Triple Impact Coaching:
Use-of-Self in the Coaching Process
Reflecting on the Past, Present, and Future
Beverley Patwell MA - Patwell Consulting Inc.
Beverley Patwell, MA
is an
international OD scholar-practitioner,
consultant, and coach. She has an
MA and a BA in Applied Social
Sciences, Family Life Education Certificate, Special
Care Counselling Diploma, and other certifications.
She teaches at the University of Notre Dame,
Concordia and Queen’s University. She is a senior
associate with the Niagara Institute and a partner with
CoachingOurselves. Beverley has written several articles
and is co-author of Triple Impact Coaching: Use of Self
in the Coaching Process with Edith Whitfield Seashore.
Author’s
Contact Information:
Beverley Patwell, MA
Phone: 250-382-1908
Patwell Consulting, Inc.
175 Olive Street
Victoria, British Columbia V8S 3H4
Canada
Abstract
Triple Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self in the Coaching
Process (Patwell, Whitfield Seashore 2006) is in
its 11th year of publication. In celebration of this
milestone, we will hear from the author and 24
multi-generational Canadian leaders about Edie’s
impact in Canada and their thoughts about what
remains relevant, what has changed and what we
need to consider in the next phase of Triple Impact
Coaching going forward. We will also learn about
their favorite Use-of-Self concepts and exercises
that are timeless and continue to be relevant and
critical in their personal and professional quest for
mastering Use-of-Self.
Keywords: triple impact coaching, use of
self, coaching, coaching process, team coaching,
organizational coaching, mentoring, culture,
leadership, choices, reframing.
Email: bpatwell@patwellconsulting.com
Website: www.patwellconsulting.com
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Edie and Charlie Seashore had a huge impact
on my life personally and professionally. This
article will celebrate their legacy and provide you
with the story of how I first met the Seashores and
how they influenced the practice of organizational
development in Canada.
I will also talk about our book, Triple
Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self in the Coaching
Process (Patwell, Whitfield Seashore 2006)
and the reflections and insights gained from 24
conversations with multi-generational leaders to
illustrate what remains relevant, what has changed
and the implications for continuing our quest for
mastering our Use-of-Self as leaders, managers,
coaches, mentors, organizational development, and
change practitioners.
Background and Context
How were you introduced to the concept of Useof-Self and how has it influenced your scholarship
and practice of OD?
In 1995, I met Charlie Seashore who taught
me in the Master of Applied Social Science Program
at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec
Canada. At the time when we met, this was a new
Master in Organizational Development program
in Canada modeled after American University’s
Master of Science in Organizational Development
(MSOD) program where both Charlie and Edie
taught. I was a student in the first graduating
class. Being the first class, we were provided with
a unique opportunity to select an elective course
for our second year. One day, over lunch, Charlie
talked about Edie and her course called Use-of-Self
as Instrument, which sounded very interesting, so
we chose it as our elective. Edie taught us then and
continued to teach in the program for many years
afterward. This course changed my life as it did for
many others.
Edie and I connected right away and
developed a relationship that flourished. She was
my teacher, mentor, coach, business partner, and
friend. Out of the many stories that I could share, I
will focus on two special memories.
The first occurred in the late 1990s when
OD was beginning to take on a strategic and more
formalized role in Canadian organizations. It was
an exciting time of innovation and opportunity
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for OD. At that time, I met regularly with a small
group of OD practitioners in the Ottawa area for
informal lunch and learns to talk about OD. This
small group became the planning committee for
our OD community’s professional development.
As a team, we designed a founding meeting for
our Ottawa Outaouais OD Network organization
and invited Edie to give a talk about The History
of OD to approximately 200 potential members. At
the beginning of her talk, Edie was asked “When
are you going to retire?” Edie replied, “Ok, let’s
just say, for those who want to know, I am retired.
Now I am doing what I love.” Her mantra was
“I am not going to retire, I am going to expire!”
By living her life to the fullest, Edie inspired me
and was a role model for living with purpose
and passion, each and every day of her life. And
yes, at the end of this meeting, we had 120 new
members in our network. The Ottawa Outaouais
OD Network grew to include many communities of
practice and provided professional development for
OD practitioners in Quebec and Ontario for over 15
years. This story is a great example of Edie’s Useof-Self and her impact.
