Listing of items associated with each finding that were checked by more than 50% of respondents
Q1. The Gut and Brain
No item was checked by more than 50% of respondents
Numerous comments were offered by respondents:
Suggests that executive coaches should work with clients to help them reset their ventral vagal response.
Suggests that executive coaches should become more knowledgeable on neuroscience and the mind-gut-heart connections because our body is our brain as Amanda Blake’s book is aptly titled and and thoroughly describes the brain as full body system.
I think it’s very client-specific but we should be knowledgeable and have resources to refer our clients to.
Not sure – I think about the gut from an instinctual perspective
Suggests that coaches should learn more about somatics and alternate ways of knowing, and fall out of love with everything being about the brain and neuroscience
Brain/body connections and understanding Polyvagal theory and implications for practice
Suggests that executive coaches should learn more about biopsychosocial perspectives because those perspectives may support a client into new thinking, awareness or action.
Suggests that executive coaches should expand coaching inquiries to include information available from a client’s gut feelings.
Suggests that executive coaches partner with health & wellness coaches as a referral for their clients.
More information around this particular subject is needed. As a coach we should be looking at the whole person, so the more we know about the human body the better coaches will be.
“Gut” terminology doesn’t work. Interesting, but should be informative and allow coaches to decide if useful for clients.
Comment made by presenter:
Comments offered suggest that executive coaches have much to learn about the gut and its relationships to the brain.
Q2. Fight/flight/freeze and stress imaging lions
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to Stress Management.
Suggests that executive coaches should promote mindfulness and meditation practices among their clients.
Suggests that executive coaches should be reading more about stress (for example, Robert Sapolsky’s Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers) and bring resulting insights into their coaching sessions.
Comment made by presenter:
Anxiety leads to ulcers and other medical and mental health problems suggesting that stress management should be an important focus for executive coaches.
Q3. Reward and risk
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to Decision-Making processes and attention to risk-related addictive behavior in their client.
Suggests that executive coaches should read more about behavioral economics (such as work of Daniel Kahneman) and the psychology of decision-making and risk and bring the resulting insights into their coaching sessions.
Suggests that executive coaches should become more knowledgeable about a biopsychosocial perspective on risk-taking behavior—enabling the coach to explore the biological, psychological and sociological elements of risky behavior in their own life and work, as well as that of their clients.
Comment made by presenter:
Addictive pull of gambling and risk-taking: the “high” comes from anticipation of reward but from the reward itself. Suggests that risk management should be an important focus for executive coaches.
4.Advice giving:
Suggests that executive coaches should frequently return to a review of fundamental principles in the field of executive coaching regarding advice giving.
Suggests that executive coaches should focus on the framing of questions rather than offering of answers (“the questions are often more important than the answers”).
Suggests that executive coaches should always follow any advice that they give with inquiry—encouraging their clients to explore both the strengths and weaknesses of the advice that is given.
Comment made by presenter:
Advice giving can be very addictive. We get “high” off of giving advice even when it is not needed or requested.
