CONVERGE19 - Takeaways 1/4

Miroslav Czadek
2 days ago
9 min read

Lecture: "Navigating Unpredictability", Frans Johansson
Lecture: "Emotions: Fact vs. Fictions", Dr. Lisa Feldman-Barrett
Lecture: „Coaching the Person, Not the Problem“, Marcia Reynolds, Psy.D., MCC

1. Lecture: "Navigating Unpredictability"

Speaker: Frans Johansson

What it was about:

Constant change is something we can rely on in today’s world. With increasing interconnectedness, the world has become far more unpredictable. Frans Johansson’s talk focused on how coaches can help clients and organizations navigate this environment. Unpredictability and the rapid pace of change require courage and a new kind of thinking. Coaches therefore need to use tools and skills that enable both themselves and their clients to move quickly and respond rapidly to changing conditions - so they can turn them to their advantage. #projecoach #VUCA #converge

Key insights and identified challenges:

In business, we tend to rely on logic and expertise.
Yet unexpected events or influences are the primary source of innovation.
So how can we prepare for success when innovations are, by definition, unexpected?

1. Look for opportunities that change the rules of the game!

For example, Misty Copeland, who became the first African American principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. She has authored several books and, in 2015, was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world. More on wiki.

Interesting article: 5 Things We Can All Learn from Under Armour Ambassador Misty Copeland
Interesting video: 10 Pravidel pro úspěch Místy Copeland

2. Diversity and inclusion drive innovation forward

What truly creates new things is the diversity of teams.

3. Diversity is the key to change — a change of perspective (reframing)

For example, the Swedish bicycle helmet Hövding
Hövding’s story began after Sweden passed a law in 2005 requiring people under the age of 15 to wear a bicycle helmet.

4. Diverse and inclusive teams make significantly better decisions

Interesting link: the Cloverpop article in Forbes

5. Reconsider experience in individual roles and areas of expertise

The ideal state is for different roles to complement one another, creating a whole at their intersection. It is not effective to have people with the same experience and knowledge - homogeneity limits outcomes.

6. Consider the smallest executable step

Example: the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden.
Every year, when the Torne River freezes, a new Icehotel is created in the small village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden. The river’s ice is transformed into design and architecture - an ephemeral art project and the first and largest hotel in the world built from snow and ice.

The world is interconnected - but someone has to make those connections happen. And that someone should be you!

Recommendations and suggestions

In an environment of constant change and unpredictability, the ideal approach is to act in a way that leverages the opportunities each situation offers. It is advisable to take steps 1–6 into account, as this approach significantly increases the likelihood of success.
This approach can be applied both in communities and in project environments. In practice, it is most often seen in multifunctional or high-performing teams (predominantly in agile environments).
Leveraging diversity and inclusion is a powerful tool for high-quality decision-making.
A coach should therefore act as a catalyst for these principles within the client’s environment.

Takeaways

I will definitely leverage team diversity in decision-making. This also brings new challenges when working with people - how to bring them together and how to sustain the team.
Balancing team members’ experience with expert knowledge: it is generally counterproductive to require only experts within one team. If I have a group of experts all from the same domain, I am indirectly creating a risk to the team’s overall performance.
More carefully evaluating potential opportunities and the benefits they may bring.

2. Lecture: "Emotions: Fact vs. Fictions"

Speaker: Dr. Lisa Feldman-Barrett

What it was about:

This lecture presented a series of experiments on emotions whose conclusions appear to contradict common sense. During the talk, several of the most widespread fictions about emotions were clarified. It also introduced a new scientific understanding of what emotions are and how they work. #projecoach #emotions #converge

Key insights and identified issues:

Three fictions (faces, brains, bodies) vs. facts

1. The face does not speak for itself

We have stereotypical views of emotions, often reinforced by emoticons.
Computers will soon recognize how you feel from your face (this is not true as a general rule).

