Repetition Rewires the Brain

Laser Provision: There was a time when I thought coaching was just about learning. Now I realize that it is also about unlearning. Learning and unlearning are two different, albeit related, processes. To unlearn things we have to grieve the loss of old familiar patterns and enjoy the discovery of new ones. To make those new patterns stick, we have to repeat them on a daily basis for at least six months. Such repetition literally rewires the brain. Until that happens, however, there is constant risk of relapse. That's why people benefit greatly from developing rewarding relationships with those who model and support our learning goals. Coaching is one such relationship, but there are many others. Do you want to change for good? This Provision sketches out the route. Click here to read on...

Coaching Inquiries: What habits are you trying to change? What losses do you want to grieve? What pleasures do you want to enjoy? What is one new behavior that you would like to repeat? Who could inspire and stand by you through the process? Who are your role models and coaches? How could you start spending more time with them on a regular basis?

It's Not All In Our Neurons

Laser Provision: Have you ever heard of "The Neuron Doctrine"? Simply put, the Doctrine asserts that neurons hold a primary place in the brain and are responsible for human thinking. Even though neurons represent only about 10-15% of the human brain, that Doctrine has been in place for more than a hundred years and it has greatly influenced our approach to both neuroscience and human intelligence. When people study the brain, they study the neurons. Lately, however, that one-sided approach has begun to shift. Scientists are beginning to grasp and explore a much more active role for the other 85-90% of the human brain. What once was thought of as little more than glue, is now being recognized as the stuff that makes us truly human. If that sounds intriguing, and if you don't mind learning some new words, then this is the Provision for you (click here). Enjoy.

Coaching Inquiries: What kind of thinking describes your most characteristics thoughts? Are you more reactive or proactive? Are you more spontaneous and in-the-moment or are you more reflective and long-term? How could you strengthen your creative capacities? What would assist you to become more attentive, emotive, and imaginative? What's one new skill that you could learn in the next year?

It's Not All In Our Heads

Laser Provision: There's a lot of research and writing these days concerning brain functioning as it relates to human happiness and peak performance. That's because it's gotten a whole lot easier in the past two decades, with the advent of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (or fMRI) scanners and other technologies, to actually study the brain as it experiences different internal events. What is happening in the brain, for example, at the moment of insight? What can we learn about the power of focused attention that may inform our approach to coaching and leadership? How does the brain connect with the rest of the body? One thing is clear: the brain is not all in our heads. It's distributed throughout the body such that we feel things on deep, visceral levels. Sound intriguing? Read on.!

Coaching Inquiries: Which brain are you more aware of right now? Your mind, your heart, or your body? What would help you to integrate those brains into a peaceful and productive whole? How could you develop more cognitive, emotional, and physiological awareness? What would you like to do with that awareness, now that it's upon you?

Your Brain on Support

Laser Provision: February 26, 2012. I have written many times about the notion of a "Limbic hijack," when your emotions take over and your thinking gets pushed to the side. When that happens, we often succumb to "fight, flight, or freeze" responses. Fight relates to anger; flight relates to fear; freeze relates to grief. That was what I was going through last week when I sent out my Provision, Your Brain on Grief. I have received scores of condolences since that time and I have new appreciation for the power of empathy to soothe the Limbic system and to help us get back on track. What follows, then, is a selection of the things you wrote to me following the death of my mother. I can hardly thank you enough. Click here to share this out-pouring of support with me...

Your Brain on Grief

Laser Provision: February 19, 2012. Last week I shared with you that we were waiting with my mother in a hospital in Cleveland. At the time I wrote my short Provision we were only beginning to glimpse the severity of her condition. With blood clots in both lungs, damaging her heart and other internal organs, she was lucky to stay alive for one day, let alone for five. But stay alive she did, so that all of her children and grandchildren could make it to Cleveland in time to say goodbye.

The past ten days have been a blur with frequent sighs and tears as I and my family have come to grips with our loss. We were heartened by the outpouring of support we have received from people here at home and around the globe, including many of you with your replies to last week's Provision. I thank you for that. We were also heartened by the emerging recognition that my mother was staying alive to die on Valentine's Day. That day had special meaning for her.

My mother was one of 3 girls, separated in age by 7 years each. My mother was the youngest, her middle sister, Norma, was 7 years older, and her oldest sister, Geraldine, was 14 years older. When Norma turned 21, in 1938, she died of ulcerative colitis on her own birthday. My mother was very close to Norma, and Norma’s death was very formative in my mother’s life; it contributed to a lifetime of anxious concern for all her loved ones. To love someone, for my mother, meant that you worried about them. Indeed, my mother never ended a conversation with any of us without saying, “Be careful.”

