Blog 63: Evidence-Bases Coaching: How Michelle’s Approach Transforms Leadership and Team Dynamic

Explore the transformative power of coaching psychology, enhancing leadership, wellbeing and team dynamics through proven methods.

Introduction

In 2020, during the challenging COVID-19 lockdown, Michelle discovered coaching psychology through a mentorship program. This eye-opening experience revealed the common struggles leaders face in managing teams remotely, sparking her unwavering dedication to helping them enhance their skills through proven, scientific methods. Her journey into mastering coaching has equipped her with tools to help leaders foster trust, collaboration, and peak performance within their teams, especially in virtual settings. Join me as we explore how effective leadership and psychology Michelle can transform workplace dynamics and personal well-being.

9 Questions for Michelle

1.What inspired you to become an integrative development coach, and how has your journey shaped the way you coach today?

I have a generalist HR background working in HR teams in various industries. In 2020. During COVID-19 had just hit, and I found myself working from home, trying to influence leaders and support teams over Zoom.

During this period, my mentor introduced me to the Masters of Coaching Psychology program. This program is considered the ‘gold standard’ in coaching training. It's founded by the pioneer of Coaching Psychology, who established the world’s first coaching psychology unit at the University of Sydney.

What struck me during this time was how many leaders were struggling to influence and effectively lead their teams remotely. They were eager for advice and strategies but found it difficult to connect and engage through virtual platforms. Seeing this struggle first hand highlighted the critical need for effective coaching skills in leadership, which motivated me to pursue the Masters of Coaching Psychology.

The knowledge and skills I gained from this program have been invaluable as well as personally life changing to me. I've learned how to better support leaders in developing their influence, improving team dynamics, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration knowing there is research and evidence to back up the approaches. The masters has reinforced my passion for leadership development and coaching as well as learning all about positive psychology and peak performance and how these theories and interventions support our wellbeing. 

2.      Could you explain what an 'evidence-based' approach entails in your coaching practice? How does it benefit your clients?

An 'evidence-based' approach in coaching means that the methods and strategies I use are grounded in scientific research and proven psychological theories. This approach ensures that the coaching interventions are not based on anecdotal evidence or personal intuition alone, but on rigorous studies and empirical data that demonstrate their effectiveness.

When I coach a client, as part of the first session I’m trying to understand what is occurring and create a case conceptualisation using the theories of leadership and wellbeing and potential interventions/coaching techniques that might work.  From there, the next sessions might use the research to explain why things might be happening. 

3.      You focus a lot on supporting women and women-led teams. What are some unique challenges they face in the workplace, and how do you address them?

 Supporting women and women-led teams is a passion of mine. Women in the workplace face several unique challenges, and addressing these effectively is crucial for fostering an inclusive and empowering environment. Some of the key challenges include

1. Gender Bias and Stereotypes: Women often encounter unconscious bias and stereotypes that can affect their career progression and leadership opportunities. These biases can manifest in various ways, such as being overlooked for promotions or not being taken as seriously as their male counterparts.
2. Work-Life Balance: Many women juggle professional responsibilities with caregiving roles at home. This can create additional stress and impact their ability to advance in their careers, especially in environments that do not offer flexible working arrangements.
3. Lack of Representation: Women are underrepresented in leadership positions. This lack of representation can lead to a scarcity of role models and mentors, making it harder for women to envision and pursue their own leadership paths.
4. Networking Barriers: Traditional networking opportunities often exclude women, either due to time constraints or cultural dynamics, which can limit their access to critical career-building connections.
5. Burnout: Women often experience higher levels of burnout compared to men. This can be attributed to the pressures of balancing professional responsibilities with personal commitments, especially in high-stress environments. Burnout can lead to decreased productivity, mental health issues, and job dissatisfaction.
6. Mental Load: Women frequently carry the 'mental load' of managing household responsibilities, even if they share physical tasks with their partners. This invisible labour includes planning, organising, and coordinating family activities, which adds to their cognitive burden.
7. Double Burden of Motherhood: Many working mothers face the 'double burden' of excelling in their careers while fulfilling the demands of motherhood. This dual role can be exhausting and may limit their ability to advance professionally if their workplace does not support flexible working arrangements.

4. Self-care is crucial in personal and professional growth. What are your top self-care tips for busy professionals?

Self-care is absolutely crucial in personal and professional growth and overall personal and professional success.  However it has been an overused term at the moment. Self-care is important, but it needs to be part of a psychological wellbeing approach. This might include:

1. Self-Awareness and Mindfulness: Developing self-awareness is essential for understanding your emotions, triggers, and thought patterns. Incorporating mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep-breathing exercises, can help you stay present and manage stress more effectively.
2. Building Healthy Relationships: Cultivating strong connections with family, friends, and colleagues is vital for psychological wellbeing. Social support networks provide a sense of belonging and can be a source of strength and comfort during challenging times.
3. Emotional Regulation: Learning techniques for emotional regulation can help manage reactions to stress and adversity. This includes practices like cognitive-behavioural strategies, journaling, and engaging in activities that promote resilience and emotional stability.
4. Maintaining Physical Health: Physical health is closely linked to mental wellbeing. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and routine medical check-ups support both physical and mental health. Physical activity, in particular, can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
5. Achieving Work-Life Balance: Striking a balance between professional and personal life is crucial for avoiding burnout. Setting boundaries, learning to say no, and prioritising activities that bring joy and relaxation can help maintain this balance.
6. Finding Purpose and Setting Goals: Identifying personal values and aligning actions with these values can provide a sense of purpose, fulfillment and you will more than likely create habits that you will want to continue. Setting meaningful, achievable goals helps maintain motivation and a sense of direction in both personal and professional spheres.
7. Seeking Professional Support: Accessing professional support, such as coaching, counselling, or therapy, can provide valuable tools and guidance for navigating complex emotions and situations. Regular check-ins with a mental health professional or a coach can be a proactive approach to maintaining psychological health.
8. Implementing Stress Management Techniques: Having a toolkit of stress management techniques, such as effective time management, relaxation techniques, and engaging in hobbies, helps handle daily pressures and unexpected challenges more effectively.

By integrating self-care into a comprehensive psychological wellbeing approach, busy professionals can build resilience, enhance their personal and professional growth, and maintain a healthy, balanced life. This holistic strategy ensures that self-care is not just a buzzword but a practical and sustainable part of everyday life.

5.Can you share a success story where you’re coaching significantly impacted an individual or a team?

In coaching the change might seem small, however if consistently applied the outcomes are large. 

The power of coaching for me is allowing someone 1-1 time to express their thoughts and views in a safe space. It gives the coachee a sense of belonging, feeling heard and seen and that they can explore what they think are unrealistic and scary thoughts, with no judgment. That's the success story of coaching. 

6. How do you help someone identify and overcome their limiting beliefs, especially in a professional setting?

This is a big topic and I think it’s quite controversial as there are a lot of different approaches. Mindfulness and self-awareness are the first step. If we aren’t achieving our goals, have unhealthy habits and our mental wellbeing isn’t where we want it to be, our mindset will be more than likely holding us back. 

 As coaches we need to be careful when we suggest approaches / interventions in case the client is suffering from a mental health concern. That needs to be thoroughly explored first. We then explore potentially approaches that could be experimented with. 

My number one question would be to explore their self-talk, beliefs and stories they are telling themselves. Talk to how the brain works. The thinking brain is the tip and the subconscious is all below. Unless we are aware of what’s occurring and what we might be thinking, we are literally walking around blindfolded. 

The programming in our subconscious is running the show 90% of the time. You think you can think your way out of things, but that is so not often the case.  

Our brains’ primary job is self-preservation, and we know this through the negativity bias as we overestimate danger, and we also have a strong tendency to underestimate our ability to cope. The obvious outcome is to stay in our lane and the consequences or outcomes are we play it safe, we don’t risk our discomfort, we become bored and unsatisfied, and we might even begin to languish. 

