Nadine and Benji talk about the distinctive ways in which ACT focuses on embodying values, working with the heart and not just the brain, and bringing about change not only inside us, but also around us. Here is an extract of their conversation, which you can watch in full in the video.
Nadine: Coaches spend a lot of time inviting their clients into a reflective space where they can gain perspective into what is important for them – such as changing limiting thoughts, for example. Well the good news in ACT is that you don’t focus on changing limiting thoughts, because that’s not what matters. What matters is being able to do everything you want to do despite having those limiting thoughts.
So, for example, I might believe I am not able to do a presentation – at least, this is what my mind tells me. If I allow myself to become convinced by that belief, then I will not do the presentation. But if I accept – despite what my mind tells me – that it is really important to make the presentation, and I then connect to what is really important, I can ask myself: how can I do this presentation while having the thought that I’m not able to do it?
This is what will make a difference for our clients. We want to free them from what is holding them back, without necessarily working on what is holding them back. It’s about learning how to act according to what is really important to you despite having things that come in the way.
Benji: One thing that I also see as being super important to this work is the whole question of values. There is a lot of talk of values in the organizational context, but oftentimes they are just like a poster on the wall. The way we work with this dimension in ACT is very different. We don’t work with long verbal elaborations of what our values are, but more with how we embody our values through the smallest actions.
Once we focus on the quality of the actions with our clients, everything changes, because now the smallest actions can embody the values that are important. As we do this, what we do in our professional lives, and our personal life in general, acquires a deeper meaning. We finally see that we are able to embody our values, and then things change very quickly not only inside us, but also around us.
Register for the ACT and Coaching workshop with Benji Schoendorff and Nadine Hemmer. The workshop, which explores how you and your executive coaching clients can develop emotional and behavioural agility, takes place online on 25 April and 3-4 May 2022. This experiential workshop, accredited by ICF, will enhance your understanding of the ACT approach and help integrate it into your professional practice.