What is Intentional Change and Why is it Important in Coaching

Intentional change is a change you want to make on purpose with the understanding of how doing so will affect your future self and your present experiences. Your present self is aligning your current actions with your future self.

Our future self is the psychologically connected part of us that thinks those big ideas we have about (fill in the blank) sound glorious and achievable and how we can envision our present self as successfully initiating or completing the necessary act. (This also means the less concern we have for our present self, the less connected and, therefore, the less interest we have in the health and well-being of our future self.)

Intentional change is important because it sets the tone, direction, optimism, and motivation of the specific goal(s) you want to achieve. These goals aren’t always lofty and can be smaller goals, tasks, and desires that you know need to be done to get you to your ultimate end goal, which honestly could be anything from gaining confidence in a skill or mindset, feeling accomplished or masterful in a particular field of study, to being able to respond to the ebbs and flows of life deliberately and with intention without the constant worry, angst, stress or disappointment.

To be clear, End Goals are the human experiences we desire to attain. Goals like obtaining peace of mind, having a happy and healthy relationship with ourselves or a family member, being able to spend more time with friends and family, having a new sense of self-worth and confidence, putting a stop to generational trauma, or living aligned to your true self rather than living as others expect or (because of circumstances) believing you can’t have what you want.

Means Goals, however, are the actions we take to get there. They are the big steps laid out on the garden path that help guide us to our desired End Goal. People tend to mistake a Means Goal for their End Goal, thinking, “Once I get my promotion…”, “Now that I’m finally engaged or married…” or “Now that I’ve received my certificate in (fill in the blank)…”. We first have to understand what we ultimately want from our life and then consider our motivations for wanting it. Without proper motivation, drive, and support, the path to our goal can be hard, difficult, and overwhelming, making us want to quit because the goal — even if it’s written in the literal stars specifically for us — will appear just too big.

As a society, we are conditioned in our beliefs, ideas, thoughts, likes & dislikes, and even our mannerisms. The desire to regain our authentic self for self-awareness and to change one’s life for the better is the emotional driver of intentional change and transformation. Change can be difficult and requires sufficient intent, intrinsic motivation, purpose, desire, and commitment to attain and sustain success. But change can and does happen, given right timing. If we avoid having a fixed mindset (believing our life and how we live it is set in stone), we can set ourselves up for success.

Intentional Change Theory (ICT), developed by Richard Boyatzis, Case Western Reserve, is an outline of 5 discoveries (or common sense steps) that need to take place if an individual wants to succeed in making desired and sustained changes in their behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. These occur when a person discovers something new about themself that is inconsistent, shows a contradiction in a previously held point of view of truth, logic, or reason, or is incongruent (incompatible or inappropriate) with their current understanding of self.

Boyatzis determined the five discoveries needed for change were:

1. Discover your ideal self (personal vision)

2. Discover your real self

3. Create your learning agenda

4. Experiment with and practice new habits

5. Get support

How can I get the best results from working with a Coach?

We recommend you are in a position where you can truly focus and invest in exploring yourself to get the best results. That means being motivated, accountable, and open to the coaching experience. Anything less will affect the outcome you receive. Coaching is not a ‘quick fix’. The best results take a thorough approach with focus. Missing or skipping your scheduled appointments — within limited reason — will often negatively impact your ability to focus and get the most from the sessions and work.