The Human Resources (HR) department, specifically the HR professionals, is faced with many unique cases and circumstances. The COVID crisis has yet put them in a challenging situation which is the challenge of dealing with employees who are at the surge of struggling with mental health problems. If HR professionals do not have the skills required to deal with this subject, their initial response to the situation could be damaging. Therefore, HR professionals must be educated on the subject of handling the mental well-being of employees.
While the idea of mental well-being may seem complicated, the human resources departments can take simple steps to tackle the situation.
Here are some ideas which can help.
The first response of HR professionals of any organization should be to educate them and the employees of the meaning and benefits of a productive state of mental health. The stigma must be ended, which creates misrepresentations and misunderstandings. Once the taboo is broken, it becomes easier for people to ask for help. One in five Americans experiences mental health problems at least once in their lives. Because of the fear of being labelled by others or treatment costs and other reasons, only a quarter of them receives proper treatment. It is essential that HR teaches the workforce basics of mental health challenges and diminish the myths associated with it.
HR departments can best support their employees by providing valuable resources to them. Special training programs can train the management on how to best handle the situation once it becomes evident that someone in their team struggles with mental health. HR departments can also list the supported health care professionals to put the employees in the right direction.
It is essential to let the person struggling to know that s/he is being listened to. One of the best things is to let the person know that you are there to help even though you may not relate to their condition. Having someone to share thoughts with can prove extremely useful to people with struggling mental health. Furthermore, an open and supportive work environment must be created. Such an environment makes it easy to spot mental health problems as people are more expressive. Things can be handled before they take a terrible turn.
A more flexible approach to working conditions can significantly help people with mental health issues. Working from home and flexible hours can make more difference than most people think. A flexible approach to working means employees take fewer days off due to work-related stress and mental breakdowns.
Organizations are familiar with providing executive coaching, career coaching or mid-level managers performance coaching support. Organizations are using this time to bond with their employees and support them through Covid-19 stress by providing online life coaching and mindfulness sessions and group coaching sessions to help cope with stress and anxiety.
Well-being at work is the new talk of the town. Progressive organizations encourage positive well-being at work, such as benefits and incentives to reduce employee stress levels and manage their anxiety. Improving well-being at work is a preventive measure for mental health.
All employees are prone to having mental health problems, especially during crisis time; it's common in all organizations. Every business comes with a responsibility to support its staff. Small steps in the right direction can help reduce stress among employees. It is impossible to help everyone, but HR professionals can put things in place. Creating a positive and open environment where employees can seek help can make all the difference.
If you are a mental health professional or an HR professional and want to learn how to best support people by coaching them, please contact us at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com.
The COVID-19 crisis has taken the world by the storm. Conventional ways of working of individuals and teams don’t work as effectively anymore. However, considering the challenges many organizations have very quickly and successfully adapted to remote working with little time to prepare.
The lockdowns changes everything. Many people travelled to their home towns in remote locations, preferring to be close to their friends and family during these times. Many of them were very new to this arrangement of working from home for an extended period of time.
Remote working is not going anywhere anytime soon. The flexibility that the remote working offers is set to impact future career and lifestyle changes.
However, to maintain the synergy as a team during and after the crisis is critical to the organization’s success. The shift to remote working requires that employees stay connected, collaborative and interactive while being in remote teams.
Even after the pandemic has subsided many employees will continue remote working. Based on a study three quarters of financial executives plan to shift at least some of their employees to fill time remote work after the crisis has ended.
With the slightest of the disconnect in communication leading to disengagement, it is important to stay connected virtually and hence there is a strong need for robust leadership during these times to keep everyone together. Tough times call for effective leadership and this blog we will talk about a few ways of effective leadership during remote work.
Based on research the following methods are found to work for better leadership during remote working.
