Differentiating Between Conventional and Experiential Learning

Conventional teaching and training methodologies are based primarily on

knowledge/skills transfer, whereby an instructor delivers information and a
student receives it. This approach does not address a students unique growth and
learning potential particularly well. In contrast, experiential learning does
address individual growth and is said to be learner-centered. A student (learner)
chooses and uses specific kinds of experiential learning for the purpose of achiev-
ing his unique personal development and growth. In other words, the learning is
orchestrated from inside the student rather than from an outsider. This kind of
learning is adapted to a learners distinct style, preferences, strengths, values, and
goals. Students are encouraged to learn and develop in their own ways, using
methods that they find most comfortable and, therefore, enjoyable. In Chapters 9
and 10, we present an assessment called Emergenetics, a model that identifies
four different thinking styles linked to genetics and environment.
Implementing Active Coaching and Learning Systems
Noted science fiction writer Frank Herbert in his 1976 book, Children of
Dune, describes the essence of adult learning theory in this way: One learns
from books . . . only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that
you do those things. With the understanding that adults learn most deeply from
practical experience and reflection, you can partner with a team member to
define learning goals, offer relevant study resources, and construct learning
experiments to facilitate her experiential learning. You can draw on a team
members experience and ask questions such as
What do you want to know today that you dont know now?
What do you know from past experience that could help you tackle
this project?
What committee assignment provides you with the most stretch?
Where else can you apply this learning?
A coach makes suggestions and creates conditions for a team member to
reflect on new learning. You can introduce a learning journal to encourage regular
reflection practice. Journaling is a common practice drawn from adult learning
theory that we use and suggest to our clients.
22 THE NURSE EXECUTIVES COACHING MANUAL
Management consultant Wolf Rinke captures the link between adult learning
principles and coaching in his article How to Manage Like a Coach, Not a Cop.
He says, Coaching is a system that grows people by enabling them to learn
through guided discovery and hands-on experience.
Humanistic Person-Centered Thought
The humanistic person-centered school of thought in the 1950s and 1960s
was led by such inspiring thinkers as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. The
practices of this movement came from the belief that a persons self-esteem, emo-
tional needs, and values were the essential factors of why people do what they
do and are willing or unwilling to change behavior. Maslows hierarchy of needs
and the goal of achieving potential (labeled self-actualization) ushered in a dif-
ferent therapeutic approach to use when helping a person change. The focus
became one of listening, expressing empathy, and drawing out ideas and aspira-
tions. With this process, a client would discover solutions and identify plans for
change. David Rock writes in his 2006 book, Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to
Transforming Performance at Work, that therapists and trainers during this time
focused on empathy and left behind the carrot and stick approach, a carryover
from behaviorism and the conditioned response theory. They listened to peoples
problems, attempted to understand people on their own terms, and allowed a
holistic solution to emerge.
People Change in Relationship
In his 1961 On Becoming a Person: A Therapists View of Psychotherapy,
Carl Rogers focused on the importance of the relationship between a psychother-
apist and a client. He stressed it as the primary source for interpersonal change
and growth. Rogers advised therapists that unconditional positive regard,
empathy, and authenticity were their key elements in developing rapport and
building a trusting relationship. This advice lives on today as humanists remain
convinced that deep involvement and engagement with a client facilitates
growth.
Regardless of the aims of a coaching relationship, from executive and
business coaching to personal and life coaching, these Rogerian elements are
CHAPTER 2 FOUNDATIONS FOR THE PRACTICE OF COACHING 23
universally espoused when people describe a coaching relationship. The relation-
ship sets the stage for coaching conversations. When a coach interacts genuinely
with empathy and warmly accepts the person he is coaching, it sets the relation-
ship for truly meaningful coaching conversations.
DISTINGUISHING COACHING FROM PSYCHOTHERAPY
We would like to expand a bit more on the distinction we made in Chapter 1 between psy-
chotherapy and coaching. Although we can trace the roots of coaching to the psychother-
apy literature, a coach and a person being coached need to be clear how they differ. When
asked to make this distinction, coaches often say something like
Coaching is focused on the future, and therapy is about the past.
Coaching is not about fixing people; therapy is.
The 2006 Evidence Based Coaching Handbook, edited by Dianne R. Stober and Anthony
M. Grant, provides an excellent distinction between these two helping activities. That
work clarifies differences in the goal, focus, and purpose of awareness of coaching and
psychotherapy.
