Almost every week, I am contacted by someone who is experiencing a role change imposed on them, considering changing roles or would like to be more effective in their role.
The conversation begins at a high level, summarising what is occurring and the options. If the nature of the chat remains at that level, it feels very clinical and doesn’t serve the person I am speaking with as well as it could. In most instances, we end up taking a holistic approach, and sometimes the PERMA model by Martin Seligman (a forefather of Positive Psychology) based on decades of research, is very useful.
What does PERMA incorporate?
- Positive Emotions – looking into the future with hope and enjoying the present.
- Engagement – what activities result in a person being in “flow”, being absorbed in an activity?
- Relationships – where are their strong relationships? What could be stronger?
- Meaning – when are we contributing to something greater than ourselves?
- Accomplishment – what are we doing or have completed? “I did it, and I did it well.”
As a coach (not a psychologist) who structures these conversations, I ask questions and qualify what actions a person would consider. The PERMA model helps this.
If you know somebody undergoing change, PERMA is worth exploring, and you can read more here.