1. Maintain continuous and effective communication:
When employees are away from their office, working from home it is easy to feel disconnected from the organization. A good leader must implement frequent, clear, dialogue-based communication. These are basic communication skills however they are very crucial when the workforce is scattered. Some examples of such communication could be:
2. Provide resources and care for physical and mental health:
It is not surprising that based on a research, employees appreciated company-sponsored COVID-19 tests and masks. But what is surprising is that twice the number of employees appreciated steps taken by the company/leader to foster mental wellness and support them during the times of social isolation. Some examples of these steps are:
3. Making sure remote employees stay engaged and useful:
Remote work can increase productivity when employees are working on stand-alone tasks and when they don’t require help of others however when employees are needed to collaborate with other teams, working from home can have a negative impact. Some important steps to avoid this negative impact is:
4. Creating boundaries between work-life balance:
Working remotely may blur boundaries between work-life balance. On one hand it reduces the need for transportation and allows people to spend time with their family, on the other hand employees may have to spend extra time on tasks and building work. A study found remote workers logged on 2-3 more hours per day than usual. Especially when schools are closed and dare care facilities are in lock down it becomes even harder to maintain work and professional life. Some of the best ways to help employees manage work-life balance are below:
5. Don’t lose track of strategic goals:
Common strategic goals include, new products and designs, encouraging innovation, efficient operations, digital transformation and so on. Its understandable that a global crisis can distract leaders however this is a mistake not to be made. Shifting to remote working creates new challenges in achieving strategic goals for example gaining market share is not easy when the market itself is collapsing. Leaders must keep in mind to build a budding corporate culture during working from home.
Working from home has also provided different opportunities to progress on strategic goals. According to a study employees appreciated remote learning opportunities provided to them as most useful to build exceptional skills during lockdown. Shift in working from home provides an opportunity to organization to rethink and revaluate existing business processes to boost efficiency and effectiveness.
Remote work is increasingly becoming the new way of working. It brings new opportunities and challenges. Organizations around the world are experimenting with novel management practices to manage the transition to a more distributed workforce. We are still in the early days, and it’s not yet clear which of these approaches will endure. Leaders cannot afford to wait for long— they need to act now to help their employees and organizations shift to remote work. We hope that our blog will help leaders as they navigate into an uncertain future.
If you are a manager or leader looking to become a coach please visit our program schedule to enroll in one of our upcoming programs.
Are you interested in becoming a coach? Have you always asked yourself how do coaches make money? There are tonnes of resources out there teaching you how to start your online coaching business, but how many of them actually talk about the mistakes that you should avoid making when starting your online coaching business?
So, that's what we're doing today -- let's look at some of the top 5 mistakes you should avoid when starting your online coaching business. This list was curated by our team of coaches that have been in the industry for over 10 years, let our mistakes be your lessons.
Just because your business is now online, doesn't mean that it's not going to take off immediately and everyone is going to be able to see it. Being able to put together a website doesn't just take time and effort from a technical standpoint but you also need to know a few things before jumping in:
All these questions need answers and if you don't have them -- you have an unfinished product. This is why I strongly suggest you take the time to truly understand what it is you are trying to sell as a coach and grow from there. Understand that work is going to be needed and a lot of it is going to be extremely hard work. But, as a coach myself, I can very easily say that it's extremely fulfilling.
Yes, you can become a coach without getting certified but ICF has done multiple surveys and over 70% of people prefer to be coached by someone who is certified. Certification gets you much further because people trust you more now. They know that you were willing to put in the effort and the time to become a certified coach.
They also know that it isn't cheap to become a coach. This just shows potential clients your dedication and they will be able to trust you a lot more.
At the end of the day, knowing what your product is and how you are going to sell your coaching skills is one part of the equation. The other part is sometimes people make the mistake of spending too much money setting all of that up. You don't need an amazing website with 5 funnels and 20 drip emails.
All you need is a simple website that showcases yourself, your story, the types of coaching sessions available, and your contact details. There's no need to go crazy at the start.
Starting a business cost money, there is no way around it. But, we would also suggest always have a set budget that you are willing to spend to ensure that you know what your limits are. Sometimes people spend way too much money on something that they don't need and then they realize that they could have spent that money doing something completely different instead.
