Author: Adam Reinhart
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Three Good Things
Positive psychology has become much more well-known recently and is the origins of this simple yet powerful exercise, “Three Good Things”. For context, positive psychology is a scientifically-based approach that enhances and applies strengths, rather than focusing on deficiencies, and this exercise is one of its most-studied and powerful. (Cox et al., 2018). The Three…
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The Reflected Best Self Exercise
The Reflected Best Self Exercise (RBSE) is another exercise I am fond of that is based in positive psychology, coming from the University of Michigan. It is something that can have an impact in the moment and be saved and revisited in the future. The RBSE is designed to show examples of times when someone…
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Captain Contract and his Crew – A Tool for Contracting
There are many frameworks and models to assist in all facets of coaching and consulting. One important area I’ve discussed in a recent blog post (linked here) is contracting. Below I will share a “job aid” I created to help with contracting, how it can be used in a coaching engagement, and the types of…
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Coaching vs. Consulting
When I started the 451 course 10 weeks ago, I thought coaching and consulting had similarities but were two separate entities. Now, I see that is not necessarily the case. Coaching, to me, is a mindset – it is a process that focuses on learning and ways to approach conversations, whether personal or professional. An…
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Ethics and Coaching
Doing the readings about ethical situations in coaching provided interesting insights but what really caught my attention was reading the wide-ranging ethical dilemmas my classmates have faced in their career. It struck me in how many different ways ethical dilemmas can rear their heads. It also forced me to think about my values and how…
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My Mental Models
I discussed in an early blog post about the importance of word choice, and when reflecting about the readings on mental models, it made me think how to apply these learnings to my coaching. Recognizing that my mental models will be different from whoever I’m coaching will enable me to discern opportunities to explore their…
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The Magic of Saying Nothing
During one of our coaching conversation sessions, we worked on using different techniques to allow the other person to speak more, including questions like “What else?” or “Tell me more”. The one I found the most interesting and challenging, though, was using silence. As paradoxical as it seems, keeping my mouth shut for what seemed…
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Word Choice Matters
During our 451 class intensive, we participated in a consulting case example where we worked on and led a real life situation brought in by an MSLOC alum. One key learning I gained from this experience was the importance of word choice. This is not only about being meticulous with our own words but recognizing…
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Resistance
As someone who works in Sales, resistance is hated, feared, but begrudgingly accepted. If instead of looking at it as a negative, it is regarded as an important and positive necessity, resistance can provide a lot of value. Thinking of resistance as feedback changes its dynamic. It becomes something to explore, understand, and work with.…
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Here and Now Humility
In Edgar Schein’s “Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling”, the concept of here and now humility is defined as: “quote quote quote” (pg. 12, Schien). I recently experienced its power in action. I’m leading a career development and training workshop for everyone in my role at my company. I organized a…