My second story took place in 2000,
when Edie agreed to work with one of my client
organizations where I was delivering a coaching
program to develop leaders and teams to lead and
manage change. When we met to do the handover,
I presented Edie with a binder and the materials.
She encouraged me to write a book about coaching
and I agreed, on the condition that we do this
together. This was the start of a mutually rewarding
and unique partnership. In addition to teaching
together at McGill University, and our client work
in Canada, we launched our book, Triple Impact
Coaching: Use-of-Self in the Coaching Process
(TIC) (Patwell, Seashore 2006) that continues to
influence many coaching programs throughout
the world and is the foundation for my coaching,
change and OD practice and research.
Following graduation, the Seashores
sponsored me into National Training Laboratories
(NTL) where I was introduced to a wonderful
network of OD practitioners, academics and fellow
internal and external consultants who have, and
continue to inspire and influence my OD practice.
At that same time, Edie also sponsored Katherine
Farquhar, the Director of the MSOD Program
Organization Development Journal l Summer 2019
at American University (AU). Katherine and I
became life-long learning partners and shared
a passion for teaching. We worked on a new
International Consulting Course for the MSOD
and brought 3 classes of international students to
Montreal and Ottawa to do their residencies in
Canada. As part of our teaching team, we engaged
professors from the AU, NTL, Canada, members
of the Ottawa Outaouais OD Network and local
industry leaders in HR, OD, private, public, and
volunteer organizations. The students worked on
compressed OD projects with our Canadian clients.
Throughout this fieldwork course, the students took
time daily to reflect on their evolving Use-of-Self,
both as OD practitioners and as team members
within a consulting group. This was a rich learning
experience that influenced the direction and practice
of OD in our local organizations and continues
today.
What is Triple Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self in
the Coaching Process?
In an excerpt from the preface of our book
Charlie Seashore described Triple Impact Coaching
as follows:
The focus of Triple Impact Coaching is
Use-of-Self. It is simple, profound and infinitely
complex—all at the same time. We know the value
of instruments and tools of the trade in all of our
various professions. We also know that there is a
temptation to attribute the success of our work to
the technical tools or strategies that we use and
the accompanying belief that all we need to do to
increase our range of effectiveness is to acquire
more of these tools.
The simple theme of this book is to pay
the most attention to the person using the tools,
meaning oneself, rather than focusing on the design
of the tool. An excellent tool in the hands of a
struggling professional can do great damage while
an imperfect tool in the hands of a true craftsperson
can morph into an awesome impact at individual,
team, and organizational levels.
Use-of-Self is a bit different from the
adage, Know Thyself—it asks the practitioner to
pay attention to the process by which we make our
choices and decisions. It is all about how we choose
to perceive the world, how we expand our choices,
and then, and only then, decide what to do in the
specific situation at hand. (Patwell et al., 2006, p.6)
Expanding our range of choices and
recovering our awareness of the possibilities before
taking action is the business of Use-of-Self in Triple
Impact Coaching. Staying open, as stress and the
level of demand for action increases, requires each
of us to develop support systems and feedback
processes that provide sound and current data. This
process helps us influence and continually adapt to
the unfolding situation in front of us. With practice,
one can develop this action research process so that
we are in flow with our work and our interactions
with others. That is where the complexity comes
into play. It requires us to think in terms of systems
dynamics rather than using a simpler cause and
effect mental model. (Patwell et al., 2006, p.7)
These are the tools which allow us to
influence the quality of relationships which in
turn can facilitate, block, or distort the intended
outcomes and our work. In this sense, each of us is
a theorist about the conditions under which we can
draw on the wisdom of those who have contributed
to the literature. We can learn much about the
conditions under which we are likely to be helpful
to others and, on a good day, we can even influence
how our clients can use themselves more effectively
in their roles as leaders, change agents, facilitators,
managers or influential role models, coaches and
mentors. (Patwell et al., 2006, p.7-8)
Given this description and overview, we will
now explore what 24 multi-generational leaders have
to say about Triple Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self
in the Coaching Process. Here is the methodology
that we used to guide our conversations.
