A screen reflected in a professional's glasses

Agility and Coaching

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

See the original article in this link.

 

How do we look at and understand the world around us?

Everything we perceive passes through our the mindset, mindset, which can be defined as a combination of attitudes, beliefs and values that influence our behaviours, daily actions and the way we learn. As mentioned in the study conducted by Ashley Buchanan Margaret L. Kern, our mindset subconsciously affects the way we think, act, and even how we perceive future possibilities. However, mental changes can be generated consciously and in appropriate contexts that could improve one’s own and collective well-being.

Psychologist C Dweek talks in her book “Mindset: the new psychology of success” about 2 types of mentalities. The fixed mindset in which people believe their abilities are innate and cannot change or improve, therefore they fear challenges, give up easily when there are obstacles, and see the success of others as a threat. On the other hand, in the growth mindset these people believe that they can develop their skills through practice and effort, enjoying challenges, seeing obstacles or failures as learning opportunities and successful people as sources of inspiration.

C Dweek explains that in his research he found organisations and managers with a growth mindset, in which employees say they feel more empowered, more committed and that the company values creativity, innovation and teamwork. In organisations with a fixed mindset, there is also talk of creativity and innovation, however, when something does not work as expected someone must pay the price.

There are frameworks or reference frameworks that encompass agile principles and practices that allow companies to increase creativity, innovation, adapting quickly and effectively to the demands of the VICA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world.

The success of implementing these frameworks: Lean-Agile, requires leaders to have a growth mindset, which some frameworks often call the Lean-Agile mindset. This type of mentality allows us to drive the necessary transformation of the organisation, improving culture and business agility.

Through coaching, leaders can be accompanied to evolve from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset that offers great potential to generate changes at an individual level that impact the entire system.

Through executive coaching, we can support the development of leaders with a mindset focused on agile principles or practices, exploring values and beliefs (BE), mental models and cognitive structures (THINK) and/or working on what is visible, at the level of practices, behaviours and perceptions (DO).

The work of coaching can be done from the outside (what is visible and perceived), from the behaviours and perceptions inward to obtain sustainable results, or from the inside (values and thought structures) outward, always in accordance with the coaching contract established between the parties.

The coaching methodology to use is the one that the leader and the organisation recognise as having the greatest value. The important thing is to support the leader to involve his collaborators and other interested parties, to listen to them and value all opinions, in a learning process that is not only individual but collective, and in the creation of an agile and customer-centred culture.

Coaching could become a key piece for the success in the evolution of agile organisations, accompanying leaders in the development of their agile teams, promoting a growth mindset throughout the organisation.

Through the systemic coaching approach, agile teams can be developed as a self-managed team, defining more clearly its purpose, the creation of value, obtaining sustainable results, decision making, work organisation and the way of relating between its members and with other teams in the company. In this way, coaching contributes to reinforcing and consolidating the cultural change necessary in agile organisations.

Authors:

Romina Leveau and Fatima Ribeiro

Professionals meeting in an informal workspace

The leadership revolution

 

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

See the original article in this link.

 

The way we think about leadership must change. We think there is a “leadership crisis”, but in reality we do not know what the leadership of the future should be like.  The global study “Tomorrow’s Leadership and the necessary revolution in the development of today’s Leadership” sought to explore this question and summarize some findings.

This study published by Henley Business School, United Kingdom, led by Professor Peter Hawkins, researcher, author and developer of a systemic team coaching methodology, reflects on four key questions:

  1. How will the leadership needed in the organisations of tomorrow be different versus the leadership of today?
  2. What needs to be developed for the leadership of tomorrow?
  3. How appropriate is today’s best practice for developing tomorrow’s leadership?
  4. What else needs to be done?

Some of the main challenges that leaders consider will impact them in the next 20 years are:

  1. A relentless and accelerated transformation of organisations
  2. A technological and digital evolution
  3. Change in business models, disintermediation and “uberization”
  4. Fewer collaborators in organisations and increasing stakeholder complexity
  5. Globalization
  6. Climate change and
  7. The need to learn and adapt faster.