Well, as it turns out, Norma’s birthday and dying day was Valentine’s Day, the same day my mother died. And that was no coincidence. At the hospital, all the doctors and at least one of her pastors were telling us that my mother might linger to the end of the week. But they didn’t know my mother. If anyone in her condition could will themselves to die on a particularly significant day, it would be my mother. When she went to the hospital, my mother told my sister, “Today is not my day.” That’s because Valentine’s Day, 5 days later, was her day. And she made it to that day, against all odds, just the way she wanted.

One of my mother's requests, for the at least the past ten years, was that I would officiate at her funeral. Today's Provision, then, is in her honor -- the only person I could count on, along with my father, to read my musings each and every week. Stacks of past issues are still printed out in their home. What follows are the reflections I shared at yesterday's funeral service. I hope you will find them to be a worthy description of what it's like to find your brain on grief. Click here to read the rest of this Provision.

Your Brain on Waiting

Laser Provision: February 12, 2012. Waiting. There's a reason people describe waiting as being in the meantime. Waiting can be mean and otherwise difficult. It's hard to put life on hold, to not know the future, and to make decisions with limited information. That's the space I am living in right now, in a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, as I wait with my mother through a difficult health scare involving blood clots. The brain reels from the loss of certainty and the proleptic grief of what might be.

Yet waiting, especially this kind of waiting, is also a gift. It gets us to slow down and it reminds us of the things that are important. We live in faith that things are unfolding in mysterious and yet wonderful ways. There is no blame or shame in waiting. So we sit in the connection of this time -- with each other, with loved ones near and far, with the hospital staff, and with the Spirit of life itself. Wait with me for a time, if you are so inclined, to see if you too can feel the gift.

No one knows for sure where this will go, but I return now to waiting rather than to writing a normal Provision. My wish for you and for my mother is the same this week as every week:

May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.

Uniqueness_Matters

Laser Provision: Last week I wrote about the importance of uniformity when it comes to leadership. The focus there was on the quality of processes and outcomes when it comes to goods and services. Leaders make sure that quality is consistently high. But there is no uniform way for leaders to get that message across. There are as many different approaches as there are leaders. Personality and individuality are not the enemies of leadership, they are its essence. This Provision finishes our meandering through the alphabet with some reflections on the importance of uniqueness. Click here for the full Provision.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your unique qualities and abilities? How well do you understand them? How well do you leverage them both for your own growth and for the growth of others? How might your uniqueness become more life-giving and performance-enhancing? Who could serve as a role model for you in this regard?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here.

Uniformity Matters

Laser Provision: When it comes to leadership, uniformity matters. That's obvious when it comes to manufacturing. There are specifications for every product and it just doesn't work if some products meet those specifications while others do not. Consumers expect a uniform level of quality from item to item, year after year. But uniformity is just as important when it comes to services. From one help desk representative to another, from one third-grade classroom to another, it is important for leaders to make sure that customers experience a consistent level of quality. That's a critical task of leadership as this Provision makes clear. Read on for more!

Coaching Inquiries: How uniform is the quality in the organizations and groups you lead? What would increase that uniformity? How could your conversations about quality become more engaging and productive? Who could you have one such conversation with today?

Understanding Matters

Laser Provision: Two Provisions ago I wrote about the importance of knowledge when it comes to leadership. By knowledge I meant a clear grasp of what's important when it comes to leading organizations and optimizing performance. Best efforts are not enough. Best efforts without proper direction are doomed. To that end, I put forward Deming's theory of knowledge as a great framework for leaders. But knowledge without understanding is also doomed. Understanding enables leaders to translate knowledge into action. Is that one of your goals? Read on!

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your emotional intelligence? What kind of energy do you project? What kind of tone do you set with the people you lead? How would you describe the culture in your organization? What can you do to make it more of a coaching culture? With whom could you have an honest learning conversation today?

Kindness Matters

Laser Provision: Do you like stories? Then this is the Provision for you. It contains four stories, each of which illustrates an important principle when it comes to leadership: kindness matters. When leaders engage in either intentional or random acts of kindness, people notice. Such acts build trust and grease the wheels of change. If leaders want to make a difference in our organizations and in the world, then it behooves us to do kind things to others. When it comes to leadership, that may well be the perfect expression of the Golden Rule. What are those stories? Read on to find out about starfish, a Porsche, marathon runners, and W. Edwards Deming. Yes, even Deming was kind! Enjoy (click here for the full Provision).