Methodology
Objectives
From January to February 2018, I held
conversations with 24 multi-generational Canadian
leaders to review the Triple Impact Coaching: Useof-Self in the Coaching Process Model to determine
if it remains relevant for today’s leaders and if so,
what concepts are applicable for today’s leaders,
what has changed and what recommendations we
should consider going forward.
Description of Participants
Participants held multiple roles ranging
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from executive leaders, managers, front line service
providers, internal and external organizational
development and change consultants, entrepreneurs,
team leaders, board members, academics,
administrators, educators, researchers, coaches,
mentors and volunteers.
They had three levels of experience with the
concept of Use-of-Self:
1. Master leaders who had more than 20 years
of work experience and application of Useof-Self. This group learned about TIC
through workshops, read the book, received
coaching and mentoring and incorporated
Use-of-Self and the TIC Model in their
work.
2. Experienced leaders who learned about Useof-Self through coaching and mentoring,
other workshops and formalized training in
their workplaces; and
3. Emerging leaders who had no previous
exposure to TIC.
The conversations included:
• 17 individual interviews;
• One focus group comprised of 4 internal
strategic human resources and organizational
development practitioners;
• One focus group comprised of 3 Generation
Z university students who all had leadership
experience obtained through part time work.
Conversation Guide
This guide was used for each conversation.
1. What is your role?
2. How were you introduced to the concept of
Use-of-Self?
3. How do you define the concept of Use-ofSelf?
4. How has Use-of-Self influenced your
organizational development, leadership, or
management practice?
5. Our book, Triple Impact Coaching: Use-ofSelf in the Coaching Process was launched
in 2006, more than 11 years ago. Please
review the Triple Impact Coaching model
and answer the following questions.
a. What has changed since you were
introduced to Triple Impact Coaching:
Use-of-Self in the Coaching Process?
b. Is this model still relevant for you in
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your work?
c. What would you continue to honor or
leverage, change, modify or adapt in
the model, given your current work
experience?
d. If you have not seen the model before,
please answer the question based on your
experience and current understanding of
the Triple Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self
in the Coaching Process Model.
Triple Impact Coaching Model© Overview
The Triple Impact Coaching Model© (Patwell et
al., 2006, p.24) resembles a speedometer. It is a
layered approach to coaching that involves working
with individuals, teams and the organization to help
people attain, maintain, or adjust their behavior to
achieve their desired impact and performance at all
levels.
Using Figure 1: Triple Impact Coaching
Model©, you will see at the center of the model is
the individual focused on developing their Use-ofSelf as they move from being unaware to becoming
aware, informed, intentional, and conscious about
their Use-of-Self and the choices they make in their
approach to living their best selves and achieving
their desired performance and impact.
TIC considers the individual’s personal
and professional contexts, influences, connections
and supports to fully understand their strengths,
challenges and desired objectives so that the
coaching process may be customized to meet their
needs and sustain change over time.
Lastly, the dial on the speedometer features
four key low-tech-technologies: choices, reframing,
power and feedback that are available to help
individuals to help themselves, and help others
achieve and sustain their desired performance.
Analysis
The following is a summary of the
highlights of the study including feedback on what
has changed, an overview of three exercises that
participants experienced as transformative for them
and that they believe remain relevant: Choices,
Reframing and Appreciating Differences, and their
recommendations on what we need to consider in
the next phase of the development of the Triple
Impact Coaching Model.
Organization Development Journal l Summer 2019
Figure 1. Triple Impact Coaching©
What has Changed?
The description of Use-of-Self has
become more robust and reflective of the impact
of technology, the speed of change, and the
complexities and impacts of our current world,
work, and life contexts.
Figure 2. Descriptors of Use-of-Self
Figure 2: Descriptors of Use-of-Self
decisions
process
power
Use-of-Self
interaction
layered impact
choices
values
alignment beliefs
reframing intergenerational
transformation organization
Support
self awareness
diversity intersections
accountability feedback
Conscious and unconscious bias systems
learning empathy
influence community
context Intention authentic change
reflection mindfulness experience
culture
presence
emotional intelligence motivation
resiliency connection coaching
Participants described Use-Of-Self as a
dynamic, continuous process that applies in both
their professional practices and in their personal
lives.
Figure 2: Descriptors of Use-of-Self
represents the most frequently used words that
participants used to describe Use-of-Self. The
top three descriptors were self-awareness, layered
impact, and Use-of-Self as a dynamic continuous
process.