These challenges are interconnected, each driving and being driven by the others.

In a context of incessant transformation, change is no longer just an event, but a constant worldwide, impacting organisations at an accelerated pace, affecting not only the individual but also the organisation itself. The global trends identified are: changing demographics, change in the workforce and ways of working, political instability, economic unpredictability, market volatility, globalization, climate change and migration.

The impact of digitalization, robotics and outsourcing contribute to “hollowing out” the organisation. Tomorrow’s leaders will have fewer people to manage and a growing, diverse and complex number of groups and organisations with which they will need to partner to succeed. Leadership changes from vertical to horizontal, leading not only the organisation, but also creating partnerships and synergies with different interest groups to be successful. Developing alliances and working through networks is an essential leadership competency.

Thinking and being alert globally, understanding global trends and adapting agilely to the unexpected is another leadership competency. The learning capacity of leaders and organisations must consider the speed at which the environment is changing to prevent extinction.

The study identifies the following changes in leadership as necessary:

  1. From ‘leading my people’ to ‘orchestrating business ecosystems’
  2. From “heroic individual leaders” to “collective and collaborative leadership”
  3. Leadership driven by purpose and value creation for all stakeholders.
  4. From serial and fragmented innovation to working simultaneously in three time frames (today, tomorrow and the future).
  5. Embracing multiple individual diversity and also systemic diversity
  6. The leader must be a developer of others.
  7. Leadership must be able to maintain a high level of motivation in diverse generations of collaborators.
  8. The ethical maturity necessary to live in a transparent world.
  9. The importance of creating successful alliances and networks

The study highlights the need to evolve towards greater leadership maturity and ethical maturity, the importance of creating value for all stakeholders, developing greater awareness of the organisation’s diversity, and the importance of collective and collaborative leadership.

This change can be facilitated through systemic coaching, which brings the perspectives of different stakeholders to teams, supporting them to work connected with purpose and a vision of success, promoting the development of trust to increase the quality of engagement, the development of relationships, alliances and connections, and the co-creation of solutions that promote organisational learning.
Fatima Ribeiro

The author is ACC (ICF Associated Certified Coach), Coach in professional development, leadership and teams processes and member of the Board of Directors of ICF Panama.

A team taking part in a video meeting

Team Coaching: The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

See the original article in this link.

 

The team, as a work unit, is today a critical element for the success of almost any organisational effort.  This is an assertion that very little can be questioned.

In the 2016 Deloitte Human Capital Trends study, the #1 concern among more than 7,000 companies (in more than 130 countries) was how to redesign the organisational structure for current conditions.  The bottom line was to move to what Deloitte calls a “network of teams.”  The pandemic has caused an amplification of this effect, making the effectiveness of work teams even more key to the success of the organisation.

This is why Team Coaching is an increasingly important modality in organisations to consistently and lastingly achieve a high level of performance, aligning teams around a collective purpose and objectives.

It is necessary for the whole to create more value than the sum of the parts, for each team member to take responsibility for their contribution (individual leadership), as well as for the functioning of the entire team (collective leadership). The team must be a learning team, where members, together, develop and adapt to the increasing speed of change and increasing complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity.

The Team Coach works with teams in real time, with a systemic perspective of the needs and challenges of stakeholders, to expand self-awareness, deepen capabilities and broaden abilities.  In this way, the levels of effectiveness, cohesion, learning and performance can be transformed.

Other intervention modalities at the team level include: Facilitation, Training, “Team Building”, and Consulting. We will explore these and how they differ from Team Coaching.  Each of these professional practices has value, and each is appropriate in certain circumstances. The important thing is to be clear at any given moment about what need we are trying to satisfy.