Coaching Inquiries: When was the last time that you did a Random Act of Kindness? What about an Expected Act of Kindness? How would you describe your intention when it comes to kindness? When it comes to leadership, would people describe you as kindhearted or tough-as-nails? How is your way of being working for you? What might inspire you to be more kind? Who do you know who has been kind to you and how have you reciprocated in life and work?

Knowledge Matters

Laser Provision: Previously, I wrote about the importance of kaizen to leadership. Kaizen is the Japanese word for "good change," and it has come to be used in reference to continuous improvement and Total Quality Management or TQM. Unlike some quality systems that focus on inspections, quotas, and merit ratings to achieve quality, the system developed by W. Edwards Deming argues for constancy of purpose, pride of workmanship, and a no-fault learning environment where everyone, at all levels, is constantly and forever striving to improve operations. Which of the two sound better to you? Once you have the knowledge, there's no going back. Click here to read more!

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your knowledge of systems, variation, learning, and psychology? How do you relate to Deming's assertions as to the nature and importance of each? How might you become more familiar with this profound knowledge? What would be different about your leadership if that were to happen today?

Kaizen Matters

Laser Provision: I don't know of a leader who is not concerned with improving performance. That is, after all, an essential part of a leader's job description. No leader aims to keep things the same, let alone to make things worse. Leaders are change agents with a single-minded focus on making things better. But how do we actually do that? Although, as you will read, I have some objections to traditional problem-based learning, focused, as it is, on determining and fixing the causes of whatever is impairing performance, I nevertheless appreciate the emphasis on continuous improvement and I especially appreciate the orientation of the Japanese TQM process known as "kaizen." Never heard of it? Read on to learn more!

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your approach to leadership and life? Is quality job one for you? What would help you to make continuous improvement one of your core values? What would help you to express that value more fully? How could "good change" – "kaizen" – take shape today? What are three things you might do that would make things better for yourself, your family, and your organization?

Exhaustion Matters

Laser Provision: There is a time and a place for exhaustion. I have spent a number of years leading my annual 4:45 pace team at the Baltimore marathon. Afterwards, and at some points during the race, there are moments of exhaustion. Exhaustion can be a sign of having pushed oneself to get something done that is important, difficult, and/or fun. Leaders have to do that at times. Then it's time to renew, relax, and restore. But some leaders get addicted to exhaustion – a dangerous trait to be sure. If that sounds like you, if it seems like you are always exhausted these days, then read the entire Provision here...

Coaching Inquiries: How exhausted do you feel right now? What kind of rhythms are reflected in your daily and weekly patterns? How might you take charge of your calendar in order to better serve yourself and your commitments? Who and what could help you to make it so?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here.

Experiments Matter

Laser Provision: One might say there are two ways to learn: theory to practice and practice to theory. The first way, known as deductive learning, starts with a set of accepted premises and applies them to particular situations. The second way, known as inductive learning, starts with a set of experiences and generalizes them into a way of doing things. Both ways of learning are constantly at work in both children and adults, but inductive learning – practice to theory – is clearly the original genius and instinct of us all. Young children are insatiably curious and inveterate researchers. They learn by conducting experiments. Great leaders would do well to rekindle that spirit in our people. Don't be afraid: the benefits far outweigh the risks. Click here to read the full Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: How much are you willing to trust yourself in the action-learning process? What kind of experiments would you be willing to conduct in order to find out? How could you become more venturesome in conducting experiments? What is one thing you would like to explore and try out in the week ahead? How could you plan that out right now?

Design Thinking: Lessons for the Classroom by Betty Ray

There are a variety of ways to put design thinking into practice and Betty Ray's blog provides some great info about how design thinking can be used in the classroom. Betty Ray's blog shares how the concept was covered at the Big Ideas Fest 2011 ...

One of the core components of Evocative Coaching is design thinking for educators... check out The Center for School Transformation to learn more!

Our Organizing Minds

Laser Provision: Today's Provision is an appreciative review of a new book co-authored by my friend and colleague, Margaret Moore, the CEO of Wellcoaches Corporation and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The premise of the book is simple: to organize our lives we must first organize our minds. What that means and how to get it done is what the book and this Provision is all about. If you've been looking for a fresh approach to long-standing problems of disorganization and distraction, then I invite you to fasten your seat belt and read on. In one Provision we will cover all six Rules of Order. Click Here to read the entire Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe the state of your organizing mind? Is it on autopilot or have you taken control? What would help you to be more aware and active? How could you get more sleep? How would you describe your priorities in life and work? How could you pay more attention to them both now and in the future? Who could coach you through the conversation?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here.