Running a business isn't easy -- especially when it's something new like coaching. A lot of people are learning from scratch when it comes to the world of coaching. And sometimes they trust the wrong people and with that causes a lot of issues. Because bad advice can cause you to stray from what is truly important. So, always focus on finding the right mentors for you as well.
There you have it! Our top 5 mistakes that you should avoid when starting your own coaching business. If you are looking to get certified, please check out our program page to learn more about our next intakes. We can't wait to see you.
New Year's Resolutions is something that everyone gets on when the new year comes around. People are ready to end the year and look forward to the new year. With each new year comes a promise of growth, change, and new experiences.
It's no surprise why New Year's Resolutions are a thing that a lot of people get into during the new year. It gives people a sense of rebirth and that now they have this new chapter to replace the old one that probably did not go so well.
This annual ritual cultivates hope for what there is to come and what we want to create. It gives us a sense of optimism and control over our life. However, a lot of these resolutions don't get executed in the end.
Whatever your resolutions are, they are on your list because they are important to you.
Research tells us that only 70% of change initiatives are successful. The majority of change management initiatives are not accomplished because most people are not aware that our brain does not like change and it is not good at managing it. Our brain is actually designed to resist change and it perceives change as a source of threat to our survival.
FLOW Coaches are trained with certain coaching skills to impart effective change management and they learn a special coaching formula to support their clients in managing successful and meaningful change in their personal and professional lives.
This formula is called the Four Steps Coaching Formula of Change Management.
Applying the steps of this formula helps our brain to shift its focus from perceiving it as a threat to understanding it as an improvement or opportunity that comes with change. Therefore, the brain can be trained to cooperate with us instead of resisting change.
Here is our Four Steps Coaching Formula to Change Management that will help you accomplish your New Year’s resolutions. Each step requires you to ask yourself powerful coaching questions and answer them with special attention.
The first step of the formula is to start describing what makes you unhappy or uncomfortable. Our survival brain tries to move away from pain or discomfort. By acknowledging our pain points, we are helping our brain take the first step in controlling the negativity and thus, its consequences.
The second step is to ask yourself what do you want to cultivate. If you were able to move away from what gives you pain or discomfort, what would you like to create instead? When you describe your vision, think about it in terms of being, having, and doing so that it is sustainable for you.
Who would you like to become in your vision?
What skills, resources, knowledge, and experiences do you want to gain? What would you like to do about it? When you are answering these questions, clearly visualize your answers. This will help your brain build the connections between your lower systems and upper cortex.
This third step of the change formula is about describing the steps you need to take towards making the change real in your daily life. What are some action steps that you can take every day? As we always keep repeating at FLOW, “While praying move your feet.” What will your first step be?
Step 4: Be resilient
The last step is about taking ownership and accountability for your process. This requires you to build resiliency and tenacity in making change, including appreciating every win and being patient with the process. Don’t wait until the end to acknowledge achievement, but rather appreciate the small steps and wins along the way.
If you apply these four steps together, your brain will cooperate with you in managing the change, and you will overcome your inner resistance to change.
Imagine… while you practise these steps, at the end of the next year, you will look back and remember today as the first day of new habits… new beginnings… and positive change.
It's been over 12 days since the Biden-Harris team took over the Oval Office. One word specifically stayed with me from President Biden’s inauguration speech. He said America is a country of possibilities. I am impressed by this subtle message - almost sending his citizens a subconscious signal to relax as what loads our brain stress is having a sense of being stuck. What relaxes our brain is knowing that we have choices… having possibilities.
Thinking about possibilities is a function of our creative brain. The part of our brain that is responsible for imagination, visualization, and scenario creation.
There are people that are born with a specific temperament inclined towards possibility thinking. For others, it is a function either learned or not. So many people are unable to generate possibilities and therefore feel stuck and stressed. The stress response that our brain gives to certain stimuli is more of a survival response - which means that our brain produces stress to protect us from threats so that we survive.
