As the fourth initiative in the ongoing research being engaged on behalf of the New Executive Coaching Summit (NECS), the Institute for Research on Professional Coaching has conducted an online survey regarding recent Neuroscience research and the implications of insights gained from this research for executive coaching practices. Following is a brief report being made by Dr. William Bergquist that summaries some of the results from this survey:
Following is a written version of the power point slides presented as well as a summary of comments made by the presenter and a listing of the 10 neuroscience findings presented in the survey:
First Impressions
There were 29 respondents
All ten of the neuroscience findings seem to be relevant:
Very few respondents indicated that a specific finding was too speculative to be seriously considered.
Very few respondents indicated that a specific finding was interesting but had no implications for executive coaching practices.
Main Themes
Self-Exploration/Increased Self-Awareness on the Part of the Coaches
Importance of Stress and Risk Management
Importance of Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective on Coach-Related Issues (Including Emotional IQ)
Importance of Appreciative/Strength-Oriented Perspective in Working with Coaching Clients
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.
5. Coaching as “friendship”:
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their own motivations and patterns of behavior as a coach—what “lights up” inside themselves and in the clients they serve.
Comment made by presenter:
As executive coaches we should reflect on what “lights up” for us in our relationship with a client.
6.Mirror neurons and empathy:
Suggests that executive coaches should become more knowledgeable about “emotional intelligence” and bring concepts from this field into their coaching sessions.
Comment made by presenter:
Emotional intelligence is an important concept to introduce in executive coaching practices.
7.Neuroplasticity:
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the unique strengths of their clients and to areas/functions that are not being used (and perhaps should be more frequently used) by their clients.
Suggests that executive coaches should remain optimistic about the potential for their clients to make significant progress in their improvement of important skills.
Comment made by presenter:
Executive coaches should engage in appreciative leaning into the future with a focus on strengths when working with their clients.
8. ”End-of-the-line” integration of sensory data:
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the potential distortions in the perceptional of reality in their clients and the potential reasons for these distortions (biases).
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention to the potential distortions in their own perceptions of their client’s reality and the potential reasons for these distortions (biases).
Comment made by presenter:
Human beings are always “going beyond the information given” when taking in reality.
9.Oxytocin as bonding/nurturing:
Suggests that executive coaches should increase their sensitivity to ways in which their own personal desire for bonding and nurturing are influencing their own work as a coach.
Suggests that executive coaches should read about neuro-social biology (such as found in Robert Sapolsky’s Behavior) and apply insights from this work in their coaching sessions.
Comment made by presenter:
Human beings are bonders and nurturers. Even introverts find it hard to be isolated.
10.Preserving sense of self:
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the somatic (bodily) experiences of their client: how are they “feeling”, where does this “feeling” come from in their body, and what is the impact of this feeling.
Suggests that executive coaches should focus at times on their client’s images of potential future selves. How do their clients anticipate their sense of self shifting in the future and what might bring about this shift?
Comment made by presenter:
It is important for executive coaches to recognized that our sense of self is “embodied” in ongoing sensing of our body. We gain a sense of our continuity of self from our body. Our sense of future self is an important issue to be engaged in executive coaching sessions.
Listing of items independent of the findings that were chosen by respondents 50-59%, 60-69% or more than 70% of the time.
50-59%
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.
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.
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 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.
Suggests that executive coaches should increase their sensitivity to ways in which their own personal desire for bonding and nurturing are influencing their own work as a coach.
Suggests that executive coaches should read about neuro-social biology (such as found in Robert Sapolsky’s Behavior) and apply insights from this work in their coaching sessions.
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the somatic (bodily) experiences of their client: how are they “feeling”, where does this “feeling” come from in their body, and what is the impact of this feeling.
Comments made by presenter:
stress and risk management are important issues to be addressed by executive coaching.
All three levels of psychological functioning should be addressed in executive coaching: cognition (thinking), affect (feeling) and conation (behaving). These levels should be addressed within the context of a biopsychosocial perspective.
It is important to go back to basics when engaging in executive coaching (to avoid advice giving). It is also important to move forward by engaging in Argyris and Schon’s advice accompanied by inquiry, and to move forward with greater self-awareness.
As executive coaches we must gain a deeper understanding of the biopsychosocial foundation of “feelings” (both neural and hormonal dynamics)
60-69%
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to Stress Management.
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 devote more attention in their own motivations and patterns of behavior as a coach—what “lights up” inside themselves and in the clients they serve.
Suggests that executive coaches should become more knowledgeable about “emotional intelligence” and bring concepts from this field into their coaching sessions.
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the unique strengths of their clients and to areas/functions that are not being used (and perhaps should be more frequently used) by their clients.
Suggests that executive coaches should remain optimistic about the potential for their clients to make significant progress in their improvement of important skills.