Unbidden Desires

In the Western calendar, today is New Year's Day: a traditional time for looking back on the past year and looking forward to the New Year. Both activities have real value and it's a shame that the start of every quarter does not arrive with the same reflective energy. To ponder how the past year went and to set goals for the future are quintessentially human activities. So don't squander the day!

Many people come to coaching because they want assistance with these two reflective practices. In thinking about the past, we all have blind spots and critical voices. By offering honesty and empathy, coaches assist people to see and to value what is there. It is incredibly liberating to stop, or even just to pause, our avoiding, exaggerating, and berating tendencies. That's what a good coaching conversation can do for us, and I encourage you to contact LifeTrek Coaching for a complimentary session: Click Here.

The real genius of coaching, however, lies not in reflecting on the past but on the future. Coaches assist people to set and achieve goals. That may be the simplest of all definitions when it comes to the work of coaching. We don't set goals for people and we don't tell people what to do. We don't nag people or make people do what they are "supposed" to do. We rather invite people to set goals for themselves and assist them to navigate the journey.

That's where the name "LifeTrek Coaching" came from. It was my goal, all the way back in 1998, to help people with their goals in life and work. That trajectory represents the trek of coaching. It is a moving target and, at least this side of the grave, it never ends. Which is why some people always have a coach. There's always another aspiration to unleash and another possibility to consider.

Which brings me to the subject of today's poem. For many years, I have been in the habit of writing and sharing a poem with the readers of LifeTrek Provisions on the first Sunday of the New Year. Lately, I have been thinking about the relationship between bidden and unbidden things. The dictionary defines that relationship in terms of choice, intention, and will. Unbidden things are uninvited, not asked for, neither commanded, ordered, nor summoned.

"I bid you to come forward," on the other hand, is an obvious invitation and request. We often think of bidden things as desired things and of unbidden things as undesired. Health and family emergencies or natural disasters, for example, are unbidden. So, too, with things that disrupt or interfere with our plans. When a campaign or strategy goes awry, the military refers to that as being "Overtaken By Events. And being OBE is definitely not desired.

Yet coaches, who are in the business of that most bidden of enterprises, setting and reaching goals, have learned to be on the lookout for unbidden desires. All that is bidden is not good and all that is unbidden is not bad. There are things that well up inside us to guide us, and we would do well to acknowledge and appreciate those things as the source of ambition itself.

Where do goals come from? Why do we bother with them at all? It is from the deep reservoir and churning energy of unbidden things that the bidden arises. So before we run too far away, pause with me for a moment to consider the treasurers of the unbidden:

Unbidden
©2012 Bob Tschannen-Moran

Things happen
Overtaken by events
Emotions race
Unbidden

Blocks happen
Stifling creativity
Urgency impairs
Unbidden

Insights happen
Discerning truths
Clarity emerges
Unbidden

Feelings happen
Spilling over
Provoking thoughts
Unbidden

Heartaches happen
Gasping for air
Confusion reigns
Unbidden

Dreams happen
Revealing secrets
Hope arises
Unbidden

Breaches happen
Sudden terminations
Swelling grief
Unbidden

Connections happen
Awakening hearts
Restoring souls
Unbidden

Yearnings happen
Moving mountains
Cleansing spirits
Unbidden

Inklings happen
Subtle noticing
What must be
Unbidden

Shifts happen
So unsettling
The sun rises
Unbidden

Dreams happen
Unleashing aspirations
Possibilities emerge
Unbidden

May you find your own treasures in the unbidden things of 2012.

Coaching Inquiries: What things are unbidden in your life right now? What things are welling up inside you? What things are happening around you? How could you learn from them and collect the treasures these things have to offer? Who is your coach on the trek of life?

