Presence-Based Coaching: Cultivating Self-Generative Leaders Through Mind, Body, and Heart

The shift is from self-observation (in which we are observing a phenomenon, usually with hindsight) to realization (the recognition, in the moment, that this is the phenomenon). With realization come increased energy, expanded awareness, and simultaneous recognition that our habit is simply a phenomenon and we can choose whether to indulge it or do

We work with this in coaching so that commitment is more available “out there.” We can connect a future action (like Carly’s conversation with Gary) to both purpose and the felt somatic experience of mobilized energy. And we ask for a firm commitment. This mobilization of commitment is a type of reorganization.

This new perspective frames this as not just a difficult conversation that has to be navigated, but an opportunity to develop a competency that has real long-term pay-offs for her career and satisfaction.

Understanding the certainty of possibility provides a way to hold an optimistic stance.

directing a client’s attention into her own internal experience doesn’t lead her to predetermined answers already known to us. Rather it’s an inquiry driven by genuine curiosity, with unknown results.

Orienting to a larger context can invite more spaciousness into our inquiry.

A new behavior feels awkward, unfamiliar, sometimes even scary. It requires a reorganization of ourselves behaviorally, cognitively, and somatically.

In coaching, the story of how team members and clients became who they are is interesting but mostly extraneous. As coaches, our concern is that our clients learn to author their own stories. This begins with the competency of observing, at a moment-by-moment level, how they are shaped by their attachments and aversions.

Sitting is about noticing what is going on within you and increasing your ability to focus and hold your attention on something of your choosing. In this case, it’s the breath.