2. There are dedicated emotional circuits in the brain

The brain as a battlefield between reason and emotion (e.g., even in twins—this is not the case).
Left brain = logic, right brain = emotions — not true.
Slow thinking vs. fast thinking is a metaphor.
The division of the brain into reptilian brain, mammalian brain, and neocortex has been invalid for about 70 years, yet is still referenced in the literature.
Emotions are complex structures, not simple circuits in the brain.
Reason does not rule emotions (emotions do not live in separate parts of the brain).
Emotions are not hard-wired; emotions are constructed (e.g., joy).
Emotions that seem to “appear” are actually constructed by us.
Emotions are our construction of the world (my map).

3. The body is important for emotions but unimportant for thinking

The brain needs oxygen and glucose.
Language and body regulation.
I influence the brains and bodies of people around me, and they return the favor.
The body is strongly affected positively (physical activity, mental training, caffeine, glucose drinks, etc.) or negatively (dehydration, excessive talking, noise, lack of sleep, temperature, light, etc.).

How to gain knowledge, work effectively, and increase productivity (trust; vision, goals, clarity; information sharing, social cohesion, perceived support, external communication). More at:https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/

Recommended book:

The book, among other things, covers:

Searching for emotional fingerprints
Emotions are constructed
Myths of universal emotions
How feelings arise
Concepts, goals, and words
How the brain creates emotions
Emotions as social reality
A new view of human nature
Regulating your emotions
Emotions and illness
Emotions and the law
Is a barking dog really angry?
From brain to thought

Recommendations and suggestions

The human brain works by predicting what will happen next rather than merely reacting to events in the environment.
There is a difference between “reading” or “detecting” emotions in another person’s face or body and inferring emotions in another person.

Takeaways

Working with emotions is an important part of the interaction between coach and client.
Reading emotions from facial expressions alone is insufficient; a broader context must be taken into account.
Brain types (reptilian, mammalian, neocortex) have limits in explaining complexity; they are not physically distinct but metaphorical.

3. Lecture: "Coaching the Person, Not the Problem"

Speaker: Marcia Reynolds, Psy.D., MCC

What it was about:

Even experienced coaches can fall into a trap when they focus on the problems clients bring to their sessions. When attention stays on these dilemmas, coaching can start to feel circular because of the emotional attachment clients have to their problems.

Eventually, clients may identify steps they are willing to take, but they do not gain new awareness that would help them avoid similar problems in the future.

This presentation focused on how to shift from problem-solving to coaching the client in front of you. By exploring new applications of coaching competencies, we learned three ways to prepare our minds for coaching. After observing and discussing a live coaching demonstration with the moderator, we reflected on what to do differently in our own coaching engagements. #projecoach #problem #person #coaching #converge

Key insights and identified challenges:

How do we coach the client—not their problems—toward meaningful change?
International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
The coach honors the client as creative, resourceful, and whole (not broken or incomplete).
Sometimes a client simply needs someone to share their thoughts with, or a few well-chosen questions to help them discover new possibilities.
At other times, the client is stuck within their own frames of reference and then needs a transformational (internal) rather than a transactional (external) conversation with you.
Coach the client as a “person”: clients do not need you to make the change for them or show them the path. They need to uncover what is blocking them from recognizing what they already know they need to do.
You are their thinking partner.

You coach the client—not the problem they present or the external factors involved in the decision they are facing.

Coach the client:

“A” Identify how to set the agreement – defining the desired outcome for the session is critical in order to shift from problem-solving to coaching the client.
“B” Take three steps in mental preparation to increase presence and coach the person far more effectively instead of the problem.
“C” Use reflective inquiry – reflective questions, as well as powerful questions, help you “coach vertically,” going deeper into what keeps the client stuck and focused on their problems instead of moving forward.

Who advocated reflective inquiry?

Questions look for answers.
Inquiries seek understanding.
Inquiry evokes insight

– John Dewey, author of How We Think

“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” — John Dewey

A. Identify how to set the agreement

Where to start?

What is the desired outcome of our shared time (coach–client)?

Clarify the desired outcome (reframe the problem).
Look for what has stopped the client from achieving what they said they want.
Shift from the problem to the client as a person:

Listen for the elements that form the edge of their story.
Reflect what you see and hear.
Use the client’s own words and share what you hear and notice. Do not impose your opinions or judgments

Explore — WHAT IS TRUE?

Beliefs – Assumptions – Values – Needs = Identity

Identity + Reality = Behavior

EGO is our box of stories!