If you would like to reply to this Provision, we encourage you to use our Feedback Form. If you would like to learn more about our Coaching Programs and to arrange for a complementary coaching session, Click Hereor Email Us. Top

Example Matters

Laser Provision: Do you set a good example? If you are a leader in any organization, whether in a school, a corporation, a congregation, a club, or a marching band, then I hope so. People are watching our every move as leaders, and what they see matters. Do we work hard? Do we express caring and empathy for people? Do we make wise decisions in both ordinary and extraordinary times? If the answers to those three questions are all the same – a resounding "Yes!" – then our leadership is sound and will inspire people to greatness. If we fall short at any of those points, then we're headed for trouble. Want to learn how to avoid that eventuality and optimize your leadership? To read the entire Provision click here.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your work ethic? Do you overwork, under work, or is it just right? How would you describe your emotional intelligence? Are you too soft, too hard, or just right? How would you describe your decision making? Do you focus on problems to the exclusion of possibilities, or is it just right? How could you set a more positive example in all three of these regards? Who could help you make it so?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here

Qualms Matter

Laser Provision: Few, if any, leaders would disagree with the title of today's Provision. Quality matters. Quality matters not only in our goods and services, it also matters in the way we carry and conduct ourselves as leaders. If quality is so important, then, it becomes a key work of leadership to continuously maintain and to constantly be on the lookout for ways to improve quality. If that doesn't always define your leadership, or if you're not sure how to do it, then this is the Provision for you. To read the entire Provision click here.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your commitment to quality? What helps you to continuously improve that quality? Are reflective practices a regular part of your life? How could you strengthen and derive more benefit from those practices? What part could coaching play in the equation?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here

Challenging Education Paradigms

Sir Ken Robinson challenges us to change education paradigms, waking up kids -- and educators -- to life. Huzzah!! You have to watch this RSA Animate Video.

Quality Matters

Laser Provision: Few, if any, leaders would disagree with the title of today's Provision. Quality matters. Quality matters not only in our goods and services, it also matters in the way we carry and conduct ourselves as leaders. If quality is so important, then, it becomes a key work of leadership to continuously maintain and to constantly be on the lookout for ways to improve quality. If that doesn't always define your leadership, or if you're not sure how to do it, then this is the Provision for you. To read the entire Provision click here.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your commitment to quality? What helps you to continuously improve that quality? Are reflective practices a regular part of your life? How could you strengthen and derive more benefit from those practices? What part could coaching play in the equation?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here

The Power of Positive Coaching

Finally: athletic coaching is catching up with best practices in professional coaching. Read the power of the positive. It's not just about yelling at your players! http://t.co/FL0ytImN

Questions Matter

Laser Provision: Leaders often think of ourselves as answer people. We are, almost by definition, the go-to people in organizations and we think it is our job to generate ideas, solve problems, and keep people on track. But what if the best way to do all that is not by answering questions, but by asking questions? What if our role is best understood as that of a conversation starter and question asker rather than as an information provider and decision maker? When leaders understand ourselves in this way, everything begins to shift – from how we talk to ourselves to how we talk with others to how we get things done. That may seem less efficient than simply telling people what to do, but looks can be deceiving. Read on if you would like to see things anew. Read entire Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: What is your orientation in life and work? How often do you choose to take the Learner Path? What would help you to get on that path more often? Who do you know who embodies that orientation? How could you partner with them to learn and grow together?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Memory Matters

Laser Provision: All leaders know the importance of remembering names. Being able to call someone by name, especially after it has been a while since we have seen them, is a form of acknowledgement and affirmation that says: "You are important to me." People feel great when we give them that sense. But did you know that being able to remember the past derives, in part, from our ability to anticipate the future? Both functions utilize the same processing centers in the brain, and the stories we tell about the past are as much about sense-making as they are about reporting. In our minds, all human beings are time travelers. If you want learn how to leverage that ability for leadership, then I encourage you to read on. Read entire Provision ...

Coaching Inquiries: What is the nature of your relationship to the past, present, and future? Are you aware of how your own optimism bias plays out in life and work? To what degree would you describe that bias as irrational and to what degree would describe it as predictive? How can you become better able to bolster the self-confidence of others?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Moods Matter

Laser Provision: Are you in a good mood? If you are a leader, I certainly hope so. That's because moods, like emotions, are contagious. People pick up on and attune themselves with the moods of leaders. When leaders are persistently anxious, frustrated, or depressed, for example, such qualities come to define the culture and climate of our organizations. Any thought that people will rise above the mood of their leaders is largely an illusion and certainly an exception to the rule. Most of the time, leaders set the tone. It behooves us, then, to set a tone that will lead to organizational success. And moods cannot be faked. Self-management is therefore a key work of leadership. Read the entire Provision if you want to buff up your own mood and set yourself apart as a leader.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your mood in life and work? What would assist you to cook up more positivity? Where do you go to find clarity, calm, confidence, and hope? Who could help you to find those energies today and to stay with them tomorrow?o reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form.

To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.