Upon reflection on their personal impact
of Use-of-Self, participants stated that they value
feedback and how it accelerates learning on all
levels. They are more purposeful and intentional
than they previously saw themselves, especially
in how they are making choices and being open
to multiple and diverse perspectives. Finally, they
experience Use-of-Self as a process that enhances
their relationships and effectiveness as leaders and
managers.
Participants stated that when they pay
attention to their Use-Of-Self, they are more selfaware, intentional and authentic in how they are
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and want to be “showing up” in their relationships
at work and play, as well as in their communities.
They said that when they trust themselves, they
are able to trust others which led to a faster path
to creating common ground, collaborating as a
team, and achieving their desired organizational
goals. They saw TIC as adding value that results in
greater achievements for their clients, colleagues,
stakeholders, community and the planet.
Here is how one participant explained UseOf-Self:
“I am constantly juggling what is needed
to lead my team, deal with staff issues and crises,
manage the day to day operations, and develop the
big picture, vision, and strategy for my organization.
Use-of-Self is in the midst of it all. It helps me to
be self-aware by reflecting on my behavior and the
intended and unintended impacts that I am having
with my team, and the organization. The Use-ofSelf process is instrumental in helping me develop
strategies to maintain resilience and be responsible
and effective as a leader and manager. It also helps
me to help others to do the same. I see the concept
as a way of emphasizing the intersection of self
with the many other considerations that permeate
effective leadership.”
Another leader tells the story of how she
used TIC to lead culture shifts in her organization.
“I work in a unique city where we formalized
and embedded TIC at the system and organizational
level. The TIC concepts and principles are
incorporated in our management forums, people
strategy, and strategic plan. It is the framework
that guides all our work. We are measuring how
well we are doing through our organizational
culture assessment process, service outcomes and
performance management process. TIC is part of
everything we do. It is not a singular program or
tactic. It is part of our culture and the way we do
things. It is our way of being.”
What Remains Relevant?
Choices, Reframing, and Appreciating
Differences are three concepts and exercises that
participants continue to keep top of mind when
they think of Edie. Here are the descriptions of
each exercise and testimonials that celebrate Edie’s
impact, legacy, and her valuable lessons about Useof-Self.
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Choices Exercise
Edie continued working on The Choice
Awareness Matrix after the publication of TIC
(Patwell et al., p.30). Figure 3: Choice Awareness
Matrix was her latest version and continues to help
us reflect on our beliefs, values, perceptions, and
behaviors that influence our choices and interactions
with others. Awareness of these aspects of ourselves
enables us to make better choices about how we
intentionally want to interact with others and
achieve our desired impact. When we are aware
of our choices we are accountable, deliberate, and
intentional in how we choose to think and act.
Here are a few questions to help you reflect
on and explore your choices as you lead and manage
change. Think of a time when you resisted change.
What did your behavior look like when you were
resisting change? Why were you resisting? What
did resisting do for you?
Using your example, look at Figure 3:
Choice Awareness Matrix. Were you aware of the
choices you made when you were resisting change?
We often assume that we are always choosing to
be our best adult self and that we mature with age.
However, we know this isn’t true. As you might
have guessed, you probably, behaved like most of
us. At some point you may have behaved poorly,
blamed others, or acted out. Basically, not lived
your best adult self. Alternatively, you may have
attributed your success and praised other people in
your life such as your teacher, colleagues, and even
your team.
Here is an example of how I experienced the
choice awareness matrix through the installation of
a new accounting system. Just as I was leaving to go
on a business trip, I was provided a link to do a video
demonstration as part of my orientation to the new
system. I don’t like technology and procrastinated
doing the pre-work. As a result, when I went to
do my first invoice, I was anxious and worried that
I would make a mistake and lose my data. I was
also very angry and frustrated because it took a
lot longer to do the invoice. I reacted poorly and
blamed the IT manager for not setting me up with
the right tools to make the process easier. My best
adult could have chosen to take responsibility for
my own actions by being more patient, choosing a
better time for the implementation, expressing my
training needs and ultimately, doing my homework.