Team Facilitation: It serves to manage teamwork, in real time, in the implementation of a process or a tool, to achieve a goal.  The facilitator promotes dialogue and clarity. Generally it is for a short period and the focus should be on the team collaborating to obtain the intended result.

Team Training: It is learning through reading, classes or exercises.  The time is also short and increases knowledge in a specific area.  It is, in essence, acquisition of new knowledge or development of skills.

“Team Building”: It works through games, simulations and other experiences organized during special events.  It results in greater enthusiasm, cohesion, trust and respect among participants.  The duration is even shorter and so is its impact.

Team Consulting: Led by an expert in the field, focused on proposing solutions and recommendations for implementation.  The time is variable and is based on a work map that needs to be achieved to reach the desired goal.

Team Coaching: It is a medium to long-term process, in which the focus is on the team as a system, in which sustainable changes are promoted over time. The Coach works with the team in alliance, with regular interventions and/or work sessions.  The Coach challenges the team to observe and reflect on how they are operating, and how these interaction patterns are affecting their performance. The Coach helps the team meet the needs of its “stakeholders” or interested parties, and accompanies it to expand the common purpose and vision. In response, the team makes specific adjustments to increase its strengths and develop areas of opportunity for improvement, integrating lessons learned. Team Coaching is different from Group Coaching, due to its deeper and more systemic intervention with the team as a whole.

Team Coaching, with increasing use worldwide for the development of teams and organisations, is thus a collective learning process, with the potential to have a transformative impact at the individual, intrapersonal, performance and results levels, and relationships and connections with interested parties, in integration with the organisational and global environment.

 

Authors:

Alberto Navarro and Fatima Ribeiro

 

Illustration of a person between symbols of a brain and a heart

Emotional Intelligence as a Coaching Tool

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

See the original article in this link.

 

In the coaching process, various concepts and tools are used to support the coachees, according to the approach of the process and the training and toolbox of the coaches.

The concept of emotional intelligence is one of the tools we can use.

Yuval Noah Harari, historian and philosopher, author of books such as “21 lessons for the 21st century,” considers emotional intelligence and mental balance as two essential skills for the rest of our lives.

Daniel Goleman, one of the pioneers of emotional intelligence, published an article in 1996 that is still considered essential reading in Harvard Business Review on leadership issues, called “What does a leader do?”

This article focuses the concept of an emotionally intelligent leader on five elements: self-awareness, self-discipline, motivation, empathy and social skill.

To the self-knowledge The main characteristics are associated with: self-confidence, a realistic self-evaluation and a self-critical sense of humor.

The main characteristics of the self-discipline They are reliability and integrity, being comfortable with ambiguity and openness to change.

Passion to meet objectives, optimism, even in situations of failure, and commitment to the organisation are the three main characteristics in motivation.

The ability to build and retain talent, sensitivity to different cultures and being focused on customer service are the characteristics of the empathy.

In the social skill The author refers to effectiveness in leadership of change, the power of persuasion and the ability to build and lead teams.

Looking at the characteristics described, these still constitute a valid model more than twenty years after its original expression. What changes is our mental map and the form or order of importance in different contexts.

The concept of emotional intelligence was developed more recently, with a very practical approach, by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves, who define two major competencies, personal and social. In the personal competence, it is important self-awareness -recognise one’s own emotions and tolerate discomfort- and self-management – tolerate uncertainty and pursue objectives, not needs. In the social competence, it is important social consciousness -recognise emotions in others, listen and observe- and relationship management -manage interactions successfully and strengthen connections.

Particularly, I consider the model, developed by Dr. Reuven Bar-On and Jonathan and Leight Bowman-Perks, to be quite useful as a tool in coaching, which considers factors of emotional intelligence, intrapersonal factors, connected to self-awareness and self-expression, factors interpersonal of social awareness and interaction, factors of stress management associated with emotional management and control, factors of adaptability and change management and factors general like self-motivation.

