"To strip an idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion.
We must create ideas that are both simple and profound, something so
laser and to the point that an individual can want to spend a lifetime
becoming masterful at
'it'.
Once they know something, they can't begin to imagine what it would be
like to not know it"
That is the world of Shadow Coaches and their clients.
We have a finite amount of time available to us to coach clients on the
fly, in the centre of complex challenges in chaotic times. Unlike
most coaching sessions, shadow and laser coaching sessions can be a
matter of moments in time, where we coach on one thought, one moment
that had just unfolded in such a way that when they're coached on it,
they not only "get it" but it sticks.
Add to that equation working with client's shadow personalities, and not
only do they 'get it' but they embrace it, all aspects of themselves
within the context of their worlds as they know it.
Combining evidence with patterns of behavior I can say that 50% of the
data I use when Shadow Coaching my clients is what they don't tell me.
It's located between their words. I discern what wasn't said, pick up
what wasn't evident and become a catalyst so my clients could discover
what it was they weren't aware of, in real time. It's all about
context.
Shadow Coaching™ is a particular advanced
application of reflective and observational coaching that provides
one way for clients to go below the surface into the core dynamics
of a situation, illuminating the truth of the moment and making
decisions that move people forward.
Shadow Coaching™ is a real time learning approach in developing
a refined self-awareness
and capabilities in the workplace as a result of reflection
on practice. It enables people, not only to benefit from the
continuous presence of an observing coach over an extended period of
time in a typical set of workdays, but also develops their own role
as self-observer for the long term. It teaches clients to become
reflective practitioners.
This type of coaching is ideally suited to organizational leaders
who must make decisions and act adaptively in intense work
environments. Shadow coaching involves partnering with clients in
their work environments and brings another experienced and fresh
perspective that helps to identify problematic dynamics, work habits
and assumptions that impede effectiveness. Within Shadow Coaching™
is the competency of Laser Coaching™ which involves being able to
provoke the leader’s awareness of these problematic features in ways
that they can be addressed immediately. It goes beyond support to
problem solving.
Shadow Coaching™ attends to the individual, social, relational and environmental aspects of the client's ‘world’. The Shadow Coach coaches all sides of a person's personality, what clients are aware of and what they aren't paying attention to including their 'Shadow' personality.
It creates seismically altering change.
Read some articles and interviews:
"Why I Shadow My Clients" from Personal Success Magazine
"Shadow Coaching gives Executives an Up-Close Look at Themselves" from businessLISTENING.com