Organization Development Journal l Summer 2019
Figure 3: Choice Awareness Matrix
Figure 3. Choice Awareness Matrix
Awareness
Choice Attributed to
Self
Choice Attributed to
Others
Aware
ACCOUNTABLE
Deliberate
Intentional
PRAISE OR
BLAME
Unaware
AUTOMATIC
Robotic
Habitual
SOCIALIZATION
Inheritance
Adapt
Assimilate
This would have made the change process more
effective for both of us.
So, what influences our choices? The choice
awareness matrix highlights the choices we make,
and how we attribute our choices to ourselves and
others. When we are aware of our choices, we are
deliberate and accountable. We take ownership of
our choices and actions. Like in my example: I
could have chosen to take ownership for not doing
my homework and my poor behavior.
When we attribute our choices to others and
are aware of our choices, we blame or praise others.
In my example, I blamed the IT manager for not
providing me with a guide. Instead I could have
chosen to thank him for his hard work in getting
the system ready for when I returned and expressed
what I needed to learn and adapt to the new system.
Sometimes, we make choices even though
we don’t recognize that we are choosing. When
this happens, we are operating on automatic. For
instance, think of how you use your phone. When
it rings, beeps, or alerts you to an email or a text,
do you look at it right away? Or do you answer it
automatically regardless of who you are with?
We also make choices through assimilation
based on how we were socialized in our values,
beliefs, and culture. For example, in the workplace,
you may have been socialized to respect authority
and people in positions of power. If this is the
case, you may choose not to challenge your boss
or boss’s boss when you are in meetings. You may
even wait until you are called upon to speak. What
have you assimilated that you choose to focus on
in your interactions with people in positions of
power and authority? How do you recognize when
assimilation (unconscious bias) is taking over?
What choices are you making in how you show up
in your leadership role?
You can use the choice awareness matrix to
reflect how well you are doing in being accountable
and to understand your impact in making conscious
and deliberate choices. Here is a story from an
executive leader about choices and reframing.
The concept of choices and reframing has
stayed with me. I no longer say “You made me,”
or “I had or have no choice.” When I am at my
best, I remember that it is not all about me. I slow
things down and try to walk in the shoes of others,
to deepen my understanding and to gain empathy
for what the other person(s) are experiencing. I
listen to understand. My internal dialogue goes
something like this, “I always have a choice. I
make the decision about my reaction and response.
I can choose to be reactive or constructive in my
Use-of-Self.” This reframe was transformational.
Reframing Exercise
A director of mental health services recalls
this story: Edie once said to me “Play big, don’t
play small.” This tag line speaks to me of potential,
stay true to yourself, be authentic, and accountable.
We can’t do reframing without understanding our
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choices. They are symbiotic.”
Reframing in French is recentrer, meaning
to be re-centered. This concept helps us to “see” in
a different way.
Reframing changes the meaning we attach
to an experience, person, or context in such a
way that we can better understand ourselves
and intentionally develop strategies to be more
effective. Reframing helps us understand values
and beliefs that shape our mindsets and behaviors
in positive and negative ways (Patwell et al.,
p.63) The process gives us insight into how we
may unconsciously be blocking, influencing or
impacting a given situation. Choosing to view a
situation from a different perspective or angle gives
us an opportunity to change the meaning we give
it, and opens the way to more effective, intentional,
and conscious actions in Use-of-Self.
Reframing can also help us view a problem,
situation, or conflict from a different perspective
or angle, including how we look at the impossible
and make it possible. If we need a way to see the
world differently, we can stop ourselves with the
phrase, “Up until now,” and then try to reshape
the frame to bring us up-to-date. For example: If
someone says, “I never thought I could do it.” You
can say, “up until now” and watch their confidence
rise. Magically, they often discover how they can
achieve what they thought was the impossible.
Reframing equips us to be more conscious,
intentional, and objective.
It reduces the
emotionality of a situation by creating more choices
and strategies to reduce conflict within ourselves
and in our relationships, which then leads to more
effective results.
