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The Coaching Group of Switzerland

Top 11 Benefits of Self-Awareness According to Science

16/10/2019

Photo credit: yeshi-kangrang-unsplash

by Kelly Miller, Positive Psychology. com

So many humans are walking around this planet unaware of the impact they have on the people around them. Within each of us is a tremendous capacity to affect change. Yet, too many of us simply react to the creations of others.

Being self-aware and practicing daily reflection and introspection allows each of us the opportunity to find what we really want out of this precious life. We are all susceptible to outside influence and personal bias. Without self-awareness, we are even more susceptible.

When one can accomplish self-mastery through a deep understanding of the internal self and the public self through the attainment of true self-awareness, real freedom can be achieved. Let’s explore more...

How CEOs Should Spend Their Time

30/5/2019

By Patrick Lencioni
I’m a big believer in reminders. Samuel Johnson, the 18th-century author, once said that “people need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed.” I’ve learned this in the context of managing my own life, in the parenting of my children, and even in consulting to CEOs and other leaders. Which is why I wasn’t all that surprised when a long time client recently asked us the question, “as a CEO, I’m not sure how I should be spending my time every day.”

Here was a guy who has been using the organizational health concepts from The Advantage in his company for years, but who had lost sight of how those concepts should relate to the prioritization of his daily activities. Basically, he needed a reminder, which prompted me to write this essay.

The simplest answer to his question is this: “A CEO should spend most of his or her time doing the things that only he or she can do. Anything else can be delegated, and should be whenever possible.” There are a few responsibilities that leaders of an organization, whether they are CEOs, division presidents, school principals or pastors, cannot delegate. A large part of those responsibilities relates to what we call organizational health. They include:

Breaking the Nasty Habit of Self-Sabotage

1/11/2018

by Suzie Doscher

Feel like you keep facing the same uphill struggle?

Sometimes you create your own problems with your thoughts and beliefs. It is these particular thoughts that hold you back, keep you stuck and consequently limit you. In my coaching practice as well as my own personal experience, I have witnessed how a self-sabotage routine can be created with these thoughts and beliefs. If you find that you keep coming back to the same type of situation again and again, it is well worth exploring if, in fact, you are running a self-sabotage routine.

To break this self-sabotage cycle, you will need to first determine what this limiting thought or belief is. Once you have figured that out (by yourself, with the help of a friend/boss or qualified coach), consider the information below to help yourself make a lasting change.

The best approach is to replace whatever you are thinking is with a thought that is more positive. For example:

Columbia and Yale Scientists Found the Spiritual Part of Our Brains — Religion Not Required

18/10/2018

You don't have to be religious to have spiritual experiences. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Ephrat Livni
Scientists seek to quantify everything—even the ineffable. And so the human search for meaning recently took a physical turn as Columbia and Yale University researchers isolated the place in our brains that processes spiritual experiences.

In a new study, published in Cerebral Cortex (paywall) on May 29, neuroscientists explain how they generated “personally relevant” spiritual experiences in a diverse group of subjects and scanned their brains while these experiences were happening. The results indicate that there is a “neurobiological home” for spirituality. When we feel a sense of connection with something greater than the self—whether transcendence involves communion with God, nature, or humanity—a certain part of the brain appears to activate.

The study suggests that there is universal, cognitive basis for spirituality, as opposed to a cultural grounding for such states. This new discovery, researchers say, could help improve mental health treatment down the line.

The Most Important Skill Nobody Taught You

11/10/2018

Importance of learning the art of solitude

by Zat Rana
Before dying at the age of 39, Blaise Pascal made huge contributions to both physics and mathematics, notably in fluids, geometry, and probability.

This work, however, would influence more than just the realm of the natural sciences. Many fields that we now classify under the heading of social science did, in fact, also grow out of the foundation he helped lay.

Interestingly enough, much of this was done in his teen years, with some of it coming in his twenties. As an adult, inspired by a religious experience, he actually started to move towards philosophy and theology.

Right before his death, he was hashing out fragments of private thoughts that would later be released as a collection by the name of Pensées.

While the book is mostly a mathematician’s case for choosing a life of faith and belief, the more curious thing about it is its clear and lucid ruminations on what it means to be human. It’s a blueprint of our psychology long before psychology was deemed a formal discipline.

There is enough thought-provoking material in it to quote, and it attacks human nature from a variety of different angles, but one of its most famous thoughts aptly sums up the core of his argument:

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

6 Mental Habits of People Who Manage Their Emotions Remarkably Well

20/9/2018

When anger rises to the surface, they don't react -- they respond.

by Marcel Schwantes

Anger is one powerful human emotion. It is also a very normal human emotion that needs to be expressed in a healthy way. But there's a place and time for appropriate anger, and we all have to learn how to manage it before it escalates.

