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“Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind,” by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang contains a valuable piece of information for coaches.
In a nutshell, “the brain has a limited capacity for self-regulation, so exerting willpower in one area often leads to backsliding in others. The good news, however, is that practice increases willpower capacity…”
I’m taking a big lesson from this. I’m going to be more sensitive to the number of willpower-requiring modifications I’m asking of my clients. They could be (biologically) destined to fail.
Now I know that if a client seems deliberately noncompliant, it may be due to a far greater variety of factors than I ever imagined. Although I always try to bear in mind what circumstances might be affecting my client’s ability to make change, I never imagined that my client might already be performing heroic, invisible, and powerful acts of will every waking moment.
I don’t know how much effort the client is already making in ‚Äö√Ñ√∫resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses‚Äö√Ѭ∂(being) stressed or tired from exertion or lack of sleep.‚Äö√Ñ√π And it might be low blood sugar, ‚Äö√Ñ√∫which brain cells use as their main energy source and cannot do without for even a few minutes‚Äö√Ѭ∂exerting self control lowers blood sugar, which reduces the capacity for further self-control.‚Äö√Ñ√π Whew! Perhaps someone who seems ‚Äö√Ñ√∫uncoachable‚Äö√Ñ√π would succeed in smaller increments.
As coaches, we are taught to help our clients build upon their successes, and that includes the capacity to exert willpower. I’m surprised to know that my practice of using the non-dominant hand to brush my teeth adds to my willpower capacity, and I’m glad to be able to offer that tip to my clients.
I have held the opinion that there’s no such thing as willpower ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ there are only decisions. When I decided to stop smoking, instead of ‚Äö√Ñ√∫trying to quit,‚Äö√Ñ√π willpower was irrelevant. I had decided to be a nonsmoker and no willpower was required. I wonder if anyone’s studied the distinction between ‚Äö√Ñ√∫deciding‚Äö√Ñ√π and ‚Äö√Ñ√∫trying.‚Äö√Ñ√π
Yoda said, ‚Äö√Ñ√∫There is no try. Do or do not.‚Äö√Ñ√π That’s what I have been telling my clients. I think I’ll cut them some slack based on this research. What do YOU think?
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If you think THAT’S cool read up on what David Rock has to say about neuroplasticity and how this impacts coaching. It will blow your socks off if this article got you excited.
The article you talked about is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to coaching implications.
David Rock has a new book coming out on more aspects on how your brain works. It’s even cooler than his last book “Quiet Leadership”
Well, Maureen, you certainly tapped my interest, so I contacted David Rock about his research and will share his response with our readers.
David’s words: “Where to begin…perhaps with the fact that within neuroscience there exists a coherent and complete explanation of how and why coaching works, with clues to how we can do it better too. I have been researching this for about 4 years, working on my 3rd book on this specific area, which comes out early 2009.”
“I am the founder of the NeuroLeadership Summit and Institute, and am gathering hundreds of leadership experts with some of the leading neuroscientists, in both NYC and Sydney Australia this year, for our second summit.” See http://www.neuroleadership.org
“You can see my early thoughts in ‘Quiet Leadership’, which was the top selling book at the ICF global conference last year after I gave a talk there.” http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Leadership-Steps-Transforming-Performance/dp/0060835915/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195641347&sr=1-1
David Rock has written several papers that have become popular with coaches and leadership experts, including ‘The Neuroscience of Leadership’ for a major business journal in 2006.” http://www.strategy-business.com/press/freearticle/06207
There is also ‘a brain based approach to coaching’ which you can see here: http://www.workplacecoaching.com/pdf/CoachingTheBrainIJCO.pdf
There’s a bigger list of writings, case studies etc at http://www.workplacecoaching.com/resources.html
David’s personal blog has more about the work generally including personal interests and projects: http://www.davidrock.net
You’ll find links to to free audios and webinars there under ‘brain based coaching resources.’”
Thanks for sharing, David. We welcome the latest updates and research on coaching!
Someone did email me this article and it was in relation to well-being coaching. This information has huge implications for health, fitness and stress coaching, as well as maintaining life balance. Reading Linda’s response with regard to David Rock and brain-based coaching, we may want to rethink how we approach behavior modification with clients, as well as the ever popular New Year’s resolutions.
The idea that our beliefs about who we are impact who we actually are is one I support. When I stopped drinking 25 years ago I actually saw myself as a non-drinker. There were no apologies or comments about “I used to drink and now I don’t” or “I had to stop drinking because it was interfering with my life”. If offered a drink I responded “I don’t drink”, similar to if I was offered a cigarette and responded “I don’t smoke” (which I don’t).
The brain is fascinating and I’m excited about incorporating brain-based research into my coaching knowledge.
I love this story! I love my Brain! In Joy, Luz Delia