Therapy is aimed at helping clients gain a more functional life, whereas coaching is
aimed at helping people create a more full life.
Humanistic therapy focuses on working with a clients feelings, and coaching focuses
more on specific actions a person can take to meet desired outcomes. Although having
an increased awareness of ones experience is important to both processes, in therapy,
awareness is seen as an end in itself and the path to behavioral change and healing. A
coach sees increasing a persons awareness as the first step to successful action. Let it
be noted that awareness alone does not lead to desired outcomes.
People Have a Desire to Succeed
Rogers proposed that all people have an innate capacity for growth and a
desire to reach their full potential. Coaching supports his proposition. A coach
works with a person being coached in a collaborative way to unlock potential
24 THE NURSE EXECUTIVES COACHING MANUAL
and facilitate growth. A coach operates from the belief that a person is capable of
self-growth and in charge of the process. Implicit in this belief is that coaching is
not something done to a person but rather with a person being coached. The role
of a coach is to facilitate learning and tap into a persons natural orientation
toward growth.
People Are Unique
The humanists view people and their lives, problems, and styles holistically.
Each person is unique, and though an individual shares similarities with much of
humanity, each is one-of-a-kind. People of the humanistic school are interested in
respectfully exploring all aspects of a clients life and experience: the cognitive,
emotional, and physical domains. Psychologists and therapists have a wider
domain of exploration than coaches.
Coaches share the ideology of humanism. Their depth of exploration is clear-
ly dependent on the coaching contract and scope of coaching outcomes (from
I want to discover my true calling in life to I want to improve my meeting
management skills). A coach is interested in discovering a persons uniqueness
by constructing a full view of her values, personality, interpersonal style, goals,
fears, health, relationships, career and work experiences, resources, and physical
environment. A coach uses skillful questioning to discover this unique frame of
reference and views a person being coached as an expert in his own experience.
Consistent with this assumption, a coach establishes up front that the person
being coached owns the agenda and outcome-setting process of the work to be
done. Because each individual is unique, it follows that each coaching process
requires a customized approach for growth to occur and performance to improve.
Choice and Responsibility
Choice and responsibility are central concepts for the humanists. They write
about empowering and engaging a client in making choices and accepting
accountability for those choices. A coach partners with a person being coached to
generate choices and to view dilemmas in new ways. Using active listening and
powerfully precise questions, a coach guides a person in reflecting on possible
choices and outcomes. After a choice is made and course of action selected, a
coach holds a person accountable for actions resulting from that choice.
CHAPTER 2 FOUNDATIONS FOR THE PRACTICE OF COACHING 25
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Psychologist Aaron Beck, in works such as his 1975 Cognitive Therapy and
the Emotional Disorders, is most recognized for defining cognitive-behavioral
therapy. This approach is based on the principle of automatic thoughts. As
defined in this approach, automatic thoughts are inappropriate or irrational
thinking patterns that trigger self-defeating behavior. In other words, instead of
reacting to the known and predictable facts of a situation, a person automatically
reacts to her own distorted thoughts or view of a situation. Her perception or
impression, which is not aligned with the objective facts of a situation, forms the
basis for her quick reaction. A cognitive-behavioral therapist helps a client exam-
ine the assumptions behind reactive thinking with the hope of changing these
patterns, so that a client can experience choice. When a client can identify and
consider choices, she can move from a position of immediately reacting to some-
thing to a position of thoughtfully responding to a situation.
TRY IT YOURSELF
Identify something in your life that isnt working for you as well as youd like. Next, reflect
on what tightly held belief underlies your current way of acting.
Some common beliefs are
If I can, I should do it. I shouldnt ask for help.
Every project must be letter-perfect. I must get an A.
Im only worthy if Im giving 100%.
If someone is upset with me or things go wrong, I must have done
something wrong.
Suffering and worry are noble and show how much I care about
someone or something.
Now look at what the belief produces for you. What impact does it have on your experi-
ence, relationships, and sense of well-being? Can you see that the belief produces the
only thing it can produce? It continually creates evidence to prove itself right.
26 THE NURSE EXECUTIVES COACHING MANUAL
TRY IT YOURSELF
Heres an example of a coaching intervention weve used with our clients, based on the positive
psychology model. Try it to see what you learn about yourself.
Register at the Web site just mentioned and locate the VIA Character Strengths
Questionnaire. You will assess your strengths and learn your top five signature strengths.