The dilemma is that chronic activation of stress response produces further stress and causes illness. Illnesses such as headaches, migraines, stomach or digestive problems or some mental health challenges such as anxiety, burnout, depression.
The good news is that possibility thinking is a way to combat unnecessary stress responses and it can be learned. How?
First of all, you need to learn to relax your brain. Guided meditation, making art, walking in nature, exercise and visualization are some methods that are scientifically proven to work for reducing stress and relaxing our physiology. Once you get to relax a bit, you can start to teach your brain to learn possibility thinking by asking these simple series of questions:
These questions help us to tap into the unconscious system of our creative brain. If you add visualization to these questions and repeat them for at least a month, then you will start to experience a shift in your habitual mind.
You will notice that your brain starts to generate possibilities more than before.
You will notice that your brain is not as wired as before about problem orientation.
You will experience less stress, more relaxation.
Regardless of what has happened, stress is a huge factor in a lot of issues in all of us today. This is why I truly believe that meditation and taking some time for yourself is extremely important especially during stressful times like the past few months.
Do you meditate? If not meditation, what do you do to relax? I would love to know more!
Having a Growth Mindset helps the person to become successful. This growth mindset allows the client to focus on the growth of themselves rather than what might hold them back. They will choose to see the ways to grow and evolve rather than to sit still and wait for things to change.
The coach is responsible to help the person to wire her/his brain to have a growth mindset vs fixed mindset. A growth mindset has future orientation and helps the person to focus on progress. For that, one needs to set a meaningful vision and strategies to help to succeed that vision.
The most fundamental outcome of the Flow Coaching process is the client's establishment of short-term and long-term visions. In order for the person to accomplish this vision, the coach aids the person in setting efficient and meaningful goals. Another important outcome of the coaching process is the person's increased focus on the goals. With the help of the FLOW Coach, the person can better focus on accomplishing their vision.
The very basic elements of the FLOW Coaching Process that help to build Growth Mindset:
The coach encourages the client to discover and express what he/she wants at the end of the coaching process. Sometimes, the time period of accomplishing the vision may inherently be longer than the coaching process and it is especially important to clarify this when setting the success criteria.
In each meeting, on the path to the vision that the client might have, the coach encourages the client to define his/her goals of the meeting. This could be done with a very simple question like "according to you, what is the best outcome of this meeting?".
If the person is not sufficiently clear, a sequence of questions may also be used. The goal of the meeting is also referred to as the contract of the meeting. The clarification of the contract has critical importance in order for the process of the meeting to be focused.
In accordance with the established vision and goals, the coach supports the person in planning in the most efficient way, as well as creating alternatives and solutions.
As part of the plan, it is also important that implementation is successful. While applying this, the coach supports the person in focusing on inner motivation and commitment to the process, against the challenges the person may face and unexpected situations.
The coach's job is to ensure that the person uses his/her creativity in order to develop alternative solution scenarios.
In order to ensure development, you need to make a move. Like the Zen master says: the principle "Take a step while praying” is meaningful. Hence, in order for our intentions to be reciprocated in our lives, we define action steps at the end of each meeting.
Since FLOW coaching is a growth model, it is important that growth is spread throughout the process in order for it to be realized. The coach should bring up this topic and ensure that the client thinks about his/her commitment and sustainability to the goals of the process that he/she has defined.
If you are looking to grow as a coach yourself, we would be happy to be part of that journey with you. Click here to check out our latest intakes for you to become a fully certified ICF Coach at extremely competitive prices. We can't wait to see you.
FLOW Coaching Methodology and Curriculum has its foundation focused majorly on the science of Positive Psychology and the FLOW model. This includes solution-focused psychology and brain science alongside creative therapies such as Expressive Arts Therapy. With most of our focuses rooted in science, we take our curriculums very seriously as we believe that when coaching - you need to coach the whole person, and the best way to do that is to fully understand how the person works.
Positive Psychology is a framework for understanding happiness in everyday life. The history of Positive Psychology has its roots tracing back to the early 1900s, in an address to the American Psychological Association where William James challenged his peers to question why some people live fully engaged lives and others don’t.
