Bryan Zandi – MBA
Master’s in leadership (OBLD 641)
Resonant Leadership: Leading Change
Oct. 2022
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)
Introduction
What is Coaching with Compassion?
Everyone needs a coach. Regardless of occupation, every person experiences a certain level of stress and anxiety that can adversely affect their performance. The pressure could result from home, work, or school tasks. Humans are leaders at different scales. One could lead a classroom full of students, one could lead a sports team, and another could lead an organization. Nonetheless, they all are leaders who are often under pressure to perform everyday work. Like athletes who need to be coached to alleviate stress and boost performance, coaching is the most helpful method to ensure that leaders perform effectively.
Coaching's primary objective is to assist coachees by increasing their awareness and knowledge, which results in positive behavioral change. Change must be intentional and based on internal motivation to last longer. Changes imposed by outside factors often diminish and lack longevity. Showing understanding and empathy is essential to create positive and permanent behavioral change in a person by coaching. This is where coaching with compassion becomes handy. Coaching with compassion concentrates on supporting the coachee to identify or establish - pragmatic - objectives that drive this internal motivation. Coaching with compassion commences with a coachee's articulation of their ideal self (Boyazits, 2006) or visioning. Examining the ideal self and visioning the objectives the coachee wills accomplish connects their psychological and emotional being, which Boyazits calls the "Positive Emotional Attractor (PEA)" or "Negative Emotional Attractor (NEA)."
Positive Emotional Attractor is essential for coaching with compassion and establishes intentional, long-lasting behavioral change.
Although both PEA and NEA are necessary for behavioral development, what makes them distinct is the quantity and quality of the application. In order to make an enduring change positive emotional attractor must dominate. Besides emphasizing the ideal self and visioning, coaching with compassion consolidates the change by utilizing its core value, resonant leadership. Coaching with compassion often encourages coachees to build resonant relationships with others and create a social identity group that will support them through their development and change process.
Coaching with Compassion Interview
When I resigned from my management job to become a flight instructor, I never thought coaching could be significantly important in teaching and instruction. I soon realized that we (flight instructors) are primarily coaches and then instructors. Learning to fly is time-consuming and requires high motivation and perseverance throughout the lengthy process. Instructors are to keep flight students motivated and focused at all times to propel them toward achieving their goal of becoming a pilot. I work with a wide range of individuals regarding age scopes and academic backgrounds. For this assignment, I selected my youngest student, a 19-year-old man, whom I will call JD in this paper. The reason for choosing this individual is that we had a coaching session a few weeks ago that quite fits this assignment.
JD suffered from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in his early teen years. Even though he was medically treated for his condition, he still exhibited attention deficit to some extent when he started his flight training a few months ago. According to JD, his uncle bought him a sightseeing flight ticket for his 12th birthday, and ever since, he developed a desire to become a pilot. After graduating from high school, he attended an accelerated aircraft mechanic course, passed the FAA test, and obtained his airman certificate as an Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT). When I met JD, he said he had previously flown with another Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). He seemed distraught during our conversation about his flying experience and aviation background. I dug to know him more and discover his personality and interests. Then I uncovered that despite his great enthusiasm and interest in aviation, he wanted to halt the training and “forget about becoming a pilot.” JD was distracted easily, rarely made eye contact, and played with things like pens, his phone, or his watch during conversations due to his ADHD. Apparently, the previous CFI had not noticed his condition and concluded that he was not a good fit for aviation. His comment had upset JD and made him think he would never become a pilot.
When I learned about the situation attempted to undo the damage and increase his self-confidence through a coaching session. JD and I had a two-hour sitting during which I asked the following questions.
· What is your aviation background, and what makes you interested in aviation?
· What are your strengths and weaknesses?
· How can these strengths and weaknesses affect your efforts in becoming a pilot?
· Student pilots need to motivate themselves and have the self-esteem to propel themselves through the training process. How well can you perform this task?
· What is the most challenging subject in flight training?
· What will you accomplish in the first three months of the flight training?
· What will you accomplish at the end of the first year of flight training?
· Where do you see yourself in three years?
· What makes you an ideal candidate for this training program?
The question about JD's strengths and weaknesses, and his reasons to pursue a career in aviation (as a pilot) helped me control the circumstances. JD stated that he was aware of his disability of attention; however, he could quickly learn and retain what was taught once he overcame the distraction. Therefore, I implemented a technique of calling for his watch every few minutes, and every time I noticed he was preoccupied both in the sky and the class during the ground sessions. During our coaching session, I told JD that no one but himself could determine whether he could become a pilot and that he needed to develop the change from within (Intentional Change).
After a few flights, I saw a transformation in JD's behavior; he was more attentive and responsive. Besides, he started to perform better and executed maneuvers to the standards. I continued to give him positive feedback and encouraged him constantly. I ensured he understood that achieving his goal was upon high morale and adequate preparation. I emphasized that having short- and long-term goals could motivate him and was vital to accomplish his objective.
After a few flights, we had another meeting and conversation about his progress. I considered that a re-evaluation session. I could see that JD was once again motivated. He came to the flight school prepared, boosted emotions, and was eager to fly and learn more. He no longer used negative words and did not show signs of dismay or disappointment. I asked him to continuously picture himself in the white pilot uniform to improve his vision. Helping JD to regain his self-esteem, envisioning his ideal self, and having a vision was the tipping point of our interaction.
The results I have gained so far are positive and promising, and based on this, I expect JD to obtain his Private Pilot License (PPL) in a few months. The coaching sessions I had with this young inexperienced individual not only helped him to recover from hopelessness and get on the right track, also increased my eagerness to be a more helpful and resonant person.
References
Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Harvard Business Press.
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