Edie used this story to illustrate the concept
of reframing:
“One day when my daughter, Becky, was
four years old we were supposed to do a number
of activities around town. It was pouring rain that
day and I said to Becky, ‘We can’t do what we
planned to do today because it is a lousy, crummy,
miserable day outside.’ Becky looked at me, looked
outside, and then said, ‘No Mommy, it’s a rainy
day.’ I looked again, and through her frame it was
a rainy day, and that’s all. So, we went out into
the rain and had a great time. Where did my frame
of a lousy, crummy, miserable day come from? I
remember hearing that phrase early and often in
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my childhood. The memories I recalled were, ‘if
you went outside in the rain, you’d get wet, then
you’d get pneumonia, and you’d die.’ A frame that
I still put around rainy days, even though over the
years I had to have been in the rain, surely gotten
wet, never had pneumonia, and am here to tell the
tale. However, to this day, my first thoughts on a
rainy day are my old frame, and then quickly and
consciously I go to my reframe and am off and
running.” (Patwell, et al., 2006, p.63-64)
Here is Edie’s exercise to help you practice
reframing (Patwell, 2006, p.64-67). Make a table
with three columns on a piece of paper and then
follow these three steps.
Step
1:
Complete
Column
1
“Characteristics that I value about myself.”
Select three to four characteristics that you
value about yourself. These must be one word and
can be adverbs and adjectives. No hyphenated words
or words using un-, or dis- for example: unhappy,
disengaged. Describe these characteristics and why
you value them.
Step 2: Complete Column 2 “Psychological
opposite.”
Write one word that describes your
psychological opposite for each of the characteristics
in the first column. These psychological opposites
cannot include words that begin with “non-,” “un,” “dis-,” and must be different words from the
ones listed in the first column. For instance, if my
characteristic is energetic, then my psychological
opposite might be lazy, not non-energetic. If my
characteristic is honest, the psychological opposite
could be deceptive, but not dishonest. The goal of
this part of the exercise is to help you to think more
deeply about your individual values, principles,
mindsets and the impact you are having when you
are living your psychological opposite. Reflect on
what you are thinking and what your behaviour
looks like when you are living/acting in your
psychological opposite. What does this mean for
you?
This part of the exercise may bring you out
of your comfort zone and possibly evoke a variety
of reactions. You may not like talking about or
describing your psychological opposite. Try to be
honest about your description of your Use-of-Self.
Our psychological opposites represent our shadow
self and are the parts of our behavior that we often,
Organization Development Journal l Summer 2019
don’t like about ourselves. Since we find them
unacceptable behavior in ourselves, we are likely to
have difficulty accepting these behaviors in others.
These behaviors may prompt us to get into conflict,
dismiss, and even dislike others.
Step 3: Complete the “Reframe” column.
Complete the reframe for each of your
psychological opposites. The reframe should be one
word, an adjective, or adverb that would make the
behavior acceptable to yourself and make it easier
for you to work with others who demonstrate that
behavior. To help develop the reframe, it is often
helpful to consider how you feel when you act in
your psychological opposite, which may be similar
to how others feel when they act in ways that you
find not acceptable. When we do this exercise
we are often asked, “Are we fooling ourselves?”
“Does this really work?” Our experience is that
reframing really works when the reframed mindset
and behavior is really acceptable to the person who
is doing the reframing.
Finally, the following exercise on
appreciating differences was one of Edie’s favorites
and one that continues to have a lasting impact for
many of the participants in this study.
Appreciating Differences - Vivre La
Différence Exercise
An OD Change Consultant interviewed in
our study, recalls a story about how Edie helped her
to appreciate her differences.
“Edie taught me how to reframe and
appreciate my difference as a strength. This
experience helped me learn new strategies for my
own Use-of-Self that positively benefited me, the
group, and my world outside the classroom. As an
ESTP, Edie told me that I had a rare MBTI type and
that I was a gift to the class because students like
myself don’t normally do Master programs. Edie
taught me how to look at things differently, see
differently. I learned that my preference for learning
was outside a structured classroom. The world,
and my experience in it, was my classroom. This
reframe, helped me to build confidence, apply new
ways of interacting with the group that enhanced
my learning and that of the group and ultimately,
inspired me to finish the program. I now have a
deeper appreciation of my unique contributions and
impact in groups.”
The participants in our study, regardless
of their diversity in age, gender, stage of life, and
career all aspired to live their best selves. They also
shared a preoccupation and worry about the impact
of the increased pace and complexity in the world.
Generation Z and X’s, Millennials and Boomers
all noted that the need for personal connection,
meaningful relationships and the mastery of our
Use-of-Self are the defining elements that will
make a positive difference in the way we live, work
and play.
