Coaching Cases | Cynicism

Common Symptoms

Often negative and using sarcasm
Believing the future is bleak
Believing people act only out of self interest or cannot see the good in people
Can't take compliments
Complaining about the news
Always preparing for the worst

Ways to Work with
‍The Case

Limiting Beliefs

Your Coachee needs to identify common limiting beliefs that prevent him/her from living the life that he/she desires and reshapes them positively.

Step 1: Ask your Coachee to imagine and write on a paper his/her life if money and time was no issue. Write as many details as possible.
Step 2: ask your Coachee that are preventing him/her to reaching this dream life.
Step 3: ask him/her write the childhood negative stories he/she tells himself/herself such as "my parents were poor", "my father was violent".
Is there any overlap between Step 2 and 3. Analyse the answers.

Reframing

Reframing or cognitive reframing is a technique used to help create a different way of looking at a situation, person, or relationship by changing its meaning. It helps clients look at situations from a slightly different perspective.

One great tool to support the reframing process is the Wheel of Happiness. It will help your Coachee visualise all the important levers of happiness in his/her life: gratitude, sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, acts of kindness, social connections, learn and explore. Ask your Coachee to draw his/her Wheel of Happiness grading for each area, the happiness level today and the targeted level. Analyse which areas have the biggest gaps between the 2 levels (today vs targeted) and reasons why.

The 360

The 360 helps to highlight the difference between the perception of self and how others see the person. The 360 may help bridge that gap.

Think of 5 people whose opinion your Coachee respects and trusts. Ask them for a 360 feedback. For example: what are the coachee's key strengths, achievements, what they value the most about your coachee and one area of improvement.

Enneagram

Enneagram is a personality test that points the Coachee toward one of nine major personality types and the inner workings of the type, in order to grow and thrive as an authentic and fully embodied person. It will also analyse the typical behaviors in grow and stress modes.

Ask your Coachee to take the Ennegram profiling test. You can use the GoMasterCoach app. Analyse the results and what resonates with your Coachee.

View Sources

The Impostor Syndrome: Becoming an Authentic Leader, by Harold Hillman, Chris Abernathy, et al

The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress and Anger that Trigger Addictive Behaviors (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook), by Rebecca E. Williams PhD and Julie S. Kraft MA