of earth's resources.

  Learn more about Coaching for Risk Management  . . .

(see www2.le.ac.uk/projects/g-step)

 

Consciousness transforms awareness

Exploring your spiritual nature can be a transcendent experience. Leaders from all walks of life are increasingly interested in spirituality and its effect on workplace morale and their own effectiveness. It prompts questions of awareness, purpose, meaning, community and consciousness, the things that drive personal development from the inside-out.

A change leader with 'spiritual awareness' will be comfortable having conversations about:

• MEANING - making sense of life's purpose and relationships
• VALUE - ethics, standards and beliefs about what's important
• TRANSCENDENCE - awareness and appreciation of life beyond self
• CONNECTEDNESS - links between self, others, the environment and the divine
• BECOMING - reflecting on life to discover who we are and why we are here

There is a growing awareness locally and globally of our interconnectedness and the benefits that can flow from a more holistic understanding of life, its context, cultures, capacities and challenges. Often the significance of an experience defies logic or measurement. It frequently offers insights that change minds, promote appreciation and accept moment to moment awareness.

  Learn more about Coaching for Spiritual Awareness . . .

 

Using active language

Most problems result from descriptive, mechanistic communication.  Conversations that lack clarity and focus lack a call to action. Active language seeks commitment, it holds people accountable and expects trustworthiness.  If we want to do the best we can with what we have - and who doesn't - then knowing how to use language to demonstrate competence, reliability and sincerity is vitally important. Transcendent leaders use:

• ALIGNMENT - linking personal and organisational values and priorities
• CONVERSATION - using offers and requests to achieve purposeful action
• RESPONSIBILITY - responding to the needs of others in respectful ways
• MOTIVATION - focusing on solutions, positive attitudes and right action

Performance is enhanced when we take responsibility for our failures and deliver on our promises. Having a 'solutions focus' helps clarify priorities, overcome barriers and align words with actions. We mustn't limit ourselves to targets, but think how we can be the best we can be in service to others. This means acting with empathy, integrity, intuition and dedication. Language is also strongly influenced by our moods and body posture.

Learn more about Ontological Coaching . . .

 

Metaphors create your perception of reality

Our mind makes sense of things by using 'pattern language' to give structure to the data collected by our five senses. The patterns are symbolic and reflect how the mind interprets what is observed. The more knowledge we have the finer the distinctions we can make.

The metaphor of 'transcendence' for example is used to connect those dimensions of life that can 'unite the planet' maximise talent and tap into spiritual energy for the betterment of all. There is a move away from materialism (with it's outside-in focus) to an inside-out view that taps into the natural wisdom of human beings.  The principles involved are:

• THOUGHT - the ability to create images, see possibilities and give meaning to action
• CONSCIOUSNESS - the ability to be aware of our reality, creativity and experience
• MIND - the energy and intelligence that precedes thinking and decision making
• PERSONALITY - our unique human potential, character, values and temperament
• INTELLIGENCE - the multiple capacities of the brain to process sensory information.
  

A more inclusive approach, one that is more open and trusting, accepting of new ideas and information, more meaningful and participatory, supportive of collective action, radical collaboration and meaningful conversation is more willing to be creative. 

  Learn more about Clean Language Coaching . . .

 

Inspiring creativity and innovation

The power of a transcendent leader lies in the ability to create the extraordinary from the ordinary in everyday life. The most effective change happens in a balanced and holistic way. Life entrepreneurs champion insight and creativity through:

• IMPROVISATION - setting the tone, lifting spirits and stimulating creativity 
• PRESENCE - visible, trusting and supportive, sending signals that help others shine
• ENTHUSIASM - exuding a mood of positivity, energy and expectation
• IMAGINATION - creating stories and myths to envision a desired future
• PRAGMATISM - valuing relationships, free thinking and a can do attitude

Discovering and pursuing one's passion for life lies at the heart of authentic and transcendent leadership, education, business and governance. It requires the belief that anything is possible if you are open to the thought and confident to deal with the consequences. 

  Learn more about Coaching for Innovation . . .

