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Kickstart Your Personal & Professional Growth with Perceptual Coaching

Lois Bradley

A woman on a coaching call to seeking personal and professional growth

What are your plans to kickstart your professional growth this year? According to a survey by the International Coach Federation (ICF), 70% of clients cite accountability as the main reason for hiring a coach, reflecting a shift from informational guidance to transformational, results-oriented programs. In this blog we will discuss the value of perceptual coaching and its importance in your career.


How effective and fulfilled we are in the workplace (or life for that matter) is greatly influenced by our perceptions, biases, and limiting beliefs. Some common perceptions that can get in the way of growth and productivity are:


  • Everything needs to be perfect

  • My boss doesn’t like me

  • I’m not good enough (or worthy enough)

  • I can’t show vulnerability

  • Conflict is bad


Perceptual coaching is an approach that focuses on helping individuals shift their perception, or understanding of a situation, to bring about positive change, and is one of the techniques TBP uses to assist our clients. This approach is particularly suited to professionals and executives moving into new roles or careers. In perceptual coaching there are four (4) key elements in the coaching conversation:


  • False priorities – perceptual coaching helps individuals identify and address false priorities by encouraging them to reflect on their values, goals, and beliefs. Coaches help clients reassess their priorities and align them with what truly matters to them while helping them avoid pursuing goals that don’t align with their values or long-term objectives.


  • Cognitive dissonance – perceptual coaching addresses cognitive dissonance by helping individuals recognize and reconcile conflicting thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors. Coaches assist clients in exploring the root causes of their dissonance (i.e. feeling uncomfortable before making a decision) and support them in finding new perspectives or behaviors that resolve the conflict. 


  • Reframing - perceptual coaching often involves reframing, which means helping individuals see a situation from a different perspective. Coaches guide clients in examining their interpretations of events and encourage them to consider alternative viewpoints that can lead to more positive or empowering interpretations. 


  • Outcomes – the outcomes of perceptual coaching are often focused on promoting personal and professional growth, enhancing self-awareness, and improving decision making, all while fostering a sense of accountability and continuous growth. By shifting perceptions and reframing situations, individuals can experience increased clarity, confidence, and resilience, enabling them to navigate challenges more effectively and achieve their goals more efficiently


There is a strong interrelationship between perceptions, assumptions (including limiting beliefs), and behaviors. Emotional self-awareness and psychological safety are also key factors that influence each of these three things. A coach needs to remember that their client’s perceptions ARE their reality, and as such, can’t be just disregarded as something simply not true. A coach can’t eliminate a pre-existing belief, but they can re-frame perceptions to create a new belief and outlook. The coach can ask questions like “What’s one attitude that you’ll turn into a new habit?”, “What’s one attitude you can leave behind?” and “How would you advise your employee to make a change?” Our coaches remind our clients that they have the power to change.


Changing perceptions and assumptions is a process that is inherently incremental. It requires the client to be willing to consider new perspectives and to challenge some of their own beliefs. This introspection can be stressful, or even frightening. The coach can acknowledge that they are aware of the client’s struggle and invite them to imagine new choices and to weigh the pros and cons (benefits and risks). Normalizing the stress reduces reluctance to consider a new viewpoint (a pre-requisite to reframing). Reflection, curiosity, and exploration activates insight. The coach can ask “what’s the cost of staying where you are versus making a change?” and “what would success look like if you made this change?”


Who can benefit from Perceptual Coaching from TBP?:

  • Individuals seeking career advancement and personal growth

  • Leaders looking to improve their team dynamics and leadership skills

  • Anyone desiring to develop greater self-awareness and personal effectiveness


In summary, perceptual coaching is a powerful tool to move an individual from a set framework of perceptions and behaviors to a more self-aware and less limiting framework that opens them up to personal and professional growth, more fulfillment, and greater success.

The Bradley Partnerships (TBP) team of highly certified ICF executive and career coaches help professionals improve performance, boost engagement, and optimize their career success. Contact us for a 30-minute coaching demo to find out for yourself what you’re missing in your professional development. You can contact our office at (724) 799-8170 or by emailing us at info@bradleypartnerships.com. Visit our website at www.bradleypartnerships.com for more information.

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