The Holistic & Systemic Principle in Transformative Coaching

In Towards the Whole Person - The Holistic & Systemic Principle in Transformative Coaching, Animas Founder and CEO Nick Bolton explores how this principle fits into the Animas Transformative Coaching process. Nick first frames what we mean when we say holistic and systemic. In the holistic stance, he asks us to consider our clients as both an individual system, mind, body, spirit, but also part of a wider system, of family, work, society and beyond. In the systemic stance, he asks that we recognise that a person is part of multiple systems that shape and impact them. In turn, we, as coaches, should recognise that we are also part of such systems, which inevitably shape the coaching. By considering the holistic experiences and systems at work, we are able to recognise our client's existential reality and their challenges. This enables the clients to face the systems at work in their lives and helps draw out possibilities that can be missed if the holistic and systemic stance isn't considered. On the contrary, if these systems aren't taken into account, Nick argues that coaches operate at a superficial level that may not stand up in the real world. Nick then offers practical approaches to coaching systematically, inviting us to bring into awareness the systems and holistic experiences of both client and coach. Finally, he leaves us with ideas to consider as we begin to explore coaching systematically and a final question to ponder- "is the system really a system?"