It’s uncovering the limiting beliefs and questioning why they might be there. There could be a story that originates from childhood or trauma that might result in a belief they aren’t worthy or good enough and these beliefs might not have been even conscious until there is a safe space created for the coachee to explore this detail. That’s the power of coaching. We need to respect the space as well as the pace that is required for the coachee to talk to these areas/topics. 

It’s not as simple as repeating affirmations, manifesting or thinking positively. There is a lot more to it. 

7. What tools or resources do you frequently recommend to your clients for continued personal and professional growth?

Again, it really depends on the individual coachee and their specific needs and challenges. Often, a client may come to me seeking support around delegation, but the real issue might be deeper—such as their inability to let go of answering all emails because they don't want to let people down or due to perfectionist tendencies. This is where coaching plays a critical role in helping them achieve the self-awareness necessary to identify and address these underlying issues. Tools and resources I frequently recommend:

1. Self-Compassion Practices: Many professionals are hard on themselves, which can lead to burnout. Self-compassion includes being mindful and accepting what is, as well as being kind to ourselves and others. This involves recognising our own struggles without judgment, recognising we all suffer and struggle in life  and treating ourselves with the same kindness they would offer a friend.
2. Boundary-Setting Strategies: Learning to set and maintain boundaries is crucial for personal and professional growth. I can explore  tools and techniques the coachee would like to try in order to create stricter boundaries around work and personal time, which can include scheduled 'no meeting' times, and clear communication of availability.
3. Using Positive Psychological to build Internal Resources: Through introducing Positive Psychology I am to support individuals to build their own internal resources such as relationships, confidence, optimism, hope, and resilience. These factors have a significant impact on both wellbeing and performance. By nurturing these internal resources, individuals can create a positive and supportive environment that fosters growth and success.
4. Burnout Prevention: Burnout is a significant concern in today's fast-paced work environment. I teach concepts derived from positive psychological to help teams build burnout resilience. Reviewing their mindset and perfectionism tendencies, practicing self-care, setting boundaries, and seeking support when needed, individuals and teams can mitigate the risk of burnout and maintain their wellbeing over the long term.
5. Communication Skills and Wellbeing: Effective communication is essential for maintaining healthy team dynamics and performance. I work with teams to overcome communication barriers and conflict by fostering open and transparent communication channels. By promoting active listening, empathy, and constructive feedback, teams can improve their communication skills and create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued. This, in turn, enhances team wellbeing and contributes to overall performance.
6. Self-Awareness: Self-awareness is a critical skill for an individual’s personal and professional growth. Through self-reflection exercises, personality assessments, and mindfulness practices, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their strengths, and areas for development. Self-awareness forms the foundation for effective leadership, decision-making, and interpersonal relationships, making it a critical tool for ongoing growth and development.
7. Mindfulness and Stress Management Techniques: Mindfulness practices and breathing exercises are invaluable for reducing stress and maintaining focus. My next personal development activity will be becoming a MBSR teacher (and potentially yin yoga).

8.      Looking ahead, what emerging trends do you see in coaching that could influence how women and teams navigate their growth and development?

I think AI will impact the coaching industry but not sure to what extent as I haven’t been focusing on the recent research. 

Given the state of the world, we are expecting individuals to collectively work together to make changes on a bigger scale and intentionally. This is a huge demand, and I don’t think we are up to it. 

We need to become more understanding of ourselves, build our internal resources, understand our needs and stress behaviour as well as our perspectives and that of others before we can do this. We cannot just work harder; this will result in more problems versus creative solutions. This requires emotional and self-regulation to build our wellbeing. I also think we need to continue to tap into our strengths and values to support our wellbeing and drive our purpose forward. We all should be uncovering this from an early age, and we rarely take the time to do this. I will be supporting my two boys to uncover their values and strengths from an age they begin to understand. If we all can understand we are all placed here to serve one another I think there will be less conflict, violence and racism, but it starts with us. 

9.Something I Wish People Knew About Me?

I love creating. One of my strengths is creativity and curiosity.  I have a sewing machine that I haven't used for quite some time and a lot of fabric I'm yet to cut into. 

We all struggle with mindfulness and mindset, including me. We constantly have to remind ourselves to do the work and refocus / challenge the brain. 

My father was Norwegian and died of a workplace accident, so I am very passionate about leadership and supporting individuals to be their best selves - life is too short.

I have some goals for 2024 which include inserting more zest (fun) into my life and start training for my Bronze Medallion. 

 If people are interested in following you, please provide your details: IG, FB, website, courses, etc.

 Top Quotes

 Michelle likes these quotes:

"A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.” Anonymous

"When you imagine all the bad things that could happen, argue the opposite and think about all the good things that could happen." Anonymous

"Inaction is action - you choose." Anonymous

Below are the quotes I like on this:

“Coaching is a service. We serve our clients and have their well-being as the higher priority.” – Michael J. Marx

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” – Timothy Gallwey 

“Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.” – Pete Carroll

“Coaching helps you take stock of where you are now in all aspects of your life, and how that compares to where you would like to be.” – Elaine MacDonald

“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” – John Maxwell

“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.” – Tom Landry

Questions and Reflections

1. Understanding Leadership: What do you think makes someone a good leader? Write about when you were a leader or saw someone else leading. What did they do that made them good at leading?
2. Learning from Challenges: Michelle learned a lot when things were tough during the lockdown. Can you think of a challenge you've faced? How did it help you grow or learn something new?
3. Helping Others Succeed: Michelle helps women and teams be their best. Think about someone you help often, like a friend or family member. What do you do to help them, and how does it make you feel?

Please note:

Here's a fun way to think about leadership: Being a leader isn't just about guiding a team—you can be a leader all by yourself! It's all about your actions and the energy you share with everyone around you. When you lead by example, you show others how to be their best selves by being you!

Conclusion

As we wrap up our journey through Michelle's transformative coaching. Through the integration of coaching psychology and evidence-based practices, Michelle navigates and reshapes the complexities of team dynamics and systems through one-on-one coaching. Her commitment to cultivating trust, collaboration, and excellence equips leaders to thrive, even in challenging environments. So, let's carry forward the valuable lessons learned from Michelle, applying these insights to enhance our professional lives and enrich our personal growth.

In conclusion, leadership is not confined to positions or titles; it's accessible anywhere. By embracing the power of influence through our actions and attitudes, we all have the potential to guide and inspire those around us. Whether spearheading a team or setting an example in everyday situations, your leadership can make a real difference. So, step forward, lead by example, and watch how your positive energy can transform your environment and encourage others to shine alongside you.

Being a leader is about more than just being in charge—it's about showing others how to be their best. Remember, you can be a leader, whether you're working on a team project, helping at home, or just hanging out with friends. Keep shining bright and setting a great example; you'll inspire everyone around you. So go ahead, be the leader you were born to be every day!

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✨ How to Find Those 2-Minute Pockets for Wellness ✨

🚀 I've got you covered!

 Finding 2-Minute Gaps Throughout Your Day:

☕ While waiting for your morning coffee or tea to brew.

🚇 Commuting, waiting for public transport, or sitting in your car before leaving.

💻 While your computer boots up or before a meeting starts.

🛒 Waiting in line (at the store, bank, etc.).

🚸 While waiting to pick up your kids from school or at the bus stop.

💼 During short breaks at work or home.

🍲 While your dinner cooks.

🪥 While brushing your teeth.

🌐 Waiting for a web page to load or during a commercial break.

🌙 Before bed.

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Thanks for being here, and let’s kickstart your growth and toast to your successes as you unlock your full potential!

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Meet Georgia Arharidis, a certified fitness and nutrition coach who's all about helping busy parents and families find their zest for life through balance – mentally, physically, and spiritually! I will be interviewing her for the next blog out on 11^th of August. She's your go-to guide for simple lifestyle changes, movement, and natural supplements that lead to big results in your overall well-being.

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Live your Life on Purpose!

With much Love

Mukti Santos  

“With the right kind of coaching and determination you can accomplish anything.” – Reese Witherspoon

Journal Prompts