The WORLD Coaching Model

A Coaching Model By Marijn Sissingh, Life Coach, Non-profit Leadership Coach, NETHERLANDS

WORLD Model

The WORLD Coaching model focuses on those who want to contribute to a world that is equal, just, and peaceful. The model proclaims that making a meaningful impact in the world starts with understanding the world Within us and Outside us. Then we Reflect deeper on how these worlds interact as part of a system and we take Leadership by taking the necessary actions to change the system. Having gone through these steps allow us to formulate our Dream goal that energizes ourselves and inspires others.

The WORLD Coaching Model

WITHIN US

The heart of the WORLD Coaching Model is what is happening inside us, in our hearts and our minds. What happens there influences how we perceive the world and ourselves, how we feel about what is happening in the world, and how we act and interact with the world. We look at the world through our emotional and cognitive filters. Very often our view of the world is influenced by our experiences, interests, values, beliefs, emotions, thinking patterns, and habits. In fact, it is practically impossible to see the world as how the world really is. At the same time, a lack of awareness of how our minds and emotions influence how we see the world may prevent us from making the impact we want to make in the world.

Within us is at the heart of the WORLD Coaching Model and is all about becoming aware of the thoughts and feelings inside us. This awareness allows us to make informed decisions and considerate actions. The role of the coach is to support the client in gaining this awareness.

OUTSIDE US

The external layer of the WORLD Coaching Model is what is happening outside us. Two elements are relevant in our observation of what is outside us.

The first element is to see the world how the world really is. This is important to interact effectively with our environment and to develop realistic scenarios. The world outside us is where we want to make an impact and without a realistic picture of this world, we are unlikely to make that impact. The world around us holds barriers and opportunities. Being naïve about the outside world may lead to ineffective actions and disappointments and being blind to opportunities prevents you from moving forward.

The second element is to focus on what is most relevant for the impact we want to make and on what gives us energy. The world is large, and many things are going on at the same time. Only a small part of this is relevant to the impact we want to make. In addition, some parts of the world give us energy and others do not. There are events that are painful or disappointing and those that are uplifting and inspirational. Some people are pessimistic or egocentric and others are optimistic and supportive. A focus on events and people that give us energy does not mean that we need to push away those that do not. The right path is to be mindful of all negative and positive things that are going on around us before consciously choosing to focus on what is positive.

Outside us is the part of the WORLD Coaching model where we become conscious about how the world objectively looks like. An objective image of the world allows us to make decisions that are relevant and impactful. A coach helps the client to see the world more objectively, focus on what is most relevant and what gives them energy, and become aware of how a choice to focus on certain elements of the outside world influence what is happening within us.

REFLECTION

After there is awareness about what is happening within us and outside us, we can reflect on this in a way where we try to see the systemic links between the two. In this way, we deepen our insights and identify what needs to change to arrive at where we want to be. We identify the barriers that we must overcome and identify opportunities that we can exploit to make our imagination a reality. In this way, we get a clear idea about what needs to happen and what actions we can take to make that happen. We may realize that we need to build our knowledge and strengthen our skills before we can move forward, or we need to restructure our social and physical environment in a way that makes acting easier. Sometimes we realize that the goals that we have set do not serve us in the best way possible and we need to change our direction.

Reflection means seeing deeper and getting a better understanding of how the world within and around us interacts and influences our goals. The coach supports the client by creating a safe and trustful environment that stimulates reflection, being present, listening actively, and asking powerful questions. With this insight, we develop new goals and strategies to arrive where we want to be, which is the leadership part of the WORLD coaching model.

LEADERSHIP

After we have reflected and gained deeper insight into how the world within and outside us interacts, we arrive at the point where we can decide what impact we want to make, formulate concrete goals, and identify actions that we want to take to realize these goals. These goals and actions follow from leverage points in the system. Instead of creating a new world, a focus on these leverage points in the current system allows us to change the system in a desired, effective and efficient way, with the outcome that we desire. Often, a couple of small carefully selected steps are more impactful than big actions without sufficient consideration. These small steps involve either a change in the world outside us or a change in what is happening within us, such as changing the way we think or feel about situations or people. A change towards more positive thinking results in seeing the world more holistically and often makes it easier to see what is possible before moving into action. This does not mean that we push negative emotions away but create the conditions to become aware of these, accept them, and detach from them by not giving them cognitive attention. Such a mindfulness practice allows us to create the fundament for powerful action. Another fundament is creating a social and physical environment where action becomes easier.

Leadership is the next layer of the WORLD Coaching Model and involves everything that has to do with action, including goal setting, action planning, managing our inner world, creating the conditions for success, and ultimately acting. Leadership requires insight, vision, focus, and self-control. A coach supports the client to move from the insight that was gained in the reflection part of the model to acting and encourages self-accountability for these actions.

DREAM GOAL

The awareness about the world within and outside us, deeper reflection about how the various components in this world are connected in a systemic way, and taking action to change the system leads to a holistic image of the world that we want to live in as well as how we want to create this world.

The dream goal in the WORLD Coaching Model represents this holistic image. Having a concrete vision of the future with clear ideas on how to arrive there gives us a sense of meaning that makes us happy and energetic. Once we have arrived at this point, we are able to tell inspiring stories about the world we want to create and the impact of our actions. With these stories, we inspire and attract others to work with us. In short: Changing the world we live in starts with knowing who we truly are!