Here are the reflections on why appreciating
differences is important from an experienced leader
working with emerging leaders.
“Use-of-Self requires empathy and the
capacity of both understanding your impact and your
ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
I am an older person working with young people
entering the workforce. I believe I understand their
dreams and challenges because I too did an MBA
and have worked and travelled internationally. This
is so far from the truth. I need to slow down my
impulse to jump in and listen more carefully for
connections and shared experiences. I realize people
are going through similar experiences, but I may not
always pay attention to their personal experience in
the same way. I sometimes assume I know them.
But I need to consciously work at being aware of
my own biases and pay attention to their unique
experiences, backgrounds and values that may be
influencing their work and life. Not all students are
the same. To be effective, I need an open mind and
to stop filtering my interactions and conversations
based on my own values, beliefs or experiences. I
need to validate what’s really happening. What I am
really hearing and experiencing? I need to notice.
Listen to hear. Hear to understand. I need to do
this in my work and at home. Use-of-Self requires
a sense of humility to be receptive to developing a
solution, the way forward, or a point of view that is
different from your own.
When I listen to myself speaking, I need
to remind myself that my point of view may be
inappropriate. It may not be relevant today. I
may need to be more open and adapt to listen for
understanding. If we don’t do this as the boomer
generation, we may turn off younger generations.
Today’s youth need to find things out for themselves.
It’s not all about me. I need to walk in their shoes.
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I am reminded that Use-of-Self is a continuous
process that requires the attention of my whole
being.”
Relationships and the performance of teams
and organizations can be greatly enhanced by
genuinely appreciating and leveraging diversity.
Here are guiding questions that Edie used to help
people to get to know each other better and explore
their differences and similarities so that they could
have a better understanding of how to work together
and be helpful to each other.
Appreciating Differences- Vivre La Différence
Exercise (Patwell, et al., 2006, p.58)
1. Where were you born and brought up?
What impact did this have on you?
2. Where were your ancestors from? What
impact did this have on you?
3. What was your family life like? What
impact did this have on you?
4. When did you first realize that you were
different, unique, and or special in a
significant way? What was the impact on
you then and now?
5. What were some significant events in your
life? What impact did they have on you?
What do we need to consider in the next phase of
the development of the TIC Model?
For the past 20 years, over 1000 leaders,
managers and project team members from 27
countries representing all types of organizations
have participated in Patwell Consulting’s leading
change and transformation programs. As part of the
programs, each participant and or team completed
a Change Leadership Challenge Assessment to
identify their strengths, challenges and the hot topics
that they wanted to work on during the programs.
This assessment helped participants to
reflect on their personal, team and organizational
goals before and during the program. It was also
used as one method to help them evaluate their
progress as they led and managed meaningful
change upon their return to their workplace.
These participants were leading large scale,
organization wide projects and initiatives, mergers
and acquisitions, designing and implementing new
processes, technologies, products, and/or services.
All of these changes required the participants to lead
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and manage culture shifts. Patwell defines culture
shifts as: “smart adjustments in organizations that
are created through a series of changes that result in
different ways of working and being in relationship
with each other” (Patwell 2014, p.4).
Consistently and over time, participants
requested support and development to
• lead, inspire, motivate and engage others to
support a shared vision;
• communicate change;
• create buy-in and adoption of new mindsets,
behaviors and skills;
• motivate and engage employees throughout
the change process.
At the root of all of these priorities is the
Use-of-Self. This is consistent with what we heard
in our conversations with the 24 participants in our
study. They said that they are working in a frenetic,
fast paced world with increased complexity. Despite
the exponential impact of technology, participants
want connection and meaningful relationships.
Communication is also critical and challenging
for them, given the pervasiveness of social media,
shorter news cycles, and the volume of immediate
and easily accessible, real and fake information.
Participants also stated that compared to the past,
there is little or no time for reflection and thoughtful
action.
They are also experiencing the impact of
the uneven distribution of power and an erosion
of ethical behaviour. Balancing the expectations
of the individual and the collective, as well as the
broader stakeholder groups within the larger global
context is more challenging today than in the past.