Shifting from the problem to the client as a person

Notice patterns, emotionally charged statements, and shifts in emotion.
Reflect assumptions, beliefs, needs, desires, and fears—then ask how these relate to the outcome the client wants to achieve.
Offer validated observations, interpretations, or gentle challenges.

Do not be afraid of making a mistake. Welcome any emotional responses.

Even if you create some discomfort, through deep listening, clear reflection, and curious questions you can help create an AHA moment that changes the client’s thinking - and their life.
The desired outcome often evolves or changes.
Identifying what the client truly wants and needs in order to move forward can be a pivotal moment that takes an entire session!

B. Take three steps in mental preparation

Three steps to presence:

An open nervous system
Emotional choice
Belief in potential

1. An open nervous system:

2. Emotional choice:

“Do not forget that small emotions are the great captains of our lives, and we obey them without realizing it.” -Vincent Van Gogh

Let’s start with fear

What are your greatest fears before or during your coaching?
In coaching, we need courage—no one has ever died from coaching.

Courage in coaching

Fear of harming the client vs. fear that the client might fall apart
Fear of dealing with emotions vs. fear of offending the client
Fear of being wrong vs. fear that the client will fire me
Fear of speaking the truth vs. fear of asking a sensitive question

Reflective inquiry

Whenever you notice an emotional shift, it is useful to work with it—there is a goal behind it.
If you share what you have noticed and ask questions without attachment, you are not criticizing, advising, or pushing people beyond their edge.
A breakthrough insight is a shift between what was assumed and what was actually discovered, or a blind spot that has been illuminated. These insights may be uncomfortable, but they do not harm the client.
You must hold the space for the client’s reactions and learning.
Do not correct, sympathize, or explain things away.

Creating opinions

What you believe matters, what you perceive as right or wrong, and how you expect others to behave.

It is not about stopping your reactive brain, but about what you choose to do after the brain reacts - that choice is what sustains presence.

Notice shifts in the body:

Where do you feel fear?
Where do you feel hesitation?
Where do you feel impatience?
Where do you feel awkwardness or embarrassment?
Where do you feel confidence?

Awareness of emotions creates the possibility of choice!

Example: Integrity — I reflect their energy!!

Exercise

3× a day:

Notice what you are feeling.
Then ask what triggered this feeling - what caused you to feel this way.

Practice this exercise for approximately 2–3 weeks so that a neural connection for self-awareness is formed in the brain.

3. Belief in potential

What is the client’s potential?
What can the client achieve?
What will be needed to keep the client at a high level throughout the conversation?

Let go of the need to know everything! Be curious! Believe in their potential—clients are creative, resourceful, and whole!

C. Use reflective inquiry

Reflective inquiry allows clients to climb the tree of their thinking.
They gain a broader perspective and can see connections and flaws in their thinking, enabling better evaluation of what to do next.

Reflective inquiry

Reflect what you see, hear, notice, and sense may be holding the client back—including your thoughts about what they might be thinking—even when it feels uncomfortable.
Start, for example, with: “I noticed…,” “I heard…,” or “I sense that…”

Examples of reflective inquiry include:

Noticing shifts in energy, tone of voice, speech pace, inflection, and behavior
Playing back the client’s beliefs and assumptions to explore perceived truths and limitations
Summarizing complex outcomes and options, offering statements for clients to accept or revise
Paraphrasing and offering metaphors that help clients explore their thinking from a different angle
Capturing key words and repeated phrases that precisely point to needs, conflicts, and contradictions
Offering observations when clients move away from hesitation or show resistance
Acknowledging progress to reinforce movement and growth

Partnership = Presence

Mastery is the depth of presence, not the perfection of skills.

An interesting book that describes these ideas in detail:

Interesting links:

https://coachtheperson.com/

https://outsmartyourbrain.com/

Recommendations and suggestions

Distinguish external problems from internal blocks that prevent clients from discovering effective solutions on their own.
Apply the three steps of mental preparation to increase presence and coach the client more effectively instead of the problem.
Use reflective techniques and well-chosen questions to “coach vertically,” going deeper into what prevents clients from moving forward and solving problems independently.
Similar in spirit to the Ericksonian school.