Jump to section
Empowering coaching goes beyond equipping clients with skills. It is about facilitating self-awareness and the ability to achieve lasting change, even beyond the coaching relationship. Traditional coaching approaches often focus solely on the individual, neglecting the broader context that influences a client’s goals. This can leave clients feeling stuck, as their desired outcomes are rarely achieved in a vacuum. Their support system, colleagues, and life circumstances all play a role. Systemic coaching bridges this gap by acknowledging these external influences. By taking a broader perspective with a systemic coaching approach, coaches can empower clients to create sustainable change that ripples outwards, impacting not just themselves but also those around them.
The Limitations of Traditional Coaching
Many coaching competencies focus on the individual’s thought patterns, behaviors, and skill development. While valuable, this approach can be limiting. Let’s consider a common scenario: A client seeks a promotion. Traditional coaching might focus on strategies to improve the client’s communication with their superior or develop persuasive presentation skills. However, this approach overlooks the potential impact of the promotion on the client’s work-life balance, relationships with colleagues, or even their family dynamics. It fails to consider the broader ecosystem that the client operates within.
The Power of Systemic Coaching
Systemic coaching acknowledges these external influences. By taking a broader perspective, coaches can empower clients to create sustainable change with a ripple effect. Here are some key strategies that differentiate systemic coaching from the traditional approach:
- Exploring the Systemic Impact of Goals: Instead of solely focusing on “how” to achieve a goal, explore its impact on the client’s loved ones, colleagues, and overall well-being. For example, a client seeking a promotion might consider how it would affect their work schedule, ability to attend their child’s soccer games or their dynamic with a competitive colleague. This expands the conversation beyond immediate desires and fosters a more holistic view.
- Considering Unfulfilled Desires: Many coaches don’t delve into the potential downsides of not achieving a goal. By asking “What happens if you don’t achieve this?” the coach can uncover hidden anxieties or alternative paths the client might not have considered. This empowers the client to feel prepared for any outcome and explore potential “silver linings” if the desired outcome isn’t achieved.
- Moving Beyond Fixation: Sometimes clients become fixated on a single goal, neglecting other areas of their life. Questions like “What wouldn’t change if you achieved this” or “What wouldn’t change if you didn’t” can help clients see the bigger picture and identify other sources of fulfillment. This allows them to explore alternative paths or cultivate a sense of contentment regardless of the outcome of their initial goal.
- Introducing the “Systemic Constellation”: This technique visually represents the various elements within a client’s system (e.g., family, work team, industry) and their interconnectedness. By creating a visual map, the coach and client can explore potential conflicts, power dynamics, and how changes in one area might impact others.
Sample Systemic Coaching Questions:
These questions can be used by coaches to guide clients towards self-discovery and explore the broader context of their goals:
- What will happen to you and your loved ones when you achieve your desired outcome?
- What will happen to you and your loved ones if you don’t achieve your desired outcome?
- What aspects of your life wouldn’t change even if you achieved your goal?
- What aspects of your life wouldn’t change even if you didn’t achieve your goal?
- How might achieving (or not achieving) this goal impact your colleagues, your manager, or your team dynamic?
- How might this goal affect your broader industry or community?
The Transformative Power of Self-Reflection
By asking these questions, coaches can guide clients towards self-discovery. Often, clients will arrive at the last two questions on their own after exploring the first two. This process of self-reflection can be a catalyst for personal growth and a deeper understanding of one’s values, motivations, and the impact they have on their environment.
Empowering Yourself Through Self-Coaching
The power of systemic coaching isn’t limited to coaching sessions. Individuals can also use these questions for self-coaching. When feeling stuck or disempowered by unfulfilled desires, consider how your desires might impact those around you and the broader context of your life. This process can reveal underlying emotions like envy or fear of missing out, or ignite a journey of self-discovery that leads you to explore your life’s purpose and meaning.
Uncover Your Why: Self-Coaching with Systemic Questions
When driven by unfulfilled desires, use these questions to guide your own self- discovery. Often, exploring them reveals underlying emotions like envy, a sense of invalidation, or fear of missing out (FOMO). In roughly 80% of cases, this self- reflection can bring clarity about these emotions. The remaining 20% holds the potential for a deeper journey of self-discovery, leading you to explore the meaning and purpose behind your work and life. This introspective path can be akin to a hero’s journey, a quest for understanding and fulfillment.
Want to explore a coaching approach that considers the bigger picture?
Explore Coacharya’s coach-training programs and leadership development programs for companies. Learn how to implement our SPEED model and integrate systemic coaching principles into your practice.
Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash
