You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself (Galileo Galilei – Italian Astronomer, Physicist and Engineer).
The PERMA model.
This model was developed by positive psychology founder Martin Seligman. PERMA is an acronym that reminds coaches to cover the five elements of a sustained, authentic and happy live when discussing issues and solutions with coachees. PERMA.stands for: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Achievement.
P – Positive emotion. Positivity is a choice – a choice we all need to make again and again every day.
How to do it (tips from the wellbeing lab): Dial up your positivity by playing a favourite song, watching a funny video or remembering something that makes you smile. Get outside and connect with nature. Be present and immerse yourself in what you are doing. Make a list of what you are in control of and focus your energy and action there.
E – Engagement. Studies by McQuaid and Lawn, 2014, found that people who regularly use their strengths are more creative, engaged and satisfied at work.
How to do it (tips form the wellbeing lab): Create a small daily habit of practising one of your strengths at work. Let people know when you’ve values their strengths and the difference it’s made to you. Map the strengths of each of your team. Reflect on how to use these strengths intelligently.
R - Relationships. Don’t puff up. Don’t shrink down. Just stand tall and make space for others to belong. (Professor Breen Brown) Build a psychologically safe workplace where people are not tied up in interpersonal knots.
How to do it (tips form the wellbeing lab): Try to make yourself physically, emotionally and mentally available to others. Seek the input of others to demonstrate your trust in their knowledge and skills. Every day try to delegate one thing to others to convey your trust in them. Look for ways to create win-win outcomes when people opinions and hopes differ. Instead of bringing people down, decide to lift people up every day.
M - Meaning. The biggest predictor of meaningfulness in our work is the belief that what we do has a positive impact (Professor Adam Grant).
How to do it (tips form the wellbeing lab): Invest in belonging by reaching out to like minded people you enjoy spending time with. Greet people at your work by looking them in the eye, smiling and genuinely saying hello. Create purpose by reframing your mundane tasks - ask what’s the purpose of this task and who does it serve? What’s the one thing you could do today that would make a difference to someone else?
A – Achievement. Authentic grit is the passionate pursuit of hard goals that cause you to emotionally flourish, take positive risks, live without regret and inspire others (Caroline Adams Miller).
How to do it (tips form the wellbeing lab): Practise using a growth mindset. Set learning goals, embrace failure as a mis-take. Develop grit and practise self compassion - in moments of falling short ask yourself “What would a wise and kind coach tell me at this point in time”. Use the Urgent vs Important matrix to focus you on achieving your most important goals. Improve your resilience by challenging beliefs that hold you back. Ask “Is this true”?
Hear more tips like using visuals, sharing the coaching model you are using with your coachees, developing a growth mindset and coaching from a strengths base, as opposed to a deficit viewpoint can be heard in episode 9 of the podcast "Leadership on the Run" where Dr Suzie Green joins Paul and Jeanine as they discuss how to coach others.
Another popular coaching framework is The GROW model.
The GROW model by John Whitemore is a simple framework for guiding coaching conversations and facilitating your coachee to discover their own truth. Using the GROW model assumes you will facilitate the coachee thinking (as you are not an expert in their field) - which may or may not be appropriate for your workplace leadership situation.
G – Goal
R – Reality (current)
O – Options & obstacles
W – Way forward & Will to complete