In coaching, these models can be worked on, for example, considering the areas or factors in which the coachee has opportunities for improvement, the areas in which they already function effectively, and the areas in which they have superior performance.

The concept of emotional intelligence significantly impacts behaviours and relationships and can thus be worked on using any of these theoretical frameworks. The most important thing in the coaching process is the use of methodologies appropriate to each client, the objectives of the process and the specific objectives of each session.

The coachee can use their own reflection and/or incorporate the perception of their stakeholders or people of interest, such as family, friends, co-workers, peers, bosses and members of their team, benefiting the coachee from a systemic perspective. Humility, courage and discipline with the process strongly impact the results.

The process in general is enriched when the coachee opens up to feedback from his or her stakeholders, in a positive circle of reflection, integration of learning, listening to suggestions for improvement, evaluation and action.

Fatima Ribeiro, ACC

The author is ACC (ICF Associated Certified Coach), Coach in professional development, leadership and teams processes and member of the Board of Directors of ICF Panama.

 

 

Illustration of a person carrying an explosive load with a clock

Becoming aware of our triggers

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

See the original article in this Link

Today’s world is increasingly uncertain, complex and hyperconnected and the stimuli we receive daily are also growing in volume and complexity.

Our daily life is full of stimuli that we receive from the people with whom we interact in person or virtually, from the events around us that attract or require our attention in a more passive or active way, from the quantity and diversity of information, from distracting elements that exist on social networks, on television and on the internet.

The impulses received generate behaviours, which are not always the ones that best suit us, since they do not serve either the results we seek or our well-being.

What then are the triggers?

Triggers are thus any stimulus that can affect our behaviour, regardless of the origin or form of the stimulus.

Triggers can be direct or indirect, external or internal, conscious or unconscious, anticipated or unexpected, encouraging or discouraging, productive or counterproductive.

Between impulse and behaviour we seek to develop self-awareness about how these stimuli impact us to make a more conscious choice of our behaviours, according to what best serves us in terms of our objectives and/or well-being.

As Victor E. Frankl tells us “when we are unable to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

In a coaching process, whether executive, professional or personal, the coach who works with these tools can support his client or coachee in the awareness process, to explicitly identify their main triggers and how these are impacting their behaviours.

Tasha Eurich in her research tells us that 95% of people consider themselves self-aware, but that the real number is 12% to 15%.

The coach helps raise awareness, facilitating the client’s understanding and learning through the use of different methodologies from their toolbox.

Marshall Goldsmith is one of the authors who works on the topic of triggers in his methodology for changing leaders’ behaviours and changing stakeholders’ perceptions of leaders’ behaviours. From its methodology, I highlight the classification of triggers into four quadrants, in which the axes are: “I want them and I don’t want them” and “I need them and I don’t need them.” The triggers that I want and need empower me, the ones I want and don’t need distract me, the ones I don’t want and need I have to look for, and the ones I don’t want or need I have to isolate.

Knowledge or self-awareness of our triggers is not enough to stop responding to them. We need support to make changes in our behaviours, even if I think they only affect me. Most of us need to have a structure, establish rules, implement a routine in a continuous process of change and adaptation of the behaviours that serve us most at all times. For example, to improve our physical fitness, it is not enough to know the stimuli that lead me in a different direction and to be aware of the need to do exercises. Strategies must be developed to establish a new routine, associate it with another activity, create a dedicated space in the weekly agenda, provide rewards in the process and recruit support from a friend or a coach.

Humility and courage support us in the process of self-awareness and commitment, discipline supports the implementation of actions, in achieving more constant changes in our behaviours.

In his process, the coach encourages his client to implement actions, evaluate the results of the actions, define and implement successful strategies, accompanying the client in his process of progress towards his objectives and his well-being. Coaching is thus a process of learning and growth, which facilitates the Client’s self-awareness and growth in the process of transforming knowledge and learning into actions, promoting the autonomy of the coachee in the process.

