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Secure Base Coaching

Secure Base Coaching is emerging as a strategy to prepare and sustain organizations for tomorrow’s challenges. The approach builds on George Kohlrieser's Care to Dare framework and Secure Base Leadership. A secure base could be a person, place, goal or object that provides a sense of protection, gives a sense of comfort, and offers a source of energy and inspiration to explore, take risks and seek change. Examples include family members, friends, leaders, the nature, a pet, the birth of a child, receiving a promotion, running a marathon, and much more. The nine characteristics of Secure Base Leadership emerged from research into what actions high performing leaders take on a daily basis, as rated by their employees. I think ist important to mention no leader does all nine perfectly, but the highest rated leaders demonstrated skills in five or six of the characteristics which are:

 

1. Stays calm, composed and grounded

2. Accepts and values the individual

3. Sees the potential in the individual

4. Uses listening, dialogue and inquiry

5. Delivers a powerful message

6. Focuses on the positive

7. Encourages risk taking

8. Inspires through intrinsic motivation

9. Signals accessiblity


Secure Base Coaching fosters trust, resilience, and creativity, creating the conditions for innovation and for individuals and teams to thrive amidst uncertainty by creating environments where individuals feel both valued and inspired to grow. Accordint to Rev. Dr. Susan Goldsworthy OLY it blends caring (showing interest, providing emotional support and co-creating psychological safety), daring (challenging status quo, encouraging bold action and risk-taking), and sharing (fostering collaboration and mutual learning).

I had the chance to experience the power of Secure Base Coaching in my own coaching journey with Susan in the IMD Execution Coaching Program. What stayed with me is the metaphor of a lobster, she shared with us. A lobster which must shed ist hard shell to grow, a process leaving it vulnerable but necessary for development. To do so the lobster needs to find a place were ist feels safe to shed its shell and grow a new larger one. But what the are the places we can shed our protective layers and grow? This beautifully illustrates, how an environment is needed, were people can be vulnarable to grow and unleash their potential.


In today’s complex environment, creating value and win mostly requires teams, but how can teams benefit from Secure Base Coaching and how can leaders use this approach to help teams to thrive? I use this approach a lot in my work with leaders agile, self-organized teams in business and sports. From my experience, Secure Base Coaching helps to develop resilient and adaptive teams through


  • Creating Meaning by connecting with the lager purpose and vision and align with common goals🔭

  • Creating a Safe Space and trust by ensuring conscious and open communication, addressing problems with respect for each individual and separating personal judgement from professional criticism and promote and embrace diversity🦮

  • Strengthening Collaboration by building a supportive environment (I’m ok, you are ok”), practicing unconditional positive regard and identify and nurture the potential and diverse skills but also challenges of team members and leverage each other’s potential🤝

  • Enabling fast Learning and Growth by prioritizing learning and development and creating a culture that encourages exploration of new ideas and perspectives. Team members can take calculated risk, fail without judgment and learn fast and teams step outside the comfort zone and see failure or a negative situations as an opportunity for learning and growth🌱 

  • Enabling Autonomy and Qwnership by distributing control and enable teams to take and own decisions💫


For leaders this means a shift from traditional management approach, command and control and sometimes even fear based style to acting as a Secure Base Coach, who helps establish a connection with the larger purpose, who leads by example and who creates the conditions so that teams can thrive.🚀


🏋️‍♀️ You want to practice Secure Base Coaching? A good point to begin with is to reflect on

  • Who I am a secure base for?

  • Who would I like to be a secure base for?

  • What can I do to become more of a secure base for others by leveraging the nine characteristics of Secure Base Leadership?


You want to experience the power of Secure Base Coaching for your business or sport team? Then get in contact. 📞📧 


Recommended publications:

Care to dare to unleash astonishing employee potential: 18---care-to-dare-insight-final.pdf

 
 
 

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