However, it wasn’t until 1998 that Positive Psychology became an actual scientific area of study. Now considered the founding father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman clearly drew a line between the disease model of early psychologists and the positive model we understand today. For years, traditional psychology had further studied the human psyche and classified groups of behaviors and attitudes into illnesses, diseases, or disorders.
Unlike traditional psychology, Positive Psychology shifted the focus to “what works” “what can work better” instead of “what goes wrong” or “what’s broken.” Christopher Peterson, a co-author with Seligman and professor at the University of Michigan, defined three pillars of Positive Psychology as
I also created a video that is related to these 3 main pillars and why we chose it to be part of our curriculum. As coaches, I believe that our purpose is to become change-makers for the people around us. We have the responsibility to bring about change and also to aid people in their journey through change.
Watch the video here:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E07DguRmU8U[/embed]
There is a lot of fear and resistance surrounding change but as coaches, we know that true growth only happens when change is welcomed. The 3 pillars of positive psychology help not just our clients but also us to be content with our past, be happy with the present, and to also be optimistic for the future.
Through FLOW Coaching Certification programs, our students gain a thorough understanding to build a practice to coach through these three pillars. A Flow Coach helps their clients to perceive their past as a resource to learn from while co-creating their desired future with grounded optimism where the flow is abundant in many aspects of their lives mentally, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, culturally, and lastly spiritually.
In December 2020, we reached the one-year mark of Covid-19, and the whirlwind it took us all on does not look like it is going to stop anytime soon. In a time where schools, malls, and airports have shut down, it also came with a lot of changes in the world. Everyone was forced indoors, we had to learn how to work from home, how to connect via screens, and to also share love and laughter through technology.
Pandemic fatigue classified as the "demotivation to follow recommended protective behaviors, emerging gradually over time and affected by a number of emotions, experiences and perceptions" by the WHO is an issue that is plaguing all of us. After more than a year of lockdowns and the "new normal", a lot of people have been saying that they are just done with what's happening and have gotten to a point where they feel like they do not see the end in sight.
Pandemic burnout or fatigue is painful and it has been a huge problem for a lot of people. For the first time, the entire world is experiencing the same issues. Hopefully, it has made us all more empathetic but it does seem like it is starting to take its toll on a massive amount of us.
During this pandemic burnout these things are extremely common:
Some of the symptoms of pandemic burnout or fatigue that you might face are:
There is nothing wrong with feeling these emotions, but if it goes on for too long and you feel like there is no way out - you might want to start trying some coaching methodologies that I have come across. After being a professional coach for more than a decade, I have realized that a lot of the Flow Coaching Institutes’ coaching methodologies can be transformed to fit these current issues happening across the globe.
If you believe that you have reached a place in your life where none of these methods help you, you might benefit from getting professional support in the form of a coach or a mentor.
The world is a very different place today and it does get overwhelming sometimes. This is why here at Flow Coaching Institute, we have made it our mission to help people through these trying times.
Let us know how we can help. We want to help. As the agents of change in the world, I believe that coaches hold a very special and important role during this time. I take this responsibility very seriously and I would love to know if there is anything I can do for you now.
If you need anything, please reach out to one of our certified Flow Coaching Institute coaches. You can email us at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com or fill in one of our forms on the website.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
One of the first few things you think about when you decide to become a coach is that you are now facing the question of "do you really need to be certified to become a coach?" If the answer is yes, then, what kind of certifications do you need?
There has been some misunderstanding and miscommunication that surround the statement, “You don’t need a certificate to become a coach”
This is one of the worst pieces of advice anyone can give to a potential coach who wants to be successful. Becoming a coach means you are going to be in a position of power over someone else's life. They have trusted you to guide them and walk alongside them throughout certain aspects of their lives.
If you do not want to take the time and effort to get certified, it might seem that you aren't as serious about it. Certifications allow you to be a fully informed and responsible coach in the long run.
Research suggests professional coaches who obtained certification and training and likely to be more successful and less likely to drop out of the profession.
