As we explored in the post on the foundational Buddha Family, Pacifying is about deep discernment and developing awareness. Once you have clarity and awareness you may want to employ one of the other Buddha Families to support whatever is trying to happen.
The second Buddha Family, Enriching, is one of my personal favorites. Enriching energy is about the support and development of the individual or system. It creates the experience of psychological and material wealth.
Enriching energy can take a variety of forms, all of which are about appreciating our natural wealth. Enriching is associated with the color gold, with helping clients see their splendid and shining qualities. It brings a sense of opulence and well being. Think of having a wonderful meal in beautiful surroundings, with good friends. You walk away full and generous because you have so much; you just naturally want to share.
Positive mirroring is when we support a client to experience their own inner resourcefulness, well being and value. When we do this, we are practicing enriching energy. Coaching naturally lives in this energy. We hold the system as intelligent and creative, we believe in its capacity to find its own answers, and to set its own agenda.
Enriching energy perceives the best in the client and mirrors this back. We believe in the client even when they don’t. Skills and tools that support positive mirroring include acknowledgement, appreciative enquiry, and championing. It is more of a stance than a specific tool.
For example, sometimes people ask me if there is any secret to working with teams. I often say “love the team.” Find the thing that you genuinely can love about them, then apply the tools. Let your appreciation of them shine out in what you say or do, and the team can experience its own capacity.
Enriching is also about nurturing. Clients sometimes need active support and resources. The nurturing aspect helps the client to get the resources they need to move forward. These resources might be an ORSC tool, a referral, information, whatever they need. It is about being lavish with what we know and generously sharing. The client leaves feeling empowered, enlarged and capable.
A little hint here–practicing enriching is about being over the top. First we need to start with our own system. As coaches, how are we being stingy with ourselves? Holding back, or poverty-struck?
Imagine you have all the wealth, capacity, resources, and ability you could ever have. Let your generosity flow out from there.
Author
Faith Fuller ORSCC, CPCC, ICF-PCC
Faith co-founded CRR Global and co-created Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC™). She is a psychologist and experienced trainer and coach, with decades of experience in working with organizations, couples and communities. Faith is also the author of Relationship Matters: A New Paradigm for an Evolutionary Leap in Relationship.
