担任过多年的精益教练之后，卡伦•罗斯摸索出了一套转变观念的新方法。记者最近采访了卡伦，听她分享了这种方法及其背后的心理学。
你能给我介绍一下使用教练方法改变观念的常规做法吗？
我和各种大小型的组织打过交道，大多是服务型组织，根据我的经验，改变观念的常规做法是，如果想让人们使用新的“精益”方式做事，我们首先需要改变他们的观念。所以，为了说服人们转变观念，我们会开发很多长期培训课程，内容包含采用新方法做事的原因，以及所有可能带来的好处。然后，我们把员工送进这些培训班，期望他们一旦完成培训，观念就可以马上改变，并自动开始用不同以往的方法做事。
你说话的语气告诉我这种方法行不通。
我个人的经验确实是这样的。通常，人们参加培训回来后会发生什么事情呢？什么都不会发生！他们的行为和培训前完全一样！他们实际上并没有改变做事的方法。即使人们认为他们在培训课堂上听到的想法非常好，可能会对工作有帮助，但大多数人都不会因为仅仅听到一个想法而突然改变他们的行为，他们不具备这种能力。
你为什么会这么认为呢？
有很多原因：
首先，我们总是认为，如果我们告诉某人去做某事，他们说：“好的，我马上去做”，然后那个人真的会去做！只是因为我们告诉他们要这样做！不幸的是，这种办法并不管用。对大多数人来说，改变行为都是一件很困难的事情。这和一个人的职位等级或头衔没有关系。我们都是人，用新的方式做事会让我们感到不舒服。
其次，人是有固定习性的动物。我们习惯用相同的方法做事，并在我们的大脑中产生神经传导通路。当我们按习惯行动时，我们的大脑会感到舒适和快乐。当我们感觉自己“了解”情况，那么面对它的时候我们就会感到舒适和快乐，有谁会不喜欢这种感觉呢？当人们觉得面对的是“未知”情况时，通常会感到不安和不开心，有多少人会真的喜欢这种感觉？
那么，你有什么补救办法吗？
我使用相反的做法，我先让别人尝试用不同的方法做事情。一旦他们以新的方式行事，并亲身体验到积极的效果，他们马上会改变自己的观念。
举个例子，假设我和一位领导人一起，我需要让他学习如何“亲自去看”以及现场观察的好处。我首先会做的第一件事是我们一起去现场安排我们的教练时间，而不是在领导人的办公室说“请到这个区域来找我，这里有我们要找的东西”。当我们一起去现场转过一圈，领导人有了崭新的大开眼界的体验之后，这时我才会开始给他讲一些理论性的东西。
你如何帮助人们克服不舒服的感觉？
我喜欢用“挑战”和“培育”这两个词。它们合到一起，构成了我的教练理念的基础。当我和一群人一起，需要改变他们的行为时，我知道他们会感到不舒服。所以，我先“挑战”，推动他们走出他们的舒适区。然后，当他们尝试新的行为时，我会和他们待在一起（经常站在他们旁边！）。这是许多教练经常忽视的“培育”部分。当我们的学员处于不舒适的学习区域时，作为教练，我们需要在他们的身边提供支持和鼓励，让他们在我们的看护下练习新的行为。如果我们“挑战”人们，让他们采取不同的行动，但是当他们在练习新的行为时，我们不“培育”，而是放任他们自己去闯，在我看来，这是非常失礼的。处于不舒适的学习区的人们需要“借他人的勇气”来用新的方式行事，而这个人最好是他们的教练。
你可以给其他教练一些好的建议吗？
记住，你正在训练的对象是人。当你“挑战”他们，让他们用新的和不同的方式做事时，他们会感到不舒服，你需要照顾和“培育”他们，直到他们从实践中获得自信。
英文原文：
How to More Effectively Change Mindsets through Coaching
In her many years as a coach, Karyn Ross has found an alternative to the current paradigm of changing mindsets. The Lean Post recently sat down with Karyn to hear about this new approach and the psychology behind it.
Can you describe to me the prevailing paradigm of changing mindsets in coaching?
In my experience working with a variety of organizations, large and small, mostly focused on services, the paradigm is that if we want people to ‘do things’ differently, in the new, ‘lean’ way, we have to change their mindsets first. So, in an effort to convince people to change their minds, we create long training classes with information about why they would want to do the new thing, and all of the possible benefits. Then we send people to those training classes with the expectation that once they’ve completed the training, their mindsets will be changed and they’ll automatically start doingthings differently.
Something about your voice tells me that that doesn’t work.
Not in my experience at all. In general, what happens when people come back from training is…nothing! They continue on with the same behavior they had before! They don’t actually ‘do’ anything differently. Even if people think the ideas presented are very good and could be beneficial, most don’t have the ability to suddenly change their behavior just because they’ve heard about an idea.
Why do you think that is?
A couple of reasons.
The first is, we think that if we tell someone to do something and they say, “Yes, I’m going to do it,”, that the person really is going to do it! Just because we told them to! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Changing behavior is difficult for most people. And it doesn’t matter what job grade or title a person has. We’re all human beings and doing things in new ways makes us feel uncomfortable.
Second, as human beings, we’re creatures of habit. We get used to doing something the same way and that creates neural pathways in our brain. When we act habitually, our brain makes us feel comfortable and happy. When we feel comfortable and happy we feel like we ‘know’ things, and face it, who doesn’t like to feel that way? And how many people really enjoy being unhappy and uncomfortable because they feel like they ‘don’t know’?
So, what is your remedy?
I use the opposite paradigm, which is that I have people do things differently first. Once they’ve acted in the new way and have personally experienced the positive results, they change their own mindsets.
For example, let’s say I’m working with a leader and I’d like them to learn how to “go see for themselves” and the benefits of going to the gemba. The first thing I’ll do is schedule our coaching times together at the gemba, not in the leader’s office, saying “Please meet me in this area, and here’s what we are going to look for.” After we’ve gone to see together, and the leader has had the new, eye-opening experience, I’ll follow up with a quick bit of theory, right then and there.
How do you help people over the feeling of being uncomfortable?
I’m going to use the words “challenge” and “nurture.” Together, they’re the basis of my coaching philosophy. When I work with someone to change their behavior I know that they’re going to be uncomfortable. So, I first “challenge” and push them to move outside of their comfort zone. Then, I stay with them (often standing right beside them!) as they try out the new behavior. That’s the “nurture” part that’s so often missed by many coaches. When our coachee is in the uncomfortable learning zone, we, as coaches, need to be right by their side for support and encouragement as they practice the new behavior under our watchful eye. If we “challenge” people to act differently, but don’t then “nurture” them while they practice the new behavior, we’re leaving them on their own to ‘sink or swim’. In my opinion that’s very disrespectful. People who are in the uncomfortable learning zone need to “borrow courage” to act in new ways. And the person they borrow that courage from is their coach.
What’s the most important piece of advice you can give to other coaches?
Remember that the people you are coaching are human beings. That they’re going to feel uncomfortable when you “challenge” them to do things in new and different ways, and that you need to care for and “nurture” them along as they gain the confidence that can only come from doing.