Fátima Ribeiro

The author is ACC (ICF Associated Certified Coach), Coach in professional development, leadership and teams processes and member of the Board of Directors of ICF Panama. The article was originally published in the ICF Panama Chapter column in the newspaper “La Estrella”.

Feet balancing on a rope, representing uncertainty

Coaching in times of uncertainty

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF), founded in 1995, is committed to advancing the coaching profession, which is why it has defined a model of key competencies with high ethical standards.

See the original article in this link.

 

Coaching in times of Uncertainty

To define the role and how Professional Coaching can support in times of uncertainty, instability and change, such as what COVID19 brings us, we need to keep in mind the definition of Coaching, according to the ICF – International Coaching Federation.

Coaching is a process of alliance with clients in which it is promoted through a reflective process. the stimulation of thought and creativity, seeking the maximization of personal and professional potential.

In the coaching process the focus is on the FUTURE, it is focused on developing SOLUTIONS for the future, with how questions. It supports the client in defining and focusing on their purpose, in building their vision, in evaluating current resources and those that need to be developed, in taking actions in accordance with their objectives.

We listen to what the Client is or is not saying, promoting support for the client’s self-expression; that evokes or awakens consciousness, facilitating the client’s understanding and learning through the use of tools and techniques such as powerful questions, silence, metaphor or analogy.

In the coaching process we recognise the emotions present at each moment without negative or positive connotations, we promote reflection on the areas or dimensions in which they are in the client’s control, jointly co-creating the state of mind that makes it possible to create solutions for the future.

Coaching is not Psychotherapy As mentioned in our article published in this column on March 1, 2020, in accordance with the ICF code of ethics, we refer clients to health professionals when we see warning indicators. We do not work in the space of panic, anxiety or depression, but we do work in the space of discomfort which is also a space of creativity and learning.

It is a process that can be carried out VIRTUALLY with effectiveness in results and well-being. Trust can be generated in the same way, and in some virtual processes the reflective process and communication can enhance the coachee’s learning.

Professional coaches work from SERVICE and CURIOSITY and are comfortable with Not KNOWING, which prepares them to support in situations of change and uncertainty. Discover more about the Coach Mentality in the article published in this column on March 15.

From the international and local ICF we work creating spaces for the development of the skills of our members, providing them with tools that allow them to be better Coaches in different contexts. We work locally with the support of an entire international structure to develop ourselves as professionals for the benefit of our clients.

The coaching process being a process of stimulating thought and creativity, from the vision of the desired future to the implementation of actions in the present that create solutions for that future, it can support, in this time of COVID19, among others:

  • People who need to develop new solutions for this changing, uncertain and ambiguous reality. We suggest reading in addition the article published in this column on February 20 “When to go to a certified personal coach?
  • Leaders who require support in dealing with ambiguity, making difficult decisions, communicating in this time of crisis, creating alliances with all stakeholders and cultivating a strategic leadership vision of today, tomorrow and the future.
  • Teams that require developing connections and relationships and evolving into high-performance teams.

The coaching process is not mentoring, it does not indicate what actions or decisions the client should take, it facilitates growth, to transform learning, knowledge and vision into action, promoting the client’s autonomy.

 

The author is ACC (ICF Associated Certified Coach), Coach in professional development, leadership and teams processes and member of the Board of Directors of ICF Panama.

Professionals sharing ideas during a work meeting

Key competencies in professional and ethical coaching

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF), founded in 1995, is committed to advancing the coaching profession, which is why it has defined a model of key competencies with high ethical standards.

See the full article here link.

A trainer talking with a group of professionals

What is Coaching?

This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column that we will have from the ICF Panama Chapter to spread what professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

Coaching is defined by the ICF International Coach Federation as a process of alliance with clients in which the stimulation of thinking and creativity is promoted, seeking to maximise personal and professional potential, “professional coaching is based on an association with clients in a process of reflective and creative support that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential”…

See the full article here link

 

 

Fátima Ribeiro with Marshall Goldsmith

A day with Marshall Goldsmith

On Friday, May 10, I traveled to San Diego, California, for a learning-filled Saturday with Marshall Goldsmith, author of several best sellers worldwide, considered the #1 Executive Coach in the world and among the top ten Business Thinkers in the last eight years.

