Oxford Brookes University10th Annual Coaching
& Mentoring Conference 16.1.14
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Transition to ‘civvy street’ difficult and complex
(FiMT report 2013)
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Skills and strengths not always obviously
transferable
Limited resources – need for clarity & robust
choices
Can strengths coaching offer a potential
solution?
How might a strengths coaching intervention
be used to help transitioning military find
direction?
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Usability: easily identify strengths?
Engagement: reactions to tool
Effectiveness: was it useful in finding direction?
Transferability: blueprint for future coaching?
Military identity
& transition
Positive
Psychology:
strengths
Counselling
strengths models
Career Change
and identity
Transition
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Evidence that strengths identification & use
increases both performance and well-being
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No direct evidence linking this to direction,
although some links to passions/interests
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Little research into how strengths interventions
work, or how to do them
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Interpretivist-constructivist paradigm
Qualitative research – 6 transitioning military
Purposive heterogeneous sample
Action Research – 2 full cycles
Used 24 strengths cards based on the Values-InAction Inventory (Peterson & Seligman, 2004)
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Data collection: full transcripts, reflexive diary,
observation, semi-structured questionnaires
Data trustworthiness: reflexive diary & critical
friends
Thematic analysis to interpret data –
amalgamation of inductive & deductive coding.
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Effective in eliciting narrative
◦ Coming to terms with leaving the military and
taking stock of present position
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Effective in exploring identity
◦ Reconciling authentic self and military self
◦ Identifying authentic strengths and
weaknesses - and accepting weaknesses
“You’re given a job, and expected to perform
against these standards. So after a few years
– what really is me? You need to find
yourself, get grounded. It’s where you start
and stop, and where the military bit starts
and stops.”
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Generating a vision
◦ Strengths insufficient on their own – required
values and interests/passions discussions.
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Exploring job fit
◦ Useful start-point for job criteria.
“I want to find out what it is I really enjoy and why, and
I want to see if I can find another jobs that satisfies
that.”
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Using strengths with coaching goals
◦ Most chose to work on weaknesses, and tune
down strengths.
“I find working on weakness more motivating. I find
strengths comforting. Strengths make me think that I
could get a job, but the weaknesses could be the
reasons I may not get one, so knowing them and
attacking them is a way to drive yourself forwards.”
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Useful focus in job search process
◦ Provided a language for communicating via
CV, at interview or social media
◦ Helped bridge the military-civilian language
barrier
“You’ve got to show that you’re commercially aware,
and explain military to non-military. If they ask you
about leading a team in a high pressure environment,
and the answer is about being shot at in Afghanistan,
how do you relate that to a commercial environment?”
Springboard
Compass
Build coaching alliance
Establishing client goals
Identify strengths & weaknesses
Generate job ideas
Make sense of current position
Build key Job criteria
Reaffirm authentic self
Discuss values & interests
Compare and contrast
jobs against criteria
Reconciling with past
Start to build future vision
Tools
Client sets priority
goals using
strengths
Refine and identify
key strengths for use
in transition
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Effective approach for a complex transition:
prompts narrative about past, present and future
Helpful vehicle for separating military vs individual
identity: addressed ‘strengths blindness’
Coach training in narrative and strengths
processes
Future research into using weaknesses vs.
strengths, or a combination – client education or
trial and error?
Growth vs. fixed mind-set
Future research: the military ‘superstrings’?
Figure 2: Action Research Cycles
Plan:
Action
Evaluate
Reflect
Session 1
Session 2
Cycle 1
Strengths cards
intervention, Goal
setting with strengths
Use questions and/or
Realise2 framework to
provide structure for SCI.
A4 goal sheet.
Questionnaire
Values and interests discussion
is necessary
Some choosing to tune down
strengths/work on weaknesses
Need simpler solution
for goals & strengths
Use cards physically?
Session 3
Cycle 2
Generate job ideas,
Values & interests.
Goals with strengths
Use tools to generate &
evaluating job ideas e.g. wheel
of work, questions, values
discussion. Bridges model to
prompt narrative. Questionnaire
Wheel is useful comparison tool – use on past
or present jobs? Selecting cards useful for goals
On-going desire to tune down strengths or work
on weaknesses, and increase vitality
Explain energizing use of
strengths? Need help with
strategies for navigating
neutral zone. Need
strengths reminder.
Discuss job criteria to
compare and shortlist
job options
Use criteria to discuss job
options. Growth vs. fixed mindset discussion
Questionnaire
Most prefer to work on weaknesses or
tune down. Self-selecting strengths
seems empowering, and can do
without writing down. Growth mind-set
= key
Some want more
structure. Longer time
period. Choice of
interventions.