This is because you have already put in the hours and the money that was required to become a personal coach. This shows dedication and seriousness to stay in the profession.
The number one pressing issue facing the coaching industry is the non-certified coaches calling themselves coaches. Certification helps you stand out from the non-coaches who are not certified or trained as coaches. Such individuals, because of lack of training can indirectly harm clients.
With a certification, it makes you a lot more desirable to potential clients as now the level of trust is heightened due to your certifications.
A survey by ICF suggests 84% of coaching clients find coaching credentials as “important” or “very important” to them. Not only that but professional coaches themselves agree that they feel more competitive after certification and likely to sign up more paying clients.
This also increases your own self-confidence in the long run as you feel that you are more seasoned and have a much bigger authority when it comes to being a coach.
Right now it's not a necessity to have a certification to legally practice coaching but who knows it can change any day. If you are certified, you will save your back when it becomes a requirement to be certified to practice legally.
Due to the intensive training process along with the oral and written examinations, you will learn how to become a better coach. It's not only about credentials but also the knowledge and learning that you will gain.
If you are interested in following and leading the industry’s best practices it comes with a coach certification. You don’t need to be following just minimum standards but want to shine in the work you are doing.
If you want to get your ICF accredited coaching certification get in touch with us at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com.
Or you could head over to our program page to check for our next intakes! We can't wait to see you in class soon.
Leadership coaching is the choice for the management model of nearly half of North American Fortune 1000 corporations and the number is growing. Executives today are faced with ever-increasing leadership issues as businesses go through global change.
The problems they face are unique to the 21st century such as a shift in an aging workforce, shareholder’s demands, demographics of personnel with a new set of attitudes and values.
All together these issues create a whirlpool that leaders must negotiate and go through on a day-to-day basis. A combination of difficult expectations keeps executives on their toes. Today, more than ever, executives need coaching.
Technological advances that gave rise to productivity increases are one of the attributes for the increase in popularity of leadership coaching. Gradually this shift has created gaps between corporations and their executives which is moving them to develop innovative ways to work together.
Currently, most organizations supplement their leadership training programs with situational coaching testing the approach. Leadership training supported by situational coaching primarily assists leaders to design a high-level capacity for visionary thinking, as well as the “soft skills” skill-sets to organize strong relationships with their direct reports and working teams.
Coaching skills allow us to approach daily life with balance and mindfulness. Leaders go for Positive Psychology coaching to enhance their own creativity as well as the team. Solution-focused managerial coaching results in significant productivity increases as it provides simple yet powerful systemic tools in a well-structured way.
Its effectiveness is paramount as it puts the abilities in the hands of individual leaders and teams to design their own coaching results. Employees take control of best practices at all levels of the organization. They acquire leadership development tools and team effectiveness tools. All these approaches are designed to empower communication between executives and the corporation.
Best results take place when coaching programs are systemic starting from the top leadership. Great results are achieved when coaching teams are cohesive following a strategy. It's an inspiring thing to see real performance change in executives’ own bosses. People on multiple levels are inspired at once!
Corporate coaching leaders need to know them inside and out of the business to follow an integrated coaching model developed for creating positive culture change. The Positive Psychology approach can be most effective as they combine training in “flow states”, accelerated learning tools, and skill-sets to develop emotional intelligence.
ICF Core Competencies include “powerful questioning” and “direct communication”. ICF Certified Coaches are experts at system thinking and catalyze initiatives by understanding the organization's whole cultural system by asking questions at multiple levels and soliciting different points of view.
Skill-based coach training is crucial for managerial effectiveness in these changing times. It enhances emotional intelligence and effective communication which also releases potential, hidden creativity, and innovation. All of these boost motivation to rise. This results in increased productivity and profits for organizations that take the leap to coach.
FLOW Coaching focuses on the Positive Psychology approach to coaching. If you would like to enroll in one of our coaching programs send an email to info@flowcoachinginstitue.com.
Or you can also check out our program page to see what are the next intakes we have. We can't wait to see you there!