Abintus Coaching Resources
Whether we are aware of them of not, we all have values and beliefs that guide our thinking and behaviours. For coaches, aware of their values and beliefs informs how they coach and work with their clients. Similarly, organisations have their own explicit and implicit values and beliefs. Identification is the first step to understand and utilising them.
What’s the difference?
People use the the words values and beliefs in the same sentence without knowing what the difference is. Let’s keep it simple.
Values
These are the things most important to us in our lives. They come from our human experiences. They intimately to our needs. Inherent qualities we hold high in importance to us personally. Deriving from our parents and upbringings. Our experiences good and bad as we grow up. So, honesty, integrity, family, loyalty and commitment are all examples of values. See a list of values here.
Beliefs
These are thoughts and assumptions we have which over time become true for us. Ideas we hold to be true. Can come from accepting societal or organisational norms. Examples can include equal opportunity to development, change is necessary, be generous towards others and lying is bad.
Values are at the core of who we are and how we operate. Beliefs we adopt and develop as we go through our lives.
Importance of Values and Beliefs
Both of these underpin how we live our lives, how we think and behave. They determine the work we might do, our approaches to life and how we view people. Often, they even may influence the people we chose as friends and partners! They are like a stick of rock for us. No matter where people look they see and experience these values in us.
For a coach they can influence who they are comfortable working with. How they receive what a client tells them. How they manage the relationship with their clients. Likewise clients will have their own values and beliefs which will influence them too.
Where there is similarity in values and beliefs this will aid the coaching relationship. Where there are differences, both parties need to discuss if the differences are surmountable or not. Sharing of values and beliefs during contracting is a healthy activity for new coaches. Discussing how the pair might manage situations, should they arise.
This isn’t about compromising one’s own position, or values. More about can I work with this person’s view on these things. For example a coach they hold honesty and integrity highly. A client may see honesty as only 7 out of 10 rather than 10 out of 10. How does the coach feel about this? Will it affect their relationship? Is the topic area likely to bring honesty to the fore of their conversations? If so what does that mean for the coach?
This highlights the reasons it’s good to talk about what is important to people. How these thing might help or hinder the coaching relationship and conversations.
Organisational values and beliefs
Organisations will hold and espouse values. They will be present on organisations websites and may be dotted around the organisations walls. There will also be other values held by individual departments and teams. The culture of organisations and teams may also lead people to develop certain personal and work beliefs.
An internal coach benefits from understanding organisational values, both written and ‘sub values’. It helps them consider their own values and beliefs and thinking. Is their thinking their own, or developed from the organisation’s ‘messages’. Are they expressing their own views of the organisations? How might their thinking influence the words they share with others? How might this be interpreted by clients?
Internal and external coaches listen to their clients and explore their client’s thinking. Are their words and decisions based upon what’s important to them or the organisation? How is the organisations culture and values influencing the clients thinking and behaviours? Is the client in conflict what what they believe is right, versus what the organisation is saying?
Often the focus is upon examining personal values only. Considering organisational values and belief is a valuable exercise.
Capturing values and beliefs
Many people have never consciously thought about what’s important to them, or drives them every day. For some it takes a lot of thought to come up with a list. Simple self questioning can aid the process:
- What is important to me?
- Why do I get up in a morning?
- What drives me?
- What things are unacceptable to me, that I can’t tolerate?
Asking friends and family as to what they think are important to you will also shed further light on the area.
The link below provided you with a document to capture thoughts around personal and organisational values and beliefs. It asks you to identify them and what they mean to you. It then asks you to consider how they might positively and negatively impact upon you coaching. This is an important part of the process. Giving thought to how they might influence your practice.
Personal and Organisational Values and beliefs
Knowing our values and beliefs helps us to understand ourselves better. For coaches they become more aware of how they might come across to clients. How to manage them bette rain conversations. They also help understand our clients better, their thinking and behaviours. The starting point is understanding what are my values and beliefs, what’s important to me.
Abintus can help you and your teams become great workplace coaches. Contact us today to find out how.