New ways of seeing and being

An Ontological Coach is someone who sees life happening in the moment and how we constantly make sense of our world through our language, mood and body states. They enable clients to observe their moment-to-moment relationship with their thoughts, their context, other people and their energy source. This opens up the possibility of changing what turns-up for people that causes them to break through or break down. This gets to the nub of the simple things that see need to change to get what they want. Ontological coaching asks what is causing people to behave as they do to get at causes so change is meaningful and will stick.  Discover how to:

• OBSERVE - how they observe themselves and others to create the 'right action'
• REFLECT - on how how they use self-talk and affirmations to get a commitment to act
• ASSESS - how words, emotional reactions and body posture are used to create change
• CONNECT - by changing posture, pace, voice, mood and language to get rapport
• CLARIFY - to get at real goals, motivators, beliefs, next steps and will to change
• FOCUS - on the actions, thoughts, resources and vision needed to get the desired result

  Learn more about Ontological Coaching . . .

 

Learning to transcend the ego

To engage in transcendent learning we must be prepared to value something that serves interests other than our own.  In this way we come to see something being of intrinsic value or worthwhile for its own sake. This requires us to become 'ego-transcendent' and care for the welfare of others - for its own sake. Most formal learning prepares us for the world of work, to compete, compare, challenge and collaborate to achieve financial success. 

Transcendent learning explores:

• CREATIVITY - expanding knowledge and experience to create new meaning
• INNOVATION - engaging with the unknown to create new ways of doing things
• INTELLIGENCE - using multiple intelligences to express diverse needs and interests
• COLLABORATION - collecting and interpreting information for mutual benefit

Leading change that enables people to think differently requires transcendent learning to help others get in touch with their conscience and learn what it means to value trust, respect, integrity and community. By transcending the ego we  are reaching out for a meaning and a deeper purpose for our lives.  

  Learn more about Coaching for Lifelong Learning . . .

Systemic and holistic change

Life is an interconnected, interdependent experience. It turns up as parts of wholes, synchronised events, oscillating cycles and bursts of energy. We may not understand all its effects, see all its connections or comprehend its cosmic unity, but there are a number of 'rules' at play that enable us to transcend mechanistic, linear thinking. We know that change changes itself in ubiquitous and unpredictable ways but we can learn to apply the knowledge and wisdom found in natural living systems, focusing on:

• ECOLOGY - of hidden connections that impact on our identity, relationships and needs
• COMPLEXITY - of interactions that create change and make us who we are in the moment
• HARMONY - to be found in intelligent minds, thoughts, consciousness and spirit 
• STRUCTURE - codes and principles that shape human nature and sustain whole system change

If we continue to live with a sense of separateness from others we will not discover the oneness that connects all living systems. The best expression of this is to 'love thy neighbour as thyself'. 

Learn more Coaching for Complex Change . . .

 

We are all leaders now

In a world of scarce resources and over-indulgence we must take personal responsibility to shift the human mind from what 'is' to what 'should be'. The postmodern world is crying out for inspirational leadership - a moral conscience, tolerance, resilience, sensitivity in decision-making, collaborative relationships and the pursuit of non-financial aspirations. This is the focus of transcendent leadership. The emphasis is on 'how' we can be better human beings and serve the interests of humanity while sustaining a healthy planet. 

As the whole world faces the prospect of having to do 'more with less', we must learn 'how' to live our core values as human beings in the way we behave and treat others. Now is the time to lead through:

• COLLABORATION - working to create solutions that serve collective interests 
• ACCOUNTABILITY - taking responsibility for our thoughts, feelings and choices
• WELLBEING - valuing the health and wholeness of the human mind, body and soul
• AUTHENTICITY - displaying openness, honesty, empathy and trust in all relationships

Living in an interconnected world demands a shift from the leadership of individuals to the leadership of process based on heartfelt choices driven by a conscious moral purpose. 

  Learn more about the Coaching for Life Leadership . . .

 

Learning from living systems

The process of change in living things takes place within complex adaptive or evolving systems - as are found in people's minds, groups, networks and ecosystems. We cannot control complex change because it is inherently unpredictable, but we can influence the conditions that generate it. If we look at living systems holistically they have profound lessons to teach us about how we should approach change in living systems. These systems are:

• TRANSCENDENCE - living above or beyond experience in the realm of just being
  
• AUTOPOIESIS - self-maintaining, self-learning and self-sustaining
• EMERGENCE - growth properties and bursts of energy where change changes itself
  
• COEVOLUTION - are sensitive to initial conditions, rules and relationships
• SYNCHRONICITY - spontaneous order and coupled oscillations emerging from chaos
• SELF-ORGANISION - respond intelligently to change without external direction

We still see hierarchies of systems within systems dependent on each other for their survival. We see evolution as new happenings transform and then embrace previous viable systems. We see paradox and duality, with spontaneity and predictability happening at the same time.

  Learn more about Coaching for Simplicity . . .