Can Self-Coaching Really Help Your Bottom Line?
The other day I found myself watching one of those ubiquitous
makeover programmes.
The presenter's brief was to transform an entire street. In her
pitch to the residents, she evangelised about the effect the
conversion would have: not only would it make the environment
look better, it would be less prone to vandalism, and, in
addition, it would also lift house prices.
Considering how disparate the neighbours were, the presenter was
extraordinarily successful in getting them to agree in principle
to her plan. Her one noticeable disappointment however was a
woman who fought to retain aspects of her individuality, such as
her wall and the style of her front garden. She felt that
homogeneity did not serve her needs. However, as a sop towards
neighbourly and design harmony, she agreed to have her outside
wall painted in an agreed shade of tonal green.
What on earth has that to do with self-coaching, let alone a
company's bottom line?
Quite apart from the stresses and strains of current business
life, like pensions' crises, ageism, work-life balance,
increasing bureaucracy and rising absenteeism, most people
hunger to find meaning in their lives.
Job dissatisfaction is a root cause of absenteeism. The need to
find value and dignity in our work, at whatever level, can
contribute to inner disharmony, which in turn can cause
sickness.
It can take just one individual's unhappiness to create ripples
of discord way beyond a team environment.
The wellbeing of the individual influences effective
team-working and thus healthy productivity. Accepting someone's
'wall of individuality' can improve overall harmony.
Understanding the individual and helping the individual to
understand others also aids cross-cultural relations - and,
ultimately, the bottom line.
Stretching Joseph Campbell's views a little, we should all be
following our bliss but very few would class a production line
or a call centre as blissful. Even responsible management
positions can be seen as a stressful means to another end.
However, while the individual may not necessarily find his or
her bliss in a 9-5 job, it is possible to expand mental horizons
to the benefit of both the employer and employee. Self-coaching
is one way.
Everyone has a mission in life. Dissatisfaction with our jobs
can usually be because there is a disconnect between mission and
how we pay the mortgage. But it does not have to be the case.
Self-coaching is a form of self-awareness training. By
identifying the conscious and unconscious drivers in our lives,
through interaction with others in a controlled environment, we
become more aware of the real impetus - our sense of mission.
These days, many people get their self-awareness training from
the latest self-help book. While many of them serve a useful
purpose, unguided, they can also increase a sense of
frustration, with work and personal relationships bearing the
brunt.
By contrast, in paralleling individual desires with corporate
goals, it is possible to harness the energy and intrinsic
creativity of each member for the good of the whole team, and,
in effect, the company's bottom line. It does mean that
businesses should take more responsibility for helping the
individual on his or her journey of discovery.
Stating the obvious though, companies are not charities. Any
self-coaching or self-awareness training is ultimately for the
benefit of the business - as it should be.
Stress apparently is the number one cause of absenteeism in the
workplace. Yet stress in mind dynamics is a just build-up of
potential energy. In some instances, it is energy turning in on
itself, hence bad backs and other forms of dis-ease. However it
is viewed, stress costs business millions.
But a business is the sum of its parts - its individuals. As the
attitudes and desires of a single individual can add or block
effective productivity, most forward-thinking companies will be
looking to reduce the risk.
By providing focused self-coaching, organisations can ensure
that the potential within each of its employees is maximised -
to the benefit of both the individual and the business.
664 words excl title and biog
Euphrosene Labon is the author of several books including
Profit From Unlimited Thinking and A Little Book of
Self-Coaching Tips. She teaches about unlimited thinking
(creative thinking with a difference) through floreo NEWS and
Profit From Unlimited Thinking workshops. floreo NEWS and her
personal blog can be found at
www.floreo.org. İEuphrosene
Marie-Louise Labon and floreo 33
About the author:
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