PART 1 – What is Transformative Coaching?

ICF (International Coaching Federation) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.

One of the driving principles in coaching is to “Direct the mind towards what is positive and possible” which is a powerful compass guiding the coach and the client moving towards the desired outcomes rather than just the root cause analysis of the issues surrounding the client.

As a transformative coach, my outcome is to be the guide while allowing the clients to discover within themselves their purpose and positive intention, exploring their inner self there by generating powerful insights which would consequently shape new behaviour and actions propelling them towards their Goals.

The search for identity is what Jung called “individuation” and Maslow termed “Self-actualization.” Gail Sheehy’s phrase for it is “gaining our authenticity”

As I walk this path of a Transformative Coach , who in my opinion is a guide who is permitted into this world created by his client . The Client is the expert who in their internal experience have created the contents of this world , while they loop to us as a guide to be unattached with the world but explore options with the client . Together the client and the coach/guide explore where the client is in this journey now, where the clients want to be reach and how can you as a coach ask the right questions , provide a distinct summary which there by generates insights and reveals the pathway that wasn’t visible earlier .  We look at the problems that our client present from an action theory perspective. With their actions, they pursue conscious and unconscious intentions. These intentions are themselves part of the problem.

Richard Ryan and Edward Deci developed Self-Determination Theory. They believe that people are actively engaged in mastering the challenges life presents them and then using all of their experiences to build a coherent identity. This integration process happens when the surrounding environment supports it.

Mindset change asks people to give this up. As you can imagine, it’s not easy to just let go of something that has felt like your “self” for many years and that has given you your route to self-esteem . And it’s especially not easy to replace it with a mindset that tells you to embrace all the things that have felt threatening: challenge, struggle, criticism, setbacks.  As a coach , my most profound experiences come from acknowledging that the client has everything they would ever need to reach to the goal they have set and that they have a choice to explore for what is positive and possible , and the choice reveals more options , preserving their original wat of being , so that they make a more informed choice . That in my opinion is Transformative Coaching , where the client chooses who they need to be , to get to the outcome they desire .