Integrative Corporate Coaching and the 4R Approach:

        Relating Responding  Reviewing Reorganizing

At the heart of the transformational  process in coaching  is the dynamic of  the relationship between coach and client - the coach facilitates a  drawing out, a reflecting and understanding of the issues; bringing deeper meaning and insight particularly as the story connects to more hidden emotions ; the embodied presence and responses of the coach stimulates the coachee to go to a deeper level of meaning and understanding, leading to resolution, reorganization of the psyche and new perspectives and approaches for the future.

The sessions usually start with a focus on the:

~  current reality : the personal self as it functions in relation to  the greater whole of the company - the  medley of twists and turns, the blocks, the conflicts, the anxieties, the patterns, the skills, the strengths, the disappointments, the aspirations.    This will lead to a focus on the                ~  past story  : the conscious and unconscious patterns that habitually replay and clutter the space in the present, blocking  the possibility of growth and change.                                                                                   Processing happens, insights form,  understanding is reached, then the    ~  future : the new goals and aspirations, the clearer space increasing vitality, awareness, happiness and deeper fulfillment.

Clients can move out of stagnation, uncertainty and confusion to a place of greater,    authenticity, balance, self-awareness,  motivation,  and joy.

Authenticity ~  by exploring the tension created when the personal self  comes alongside the needs and motivations of the  corporate self ,the container for this conflict can strengthen and allow  a deeper, more authentic and more integrated sense of  self in the work place.

Balance ~  In general, work/life balance does not arrive from a conscious structuring or time-management  process. It  comes when one returns to a more fluid, organic level of functioning, more aligned to deeper personal motivations, and by learning to hold these alongside the wider collective motivations of the business, a greater integration forms with a stronger more natural sense of boundaries.

Self Awareness ~ examining past and present family dynamics throws light on recurring workplace patterns  that may be impeding performance and success. Psychologically informed Coaching allows the coachee to become more conscious and proactive about changing his sabotaging behaviour patterns.

Motivation ~ energy is released when greater clarity is formed and one  is aligned to a  greater sense of true self and a deeper sense of purpose.

Joy ~increased clarity, self-awareness and purpose will transform fear, stagnation, low motivation and boredom into a lighter sense of satisfaction and joy.

Conflict, Tension and Integration

From my experience of working with corporate clients and in particular therapy clients, it is my belief that one of the hallmarks of growing into responsibility and maturity is our capacity to hold and survive the tension generated by the conflicted agendas and roles  we find ourselves in -  a central conflict for most is the friction generated  in the space between work related roles and personal or family related roles - often leading to a kind of splitting and fragmentation as we endeavour to hold the two worlds. The stance of Integrative Coaching is to welcome and work with this conflict, the premise being, that accepting, holding and increasing the  capacity for the tension, leads to more depth, balance and natural integration.

Classical coaching often makes the error of either polarizing  in its support towards the 'hard edge' aspect of goals, deadlines and performance or to the 'softer' aspect of promoting feelings and  attention to the inner world. An integrative approach will give equal importance to each end of the polarity - holding this focus will take what was once an experience of a 'pendulum swing' or 'fight between opposites' towards  an experience  of more cohesion  and integration, generating a sense of deeper responsibility and personal power.

Fred Kofman writes in his book 'Conscious Business' :

"In the impersonal It dimension, the goal is to accomplish the organization's mission, enhancing its ability to continue doing so in the future, and delivering outstanding long-term returns to shareholders. In the interpersonal We dimension, the goal is to establish cooperative, trusting, and mutually respectful relationships, a community of shared purpose and values in which people feel they belong. In the personal I dimension, the goal is to live in a state of flow, feeling a transcendent happiness that comes from living in full integrity, with one's principles and ideals."