That takes emotional intelligence -- the ability to exercise self-awareness to understand the situation from multiple angles and self-control to see things through other filters before pulling the anger-trigger.

When anger comes knocking, and it will, we have to know how to deal with it appropriately. If mismanaged, it can take down company morale and sabotage your ability to lead and collaborate well.

Here are six habits of people that manage theirs remarkably well.

Mindfulness Is To Be In The Moment - In The 'Now'

30/8/2018

MIndfulness-LifeCoachZurich-SuzieDoscher-PersonalDevelopment-SelfHelpBook.JPG

Remain in the simplicity of the present moment.

by Suzie Doscher

There are wonderful books, classes, films, talks, workshops, DVDs, magazine articles, conversations, coaches, and therapists teaching the importance of being in the moment, staying in the now and going with the flow. But how do you really do this?

It seems odd that we do not just naturally live in the now. After all, almost everyone would agree that the present moment, the now, is all we have. The fact remains that most people do not live in the present moment and have to learn how to do so.

Reasons to master living in the moment:

You receive instant relief from stress
You are able to manage fears better
You become calmer. A sense of calmness enters if you stop to take a few breaths. Focusing on your breathing returns your mind to the present moment, away from your thoughts.
You feel stronger and some of your personal power returns. You feel stronger because you took charge of the moment. This offers the feeling of having influence and consequently strength.

Steps to practice being in the moment:

Control Freaks - Also Known as Micro-Managers

16/8/2018

by Suzie Doscher, Executive and Life Coach, Zurich, Switzerland

In the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of a “control freak” is “a person who feels an obsessive need to exercise control over themselves and others and to take command of any situation.” The Merriam Webster dictionary says that a control freak is “a person whose behavior indicates a powerful need to control people or circumstances in everyday matters.” One way or another, control freaks are not always easy to be around.
I understand this personality trait could stem from a chaotic childhood. Such experiences can make it hard for people to trust others or relinquish control to others. The fear of falling apart pushes them to control what they can. As their emotions are all over the place, they feel loss of control. For this reason, control freaks will micromanage whatever they can with the belief that this makes them strong. People who feel out of control tend to become controllers.

How Does Your Cognitive Style Impact Your Performance?

1/8/2018

How Does Your Cognitive Profile and Style Impact Your Performance

In an evening of viewing art and intellectual pursuits,
please come join Dr. Muggli at the
Foxx Art Gallery on August 22nd at 18.30
Places are limited Book your ticket soon - Eventbrite

You will walk away with:

Insights on how your cognitive profile has an influence on your performance and motivation.
How your cognitive profile influences your ability to get along with others.
How cognitive flexibility offers you greater influence, especially if you are a team leader.

An idea about how you can have greater cognitive flexibility for better results and happiness in the workplace.

Dr. Laura Muggli PsyD, a licensed psychologist based in New York City and Zurich has extensive training and experience in neuropsychology giving her an in depth understanding of the brain-behavior connection.

Act Not React - 8 Suggestions to Help You Learn This Skill

25/7/2018

by Suzie Doscher, Life and Executive Coach - The Coaching Group of Switzerland

Learning how to respond to a situation rather than reacting brings huge rewards. Needless to say, it is one of those behaviour changes that are easier said than done. However it can be achieved.
Being able to respond to /act upon means you are in a mindful place - a place where you are aware of your thoughts and feelings. This means you have considered the situation and the response that best suits you.
'Responding' rather than 'reacting' means you are choosing your behaviour. To 'react' indicates that a button has been pushed – something triggered you not to take the time to think and consider your response. This can often leave you in a position at the mercy of others.
Some of the benefits by stopping the knee-jerk type reactions are:

Sense of strength,
Sense of achievement
Power to influence – yourself and the situation
Calmness
An increase in your self-esteem

The rewards will be felt not only in your private life, but also at work.

Contact Information
The Coaching Group of Switzerland - General Enquiry

Suzie Doscher
Executive Coach / Life Coaching
Personal Development

suzie@coachgroupofch.ch
Phone: + 41 443 59 54
www.suziedoscher.com

Susan Begeman Steiner
Executive Coach, Business Coach
Team Coaching / Facilitation

susan@coachgroupofch.ch
Phone: + 41 586 89 16
www.sbsteinercoaching.com

Davide Costella
Communication Coaching
NLP Coach

davide@coachgroupofch.ch
Phone: +41 76 358 37 28
www.davidecostella.com