Why change requires a coach.

We’ve all heard it–why don’t you just change? Every one of us brandishes behaviours that are disliked or sow discord by those with whom we interact, including romantic partners and work colleagues. Just change, they say.

But, we don’t. At least not usually. And, we are really not to blame.

Blame that big, energy-hungry brain of yours.

The human brain consumes about 20% of our metabolic energy but is only 3% of body weight. We evolved to manage this high energy overhead in two ways. First, the brain wants to strongly return to “idle mode” where little energy investment is made to process the experiences we are having. We “half-ass” a lot of activities because good enough saves energy.

The second energy-saving technique the brain uses is to establish default pathways that manifest as habits. Once we have done an activity a dozen times, we activate the same brain network and do the activity similarly in most situations rather than pay the metabolic cost to figure out what to do from scratch. Your lazy brain wants you to repeat behaviours over and over, even if they may be maladaptive.

People who love you will forgive habitual peccadillos. But, when habits inhibit teamwork on the job and drag down productivity, they need to change.

 

Neuroscience takeaway number one is that change is hard because it requires a significant metabolic investment to change habits.

This is where professional coaches, learning specialists, and organisational change experts from outside the organisation come in.

Not only can they take on some of the load and help craft a smoother way forward, But by coming from outside the organisation, they are perfectly equipped to offer an external perspective, and can help highlight existing patterns and challenges- knocking the brain out of idle mode, telling the brain “hey, this is important.”

Maybe we need to shift our mindset, maybe we need a new set of skills to reach a new vision, or maybe we just need to stop banging our heads against the brick wall and change our behaviour to change an outcome. There can be many reasons to seek change, and many benefits for making the investment to do so. But we do need to be smart about it, resources aren’t unlimited.

Effective coaches and facilitators support the process by connecting and communicating with clients to better understand context and goals, and to identify the bad habits or behavioural patterns that inhibit performance. They can guide and empower us to establish and practice new habits that rewrite established neural pathways.

 

Neuroscience insight number two: the evidence shows it typically takes 90 days with feedback to change a habit.

This can be difficult to achieve alone, particularly when there are so many other priorities demanding our time, energy and attention.

Our brains can do amazing things, but they also have limitations. This is where knowing and applying best practices comes in. For example, directing and maintaining attention on learning new behaviours is difficult, and memory lapses. People often learn best through trying, and through failing a few times. Indeed, despite people’s best efforts, one can’t simply master a new skill by looking it up online or asking an AI chatbot. Many people seeking coaching are highly motivated at the start, yet the motivation dwindles as stumbling blocks start to appear.

It takes time, repetition, and rehearsal to embed new knowledge into the brain that results in new behaviours. This requires articulating a compelling outcome, motivation to persist through challenges, ownership, and, to really get things moving, an understanding of effective reward mechanisms.

It is no wonder that change efforts often fail for individuals, teams and organisations, because of all the neural and behavioural barriers to change. Here’s the key point: individuals who want to improve their performance don’t need to be scientists to reach their goals. They can partner with people that have this expertise, to support and guide them to reach their goals. In addition to setting goals and knowing why change is needed, real habit change comes from guided practice and encouragement.

Well timed individual and team coaching sessions are immensely helpful in sharing experiences, making connections, collaborating, and overcoming the obstacles faced in applying new approaches. Well-spaced learning activities offering knowledge, ideas, and tangible options can help generate clarity and positivity. Creating space to share interests, frustrations, learnings and possible solutions improves emotional fitness and mental clarity. A supportive, and empowering facilitator and coach who understands the context and is invested in one’s success is essential for rapid progress.

Consistent and sustainable action is the key to habit change, and consistent tracking of effort and progress is an important supportive resource. For example, through a behavioural habit tracking app, or Immersion Neuroscience’s SIX app. SIX captures neurologic data showing users that new habits produce more peak performance experiences. SIX also links to users’ calendars, showing the activities performed with peak performance and revealing those tasks that need more practice. It even enables users to form groups that can support habit change, allowing others to offer encouragement on the journey. In this way, SIX objectively proves the return to coaching.

Not sure yet if you should engage a coach to work with on reaching your goals? Not sure if a skilled facilitator can help you and your team get on the same page and get moving toward shared priorities and change goals? You probably know what we think.

Immersion Neuroscience and Steople partner on a range of science-informed initiatives with shared clients – supporting individuals and teams in building capability and measuring success through a range of tools and technologies.

Contact us for more information on how we can help you.