The invitation to participate from a group of 22 excellent professionals from various countries came to me a few days before and I was filled with enthusiasm to have the opportunity to work directly with a person whom I deeply admire.

The programme, which included a workshop, skills training, and a reception at Marshall Goldsmith’s home, exceeded my expectations.

A co-creation of learning about the leadership of the future; he feedforward as a fundamental tool to implement behavioural changes, recognised by the people around us; best executive coaching practices and a special space dedicated to female leadership.

The atmosphere and energy were extraordinary, in harmony with learning and sharing experiences. A great generosity from Marshall Goldsmith, his team, his wife and all the participants.

The workshop was filmed and will be integrated into the documentary that is being produced about the work and legacy of Marshall Goldsmith, which will be available later in 2020.

Being a better person and a better professional is a constant learning process. In this growth process we can ask ourselves, daily or weekly:

Did I do my best in?

  • Have clear objectives
  • Work to achieve my goals
  • be happy
  • Finding meaning
  • Build positive relationships
  • Be fully committed

“Life is Good.”

a hug,

Fatima Ribeiro

 

See also my article on Future Leadership

Books on leadership and professional development, including How Women Rise

A family walking hand in hand beside the sea

International careers, the challenges of successful integration

In an increasingly global world, the best professional opportunities are often outside our comfort zone. Outside our country, possibly outside our continent, in languages that we do not always master and in different cultural contexts.

Changing countries and integrating into a different sociocultural reality brings many challenges, but also many opportunities for growth and development of our skills and competencies.

Challenges for the professional or executive, but also for his or her family and for the professional integration of his or her colleague, when he or she wishes to remain active in a professional context.

Many companies, mainly multinationals, have programmes that support the cultural and professional integration of the expatriate, but also that of their colleagues, with mentoring and coaching programmes.

These programmes are excellent and contribute to a faster and more successful integration for all family members.

They can have several contexts, here are the most common:

  • Cultural integration
  • Professional integration in an organisation
  • Development of an entrepreneurship project
  • Active volunteering

At the request of organisations or individuals, I have worked with expatriates or their colleagues so that their social and professional integration in Panama is successful and contributes positively to their personal and professional well-being and family well-being.

Change processes provide an excellent opportunity to reflect on our purpose, to connect with our essence and our deepest desires, to develop the visions we want for our life, in a “positive self and in action”. With these visions, possibilities are generated through a process of brainstorming that supports the creation of a personalised action plan.

It is a reflection integrated with the various dimensions of the human being, which frees the heart and mind in a creative and empowering process.

Integration or professional development programmes are adapted to the needs of each client, creating spaces to reflect on beliefs, personal brand, construction of support networks and opportunities for networking, which are integrated into a professional or career redesign.

The tools are integrated into the action plan according to the objectives, in a context analysis, with the incorporation of best practices in the creation and communication of value through CV, social networks, among others.

From session to session, clients integrate their learning, build successful strategies, recognise their achievements and become empowered by their objectives and visions.

As a Professional Coach I facilitate processes and use tools in accordance with the objectives of each client’s process and adapted to the objectives defined in each session.

My personal experience as a fellow expatriate, who grew up and integrated learning in a new country, as a wife and mother, as a professional in local organisations, as a member of trade associations and as an entrepreneur who develops her own business, supports establishing trust and creating together.

We are not defined by circumstances or challenges, we are defined by our responses and our actions, in a continuous learning process.

Fatima Ribeiro

 

If you identify yourself or if you consider that your organisation can develop coaching programmes to support the integration of expatriate collaborators and their colleagues, find my contacts here here.