ROI Executive Coaching recently completed an executive team engagement.  The following post describes how the SCARF model served to guide the coach throughout the engagement.….

The SCARF model is an excellent tool for leaders, and it proved to be a highly practical and effective guide for ROI Executive Coaching during this phase. ROI remained cognizant of SCARF throughout the engagement and aligned behaviors to mitigate potential amygdala triggers that could interfere with a positive, productive frame of mind. (Goleman 2002)

This is a quick summary of ROI’s practical interpretation and application of SCARF from an executive coaching perspective (Rock, 2008):

Status

Status refers to an individual’s feeling of relative importance compared to others. Related research by Eisenberger and colleagues showed that when individuals perceive a reduction in status, or social pain, the same regions of the brain are lit up as would occur with physical pain. (Lieberman & Eisenberger, 2008). ROI focused on positive feedback and affirmations in an attempt to trigger the ventral striatum, the brain’s social reward system, and increase feelings of satisfaction.

Certainty

ROI was aware that the brain is a pattern-seeking device constantly seeking to predict outcomes to satisfy its craving for certainty. A blip in a predictive pattern can send an error signal to the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and interrupt an individual’s focus. ROI watched closely for expressions of uncertainty surrounding issues such as role definition, hiring decision, or financial transparency. To counter these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, ROI coached the client to find a place of increased certainty to calm the perceived threat.

 Autonomy

Autonomy refers to the feeling and belief that individuals have choices and some control over their environment. Addressing threats related to this domain may come most naturally to professional coaches. The professional coaching process empowers clients to discover their goals and co-create their programs. This approach places the client in the driver’s seat, and consequently calms potential threats to the individual’s autonomy. This is one of the many reasons that individuals find the coaching process pleasureable. ROI listened for instances where team members perceived an external threat to their autonomy, and countered with exploratory questions that helped them discover options and regain a sense of control.

Relatedness

This was the most complex and challenging domain to manage during this engagement. Relatedness refers to an individual’s sense of belonging, and how that person determines whether someone is on the team or not, i.e. friend or foe. ROI saw this domain as closely related to trust. Viewing a teammate as a competitor has been shown to significantly reduce an individual’s capacity to empathize. ROI witnessed behaviors and listened to perceptions of individual competition that triggered the threat response numerous times. ROI’s explanation of the brain science behind these feelings helped to normalize the emotions and equip the team members with the knowledge to relate more effectively.

Fairness

An individual’s threat response is easily triggered by a sense of unfairness. ROI witnessed numerous SCARF infringements throughout the engagement, with many of these related to a perception of unfairness. The OC decided to revisit its ground rules for behavior and focus on process management and role clarification, all of which appeared to mitigate most feelings of unfairness.

When a coach tunes into the five domains, the expressions of these threats are quite distinctive and difficult to overlook. One particular situation triggered all five domains for a team member, which catapulted her into significant distress and disengagement. During this individual’s personal coaching session we were able to tease out the SCARF threats, discover options and improve thinking to temper the concerns. This process significantly reduced her stress, enhanced her situation, and lessened the potential negative impact that her emotional distress might have transferred to the team.