Introduction to Mindfulness - Dean Amory

Mindfulness and coaching
Mindfulness is a hot topic in coaching. Experts increasingly recognize
that developing mindfulness skills is an effective way to improve
performance, reduce stress, enhance emotional intelligence, increase
life satisfaction, and develop leadership skills. These experts include
such luminaries as Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional
Intelligence, and Richard Boyatzis, author of Resonant Leadership.
The ACT model, with its emphasis on mindfulness, values and action,
is ideally suited for executive coaching, life coaching, and sports
coaching. Values provide inspiration, motivation, and direction.
Mindfulness skills provide many benefits, including the ability to
reduce stress, rise above self-limiting beliefs, improve focus, develop
self-awareness, facilitate calmness, and handle difficult emotions such
as frustration, resentment, boredom and anxiety. ACT interventions
can be incorporated into other coaching models, or ACT can be used
as its own self-contained model.
The Benefits of Mindfulness for Coaches
Facilitates empathy, compassion, and unconditional positive
regard.
Allows you to stay focused and present, even when your
client is not.
Helps you stay grounded, centered and composed, even in
the midst of clients’ emotional turmoil
Enables a healthy attitude to therapeutic outcomes: neither
complacent nor overly-attached.
Helps you maintain direction and focus for therapy.
Increases your skills at observing your clients’ responses.
41