About us
We all aspire to live meaningful, productive lives, yet so many of us struggle to get there. We feel fatigued, frustrated or fearful. We’re hemmed in by our basic beliefs about who we are and what we are capable of.
For many of us, relationships are the main arena for our frustrations. We know that to achieve anything substantial in this world, we need to work with and through others. Yet it often feels like an uphill battle.
We realise we need support.
Why we exist
Reflecting Power exists to help you release what you’re truly capable of and succeed at what’s important to you. To do that, we:
Ultimately, we exist to help your organisation succeed and your team “work.”
And for the world to be a better place because if it.
Who we work with
Outcomes
Through workshops or one-on-one coaching, we help you discover new ways of being that are more resilient, resourceful and effective.
Benefits for your team
- Increase your team’s capacity to get more done
- Achieve lasting cultural change
- Having training results stick and be implemented in practice
- Enhance ability to learn
- Solve seemingly intractable problems
- Build quality relationships and resolve conflict
- Develop key management skills
- Holding people to account
- Managing change
- Increasing creativity and innovation
- Improving productivity
Benefits for you as a manager and leader
- See opportunities you were missing
- Build or repair workplace relationships
- Be more effective in getting stuff done and producing business results
- Share feedback frankly and constructively
- Be more creative and inventive
- Have your team understand what is expected of them, and deliver to standard
- Take care of the people around you while producing outstanding results
In all our coaching and training, we go beyond the mechanics of human interactions, or tactical leadership.
Our approach is grounded in the school of ontological coaching, and works on the three domains of human existence:
1. Language
How you speak, how you listen, and how you think. With awareness and practice, you can change how you see yourself and the world through choosing changes in language.
2. Moods and emotions
Moods profoundly shape our experience of the world, what choices are possible, and how effective our actions are likely to be. Are you or your team downcast and in survival mode, or you agile, open to possibilities and at your most resourceful to be effective?
3. The body
Research shows that the way we walk, breathe and hold our bodies has a powerful influence on our moods and emotions as well as how others experience us. Shifting our physiology or posture is one of the most rapid and effective ways to shift our mood and be more influential with others.
These three domains are intertwined
You cannot change one without impacting others. Our goal is to help you make empowered, educated choices about which way of being will best serve you in the circumstances that you face.
My Story
Who we are
Reflecting Power is me, Ian Higginbottom and a network of experienced coaches and trainers.
I know the powerful impact that ontological coaching can bring, because I’ve experienced it in my own life.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve launched and managed companies that are today worth millions of dollars by taking actions that I (previously) did not think possible.
As a manager, I’ve taught and mentored staff to reach levels of performance they did not think were possible.
As a father, I have a beautiful and amazing 25 year-old daughter, who in 2016 is about to make me a grandfather – and with whom I have a relationship of a quality that has me deeply grateful.
The real story
The truth is that none of these achievements were possible without first working on myself.
I needed to face up to some of my most basic beliefs about who I was, and what I was capable of.
Through coaching and working hard on myself, I achieved far more than what I or anyone else would have predicted. I learned to change parts of myself that I thought were set in stone.
As an entrepreneur, I had succeeded so far on technical ability alone.
I began my career as a scientist with the Australian Antarctic Division, moving into software development. I was very comfortable analysing data, or designing the technical specifications of a clever algorithm. But standing up and delivering a talk to inspire my team… that was something ‘other’ people did.
I was astounded when I discovered that I had a choice. Through coaching, I learned that I could choose to be afraid, and stay silent, or contribute to others by sharing what I knew.
I started to speak publicly. I designed a training course that I delivered around the world. I was still afraid, but I didn’t let that stop me. Soon I was speaking to audiences of hundreds and our software sales took off.
This made me wonder: “If I can learn to speak publicly when I had thought I was genetically programmed not to, what else is it possible for me to change? Is there any part of my identity that really is fixed?
As a manager, I had to confront my lack of self-confidence, especially when it came to managing performance.
In one situation, it became clear that an admin team member wasn’t performing. But I was too afraid to address this with them. I promised my colleagues and myself that I would address the situation, yet then did nothing.
Being indecisive undermined my standing with my colleagues. It reduced productivity and damaged our relationship with some clients.
Here too, I realised I had a choice: to make a contribution, or remain on the sidelines. So I organised a meeting with the team member, outlined expectations and agreed on a plan with them.
When the situation didn’t improve, I terminated their employment. Crucially, though, I did it in such a way that they left, feeling good about themselves. I know this because they felt comfortable enough to come back to the office for morning tea for the next 6 weeks and were soon employed by another company in a role they were better suited for.
As a father, I had to stop and pay attention.
I noticed that my daughter often said, ‘Dad, you’re not listening.’ I was making attentive-seeming nods and sounds while thinking about business strategies. She was 12 at the time.
I realised that if I stayed on this course, she’d stop sharing her experiences with me. As she became a teenager, we would drift a part.
I found the courage to admit to her that she was right. I apologised for not listening, and let her know that I didn’t want to lose our connection. I committed to being fully present.
This was a turning point in our relationship. We grew closer and shared a few truly enjoyable years of her being a teenager. Now, 13 years later, she still occasionally says, “Dad you’re not listening,” and we laugh and I bring myself back to being fully present.
The professional is personal
Learning to be present with my daughter also marked a turning point in my sales and business success.
I discovered I could be fully present and deeply listen to the concerns of my staff, prospects and clients. It amazed me how many more sales I could make when clients felt that I really did understand their needs.