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention in their coaching to the potential distortions in the perceptional of reality in their clients and the potential reasons for these distortions (biases).
Suggests that executive coaches should focus at times on their client’s images of potential future selves. How do their clients anticipate their sense of self shifting in the future and what might bring about this shift?
Comments made by presenter:
Executive coaches should engage in content that focuses on stress and a process that is question-oriented with a foundation that is built on self-awareness.
Important to consider the “emotional intelligence” that is engaged when being appreciative and optimistic as an executive coach.
It is important for executive coaches to recognize that one’s sense of self, one’s sense of relationships with other people and one’s image of the future are “constructive” in nature—rather than being based solely in a clear sense of reality.
More than 70%
Suggests that executive coaches should devote more attention to the potential distortions in their own perceptions of their client’s reality and the potential reasons for these distortions (biases).
Comment made by presenter:
As an executive coach we are always “self-constructing” and should be aware of this dynamic.
The ten neuroscience findings offered in the Survey:
1.The Gut and Brain: there is extensive wiring between the Gut and the brain. As the Gut is “feeling”, so is the Brain. We now know that our Gut has an extensive number of neurons that connect to many other parts of our body—including our brain. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
2.Fight/flight/freeze and stress imagining lions. Having evolved on the African savannah and having learned to survive as one of the slowest and weakest animals on the savannah, humans learned not to fight or flight, but rather (like many other slow and weak animals) to Freeze in place, hoping that the threatening predator will either not see us or leave us out of disinterest. Freeze is a damaging condition (large amounts of chemical meant for fight and flight, not freeze). Other animals shake off these chemicals, but not humans. Furthermore, humans have the capacity to imagine predators (lions), leaving them often in the state of damaging stress. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
3.Reward and risk: As humans, we are often addicted to our own adrenaline and therefore are looking for crisis/action that elevate levels of adrenaline. Furthermore, we are likely to find elevated levels of pleasure-activated hormones when we are anticipating a reward (e.g. slot machine payoff) than when we actually receive the reward. We are also more highly motivated by a desire to avoid regret (not having done something) then by a desire to not fail or a desire to succeed. All of this leads to inappropriate risk-taking behavior. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
4.Advice giving: As socially active human beings we actually get a “squirt” of pleasure-releasing drugs when we offer ADVICE to other people. We get “high” from our role as “wise” counselors to other people. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
5. Coaching as “friendship”: We have found that people conducting intensive psychotherapy will experience (as do their client/patient) an activation of areas of their brain that closely resemble that pattern of activation found when two people are in “love” (or at least sexually attracted to one another). Conversely, people who do counselling (or probably executive coaching) tend (like their client) to activate areas of their brain that closely resemble that of friends (rather than lovers). In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
6.Mirror neurons and empathy: Human beings apparently have neurons that specifically activate in a manner that replicates the activation that would occur if actual action was taking place (e.g. in watching a tennis match, the observer has neurons that activate as if they themselves were swinging the tennis racket). Some “mirror” neurons might also be activated that replicate the feelings of pain experienced by someone being observed who is in a state of pain (or feeling bad). This might be one of the sources of “empathy” in human beings. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
7.Neuroplasticity: Humans have the remarkable capacity to transfer neural functioning from one area of the brain to another area if the original (first) area is not being used extensively or not used at all. For example, a person who is blind can expand their capacity to process aural (hearing) information by reassigning unused areas of the visual cortex to process aural information. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
8. ”End-of-the-line” integration of sensory data: Apparently, our sensory input (sight, sound, touch, smell, etc.) remain independent until very late in the process of forming an integrated portrait in our brain of immediate “reality”. There is plenty of opportunity during the independent neural processing of sensory input to modify this neural information. Furthermore, there is ample opportunity when the integration of the sensory input occurs to do further modifications and to fill in missing or incongruent sensory data. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
9.Oxytocin as bonding/nurturing: Humans activate higher levels of a specific hormone than most other animals. This chemical is oxytocin—which is often associated with bonding and nurturing. High levels of oxytocin in humans are probably important in terms of the survival of humans on the African savannah since humans were weak and slow—thus having to rely on their ability to work (and defend) together with other humans. Humans are also quite sensitive to the loss of a bond or relationship with other people. When we experience “shame” (the sense of being isolated from other people), our bodies react as if we have actually been stabbed in our stomach. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.
10.Preserving sense of self: Recent research has revealed that there is a sector of our brain that knits together memories of the present and future self. Apparently, our identity is a fusion of present and future—which is essential to maintaining a mental construct of ourselves. We also find continuity in the ongoing assessment of our own physical wellbeing that provides a somatic template. This template enables us to determine if we are feeling “good” or “bad” at any moment in time and provides us with a major part of our present sense of self. In reflecting on these findings, please check no more than three of the following suggestions. You might also add an additional suggestion if you would like in the “Other” box.