Variations of this tool have been available for many years—ever since the concept of life planning was first introduced into organizational consulting work. It remains one of the most useful tools that can be used by a professional coach who is working with her client in the exploration and clarification of life and career values and aspirations. The life shields coaching tool provides clients with the opportunity to survey several different aspects of their lives (past, present and future). This tool is frequently the first one to be used in a coaching engagement that is oriented toward life planning, for it briefly covers most of the important aspects of life planning, including the values of childhood, images of the distant future and desired goals for the immediate future. Each of these topics, in turn, can be treated in greater depth during a later coaching session.
There are essentially three levels at which the Life Shields can be presented. At Level One, this tool can be introduced as a set of questions to be addressed verbally by the coaching client. This is usually the least threatening strategy to be employed by a professional coach. The Second Level involves a request by the coach that her client do some drawing—at least of the outlines of the shield (often called a “life space.” Typically, the Level Two shield if filled with a set of words representing answers to the questions being asked by the coach (same questions as Level One).
At Level Three, the coach encourages her client not only to draw the shield, but also to incorporate visual images on the shield that represent the values and aspirations inherent in their answers to the questions being posed by the coach. The shield usually generates little defensiveness when offered at Level One or Two. Some clients might feel un¬easy about the nonverbal aspects of the Level Three shield. This problem can be easily corrected by indicating to clients that, if needed, they should feel free to speak about their values and aspirations (Level One) or to express themselves in writing (Level Two). Once coaching clients have this assurance they often seem to feel less fearful about working nonverbally (Level Three).
All of most of the following five steps (depending on the Level) are taken in making use of this coaching tool.
Step One [Levels Two and Three]
The coaching client is given a sheet of paper of at least regular letter size; preferably full sheets of newsprint will be available. The client should also be provided with a felt-tipped pen. If possible, at Level Three, a variety of colored marking pens should be available, along with an assortment of crayons, pieces of colored chalk, construction paper, glue, paper clips and so forth.
Step Two [Levels Two and Three]
The coaching client is asked to draw a shape on his piece of paper which is to represent his “life space.” This shape can be of any form or size. It is only essential that it be closed, so that there is clearly an inside and an outside. You might wish to note in passing that some people will define their life space as very large, others as very small; some people will define an irregular space, others will draw a simple circle or square.
Step Three [Levels Two and Three]
After the life space or shield is drawn, the coach should spend several minutes talking about the two functions which shields have served in history. First, shields have been used as protective devices to ward off spears and arrows. Second, shields have been used to proclaim the values and aspirations of a specific family, clan or country; the design that was drawn on the shield expressed something about the person who held the shield. Thus a shield can serve both as a barrier and as a vehicle for disclosure. The coaching client might at this point be asked to examine and possibly even discuss the extent to which their current life space or shield tends to protect them from other people or helps them to contact and communicate with others.
Step Four [Levels One, Two and Three]
The coaching client is asked to answer six questions. At Level One, the coach simply asks one of the six questions (listed below) and provides her client with ample time to reflect on and answer each question. At Levels Two and Three, the client is asked to use her life space or shield as an arena in which to respond to, usually, six statements or questions. At Level Three, the response to each statement or question should be nonverbal and may involve a combination of pic¬tures, colors, shapes, diagrams and so forth. Most clients will want to divide their shields into six sections, though this is not necessary. Clients, however, should be aware of the amount of space they allocate to each of their six responses, as well as the amount of time and attention they devote to each response and ways their six responses interact on the sheet of paper.
The six statements or questions to which the coaching client is to respond will vary depending on the focus and direction of the coaching engagement and on the age and primary concerns of the client. In general, the statements and questions should give equal attention to past, present and future events. I usually pick two statements or questions from each of the three following time dimensions; I most frequently use the first two or three statements in each category.
Past Events
a. Identify one highly valued possession from your childhood.
b. Identify one “peak experience” from your past — one event that was particularly meaningful and has had a significant impact on your life.
c. Identify one value from your childhood or early adulthood that no longer is important to you.
d. Identify one fear from your childhood or early adulthood that continues to be of concern to you.
e. Using one or two words or a single phrase, identify one theme that would best describe your life until the present time.
Present Events
a. Identify one thing you did this past year that would generally be acknowledged a success by most people you know (or that would generally be acknowledged a failure).
b. Identify one important learning for you during this past year.
c. Identify something that you have mastered during this past year.
d. If you were to change one important decision which you made during this past year what would it be?
Future Events
a. If you were guaranteed success in doing one thing during the coming year, what would it be?
b. Imagine that several years after your death a movie is made about your life; what would you like the title of this movie to be?
c. What do you fear most about your life during the next five years?
d. Describe a very special event (a “peak” experience) that might occur in your life ten years from now.
e. If an epitaph was to be written for you, what would you like it to say?
As an option the client might be instructed to answer each of these questions using one word or phrase (Level One) or a cluster of words that are placed spatially on the page in a manner which conveys something about their interrelationship (Level Two).
Step Five [Levels One, Two and Three]
Once the client has answered each of the questions (Level One) or finished her shield (Levels Two and Three], she should spend a few minutes reflecting with her coach on the implications of what she has produced. Some coaching clients will complete their shield in a short period of time and will want to devote most of their time to talking with their coach about what is revealed on the shield. Others will take a relatively long time to complete their shields and may be reluctant to reveal much about what they have produced. It is not essential for a coaching client to talk about all aspects of their shield. The very act of producing the shield and responding to some provocative questions offered by their coach is sufficient. In order to help clients gain maximum insights from this exercise, it is often useful to ask them several of the following questions while they are reflecting on and dis¬cussing their shields:
a. What do your answers (Level One)/does this shield (Levels Two and Three] tell you about the things in your life that you most value?
b. What do your answers (Level One)/does this shield (Levels Two and Three] tell you about what you need to learn or do in the near future?
c.What does this shield tell you about what you are or are not willing to reveal about yourself to other people?
d, What do your answers (Level One)/does this shield (Levels Two and Three] tell you about yourself as a person who learns and changes?
e. What is the one most important thing that you have learned about yourself from this exercise?
f. What is the most surprising thing about this exercise?
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While this tool has been included in the Library of Professional Coaching since 2011, it is now included in the first issue of The Future of Coaching. We encourage you to review the other essays contained in this issue of The Future of Coaching. Following are the links to each of these essays:
The Social and Cultural Characteristics of Generational Age Groups
Searching for Vitality: Coaching through the Lenses of Adult Development Theory and Research
A Developmental Perspective in Coaching
Senior Leadership in Community: Interview with Norman Westmore
The Book Shelf: George Vaillant, Triumphs of Experience
Coaching Across the Generations: Questions to Ponder Based on Research/Theory