Next, choose an unavoidable task from your to-do list that you find tedious. Invent a way
to perform the task using one of your signature strengths. Observe what happens. For
example, if you need to proofread a complicated and detailed guideline of care that youve
been avoiding and others are awaiting your response, you could employ your strength of
perseverance and taking pleasure in completing tasks. You ask your secretary to schedule
three 1-hour work sessions this week so you can get it done. At the end of the week, you
reward yourself with dinner out with your spouse.
Reflect on the implications for using your strengths in new and expanded ways.
Emotional Intelligence
Understanding emotional intelligence is an essential concept for anyone
involved in managing people and supporting personal development. Emotional
intelligence (referred to as EI and EQ) draws from behavioral, emotional,
and communications theories, such as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP),
transactional analysis, and empathy. Daniel Goleman, the pioneering author of
emotional intelligence, describes in his 2002 book, Primal Leadership: Learning
to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, four EI domains that people high in
EQ possess.
1. Self-awarenessThey know what they are feeling, have confidence,
and can make a realistic assessment of their abilities.
2. Self-managementThey manage their emotions, think before speak-
ing, take initiative, and are flexible and resilient.
3. Social awarenessThey can sense what others are feeling, can
develop relationships, and can adapt to changing circumstances.
4. Relationship managementThey exert leadership, communicate
effectively, influence others, serve as a catalyst for change, and
manage conflicts.
30 THE NURSE EXECUTIVES COACHING MANUAL
Summary
Theories can offer a fresh perspective on a topic. In that way, they can help
us better understand something that might have been unclear or seemed irrele-
vant. They give us background and the roots, so to speak, of the development and
key tenets of a topic or field of study. Experts point to flaws or inconsistencies
within theories, yet the theories remain alive. We are free to choose to agree or
disagree with the theorists and the experts.
So, why is it important for the coach to study these and other theories? Here
are a few reasons:
Some theories provide general principles of coaching that are under-
pinned by humanistic, adult learning principles and neurobiology.
They guide learning, including developing a coaching presence, cre-
ating a trusting relationship, facilitating a positive learning environ-
ment, and developing insight.
Some theories, such as integral theory and somatics, are useful when
assessing various self-concept dimensions and behavioral awareness
of a person.
Some theories can be introduced during a coaching conversation
as learning tools the team member can use to view her situation,
reactions, or behaviors. Adult development and organizational
development are two such theories.
Some theories a coach can reflect upon for greater insight and use
during the coaching conversation. Cognitive-behavioral theory,
emotional intelligence, and Action Science are in this category.
Our coaching practice has been informed by all these theories and more. We
feel this eclectic range of ideas and applications gives us a rich foundation from
which to work with others. You might be inspired to learn more and read one of
the references for a deeper dive into the theory. We have prepared a quick at-a-
glance overview of this chapters learning points.
CHAPTER 2 FOUNDATIONS FOR THE PRACTICE OF COACHING 47
Theory without practice is foolish; practice without theory is dangerous.
Chinese proverb
At-a-Glance
THEORY/CONCEPT RELEVANCE TO COACHING
Neurobiology Capacity for change
Process for gaining insight
Adult learning Learner-centered
Experiential learning
Learning cycle
Learning contracts and journaling
Humanistic person-centered thought Conditions for effective relationship
Focus on growth and potential
Empathy
Cognitive behavioral therapy Thinking patterns
Goal setting and practice
Experiments, homework
Accountability
Focus on future action
Positive psychology Language of vision and strengths
Focus on well-being
Emotional intelligence Focus on self-awareness
Relational skills
Relevance for coach development
Organizational development
and change management Stages of transition
Creative tension
Discovery
Action Science and systems thinking theory Inquiry and reflection in action
Mental models
Testing assumptions
48 THE NURSE EXECUTIVES COACHING MANUAL
THEORY/CONCEPT RELEVANCE TO COACHING
THEORY/CONCEPT RELEVANCE TO COACHING
Adult development Stages of life
Uniqueness of each person
Relevance for coach development
Integral development Whole person assessment
Unique frame of reference
Complexity of human experience
Language and Speech Acts theory Language is action
Assessments, requests, promises
Way of being
Somatics Body-centered learning
Energy follows awareness
Think About It
1. What questions did the description of theories evoke for you?
2. What theories would you like to study in more depth?
3. How do these theories currently relate to your coaching and leadership?
4. What three to four points or notes are you taking away from this
chapter to act upon?
CHAPTER 2 FOUNDATIONS FOR THE PRACTICE OF COACHING 49