They need to define new governance models,
clarify roles and relationships that are more fluid
and interdependent. They are also challenged in
prioritizing and balancing their life, work, time and
resources.
Every participant, regardless of experience,
education, professional role, gender or ethnicity,
believes that TIC concepts are still relevant or more
relevant and important today than ever before.
They see effective Use-of-Self as a continuum of
skillsets. It is the perfect marriage of practical,
lived experience and conceptual learning.
To enhance the TIC model, participants
suggested refreshing the graphic to depict
movement and incorporate the current world
Organization Development Journal l Summer 2019
context and emerging trends such as the importance
of ethics and the role of technology, socio-cultural
and economic changes, geo-political influences,
environmental sustainability, social justice issues,
and our global and local concepts of community.
They would also like to see how the
research of emotional intelligence, neuroscience
and mindfulness impacts our development of Useof-Self. These changes would require a new toolkit
that is enhanced with technology and distance
learning and continues to support self-directed
individual and team learning, teaching, coaching
and mentoring.
Communication, interpersonal skills, and
dealing with conflict were identified as personal
challenges and at the same time essential skills to
develop and sustain meaningful connections and
relationships. Here is a Generation Z participant’s
view on the impact of technology in building
relationships and meaningful connections.
“Technology and the role it plays in the
new world of work and the implications on Useof-Self is important. Social media and technology
to support online communities and forums for
networking and collaboration exist and provide
instant and constant communication. However,
because technology exists does not equate to being
connected. We need to sort out real news from
fake news, gems from junk. It looks like we as
Generation Z are hyper-connected. It is artificial
connectivity. We need to make choices about who
we want to be connected with. We are learning and
applying our social skills online by making choices
about how we show up and who we follow and not.
Technology can be used creatively, purposefully,
and also negatively. It is a choice to use it to help
or harm. Our tag line is “Check yourself before
you wreck yourself.”
Although Gen Z were introduced to TIC in
this study, they related to the concepts and saw Useof-Self piercing through all layers of the model. As
such, they recommended as did the other leaders,
to add one more layer of impact, community, and
sustaining our planet. Here is how one Gen Z
explained her rationale, “We want to ensure the
company we work for cares about sustainability and
thinks of our children as the next generation. We
are looking for meaningful roles, work that taps into
our passion and is better than just a job. Ultimately,
we want an opportunity to have a positive impact in
our community and planet. This approach is good
for our mental and physical health.”
Regardless of the generation, participants
validated the concepts of TIC and the importance
of developing Use-of-Self as a mindset, process,
and life-long journey. They provided examples of
how they valued working with diversity, including
their own strengths, differences, and vulnerabilities.
They also talked about the impact of technology
and social media and the challenge they face in
being present versus on automatic. Lastly, all
participants identified a significant change on the
levels of impact. They see the impact of Use-ofSelf extending beyond the level of organization to
include community and planet. This is a significant
shift from when TIC was first developed.
Conclusion
Our quest for mastering Use-of-Self
remains important regardless of our generations,
gender, stage of life and career. We know that Useof-Self is a lifelong journey and will be challenging
given our increasingly more complex, fast paced,
and constantly changing world. Technology will
continue to evolve and present new challenges as
well as opportunities.
Regardless of these changes, our Use-ofSelf is the only factor that we can control. Going
forward we need to be open to learning and
accountable and intentional in how we show up
and are present, so that we can live our best selves
and positively make a difference for our teams,
organizations, communities and our planet.
What will you do the next time you find
yourself asking “What is this situation challenging
me to do, or think, or be, that I haven’t needed to
consider before?” The possibilities are endless!
Edie and Charlie were our teachers, coaches,
and mentors. The lessons they taught us continue to
live on in everyone they touched. Their life’s work
has global reach and continues to create positive
change in the world. I am grateful for their generous
gift of Use-of-Self and the stories they shared with
us all over the years.
Patwell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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References
Patwell, B. & Whitfield Seashore, E. (2006)
Triple Impact Coaching: Use-of-Self in
the coaching process Victoria, BC Patwell
Consulting Inc.
Patwell B., (2014). Leadership sustainability:
A framework to sustain culture shifts.
Queen’s University IRC. Retrieved from
http://irc.queensu.ca/articles/leadershipsustainability-framework-sustain-cultureshifts p4.
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