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Interview with Ronnie Clifford - June 2011 (CTI Newsletter)

To begin with, would you tell us which part of the Co-Active experience had the biggest emotional impact on you, when you took CTI’s Fundamentals course?

The thing that stood out for me in Fundamentals was how open and honest the leaders were. I was stunned by the Authenticity I witnessed and by the resonance I felt with their life experiences. The other thing I loved was that there were two leaders, and the way they ‘danced’ together, had lots of fun and created amazing and life changing learning for the group. It is safe to say I was ‘hooked’ from that moment on…….

How has that deepened over the years since taking the course?

My passion and niche is authentic leadership, that is how people become authentic leaders in their own lives, this passion has continued and continues to evolve ever since the experience I had on Fundamentals. How this has deepened for me over the years is that I have focused myself on being the most authentic I can be, I use the model to dig deep, to take the risk of living a fulfilled life, to ask for what I want and be willing to stick around to see if I have to negotiate. I am conscious that the perspective I have on my world dictates the experience I will have and finally, and most importantly I live my life moment to moment, really being in the experience of my life. Yes I plan and yes I set intentions about the future and the things I want in my life, plus at the same time I am conscious and aware that living life moment to moment, breath to breath whilst connecting with the people and experience I am with, truly enables me to live in now.

Today, what does it mean to you to ‘Be’ co-active, both in your professional and personal life?

Being co-active means I get to do all of the above and I get to be me. I get to be all of me with no excuses and apologies. Life is simple and easy, even when I’m busy – which is quite often.

and in your work life

Being co-active in my work life has enabled me to really stretch into more of who I am. Switching from a Sales Executive role to a Leadership coach and trainer role in IBM has been an amazing experience. Every step of the way I get to stretch into the co-active model and stretch into more of myself. My values around learning and personal development are honoured every day and my ability to help others honour their values whilst delivering results to the company really proves that this model works!

In addition to your work as a sales transformation coach for IBM, you are an independent Leadership coach, and CTI Front of Room Leader. How does co-activity fit in the corporate world, in particular with the emphasis on the client being true to themselves, help people working in such a results driven field?

The world is complex, no one has any more time to do more. Where co-active coaching and leadership really compliments the corporate world is that we can Coach and Train people to be more of who they are authentically and therefore have more impact with less effort. We all know that people who are more positive are more productive and that it doesn’t matter which area of their life they are more positive in, the productivity that it creates will unfold in all areas of their lives – including work.

What advice do you have to offer other Co-active Coaches, with a desire to work as coaches in larger Fortune 500 companies?

My advice would be, believe in yourself believe in the co-active model. Use it in your own life, and be one step, one book or one page ahead of your clients and the companies you work for. Never ask a client to do anything you have not experienced yourself.

Know you can make a difference and be willing to take risks to create the life and work you want to experience. Oh, and scare yourself every day (well maybe at least once or twice a week!) –

What I mean by this is be willing to step into the unknown, to get outside your comfort zone, it’s called a comfort zone because its comfortable, you know how to do that stuff, be willing to get uncomfortable and be willing to believe you can achieve your vision. My vision is to become the speaker of choice in the industry on how I helped change corporate culture using co-active and other leadership methodologies. I am not going to achieve that by settling for what I have achieved and being content with my lot! In my experience this is the key to human evolution and transformation.

Finally, for those of you who are CTI Trained, remember the enrollment line in Fulfillment. Remember how enrolling you are when you are passionate about something, its the passion that convinces people that 'know what you are talking about' and that you are worth listening to. Its the passion that makes you and work compelling. So, that's the final tip get passionate and be enrolling and watch the impact it has on the people and companies you work with!

When you decided to retrain as a coach and leave your corporate sales executive role, what was the tipping point for you? When and how did you know it was time to change career?

The tipping point was just the internal knowing that had more to offer and that by not stepping into my new Career, I was selling out on myself.

The biggest stretch for me was to ‘give up’ my executive status (people in the corporate world leave, retire or die before they will take a demotion) I had worked so hard to get, and yet the biggest surprise to me was the freedom I felt when I gave up my executive level.

The ‘light bulb’ moment for me was that actually I was not that person any more and I had grown out of that label and position. It was a real stretch and far more painful to think about than it was to actually execute!

How do you use the Co-Active coaching model, to recover on the bad days?

I use it to ‘check-in’ with myself – what value is being stepped on, what perspective am I in, what can’t I be with? Am I trying to avoid being where I am? Which Saboteur is present?

I get curious about what is going on for me and then just take it from there. Worst case I get back into experiencing the present.

What’s your biggest mistake as a coach, and what did you learn from it?

Taking on client that I actually didn’t want to coach, and I learned that the sample session is for both coach and client to decide if they are suited to each other. It is not just the Clients decision. Great learning!

What’s the biggest surprise that you’ve found as a result of training in and working with the Co-Active coaching model?

That life can be fun, simple, easy, exciting and so fulfilling!

As a coach what’s the most effective way you’ve found to grow your practice?

Be yourself, focus on what you are good at, and know your worth.

What breaks your heart, and how do you use that as a resource for growth and making a difference in the world?

My heart gets broken when I experience people who are driven by their saboteur(s) and are so inward looking that they miss out being fulfilled. I use that experience as a reminder that connection and collaboration are two of the things that make the world go around.

Where would you most like to see the Co-active approach making a difference in the world?

My belief is that everyone has the capacity to operate in a co-active way. The strength of the model is its balance between Feminine and Masculine energy. If you’ve heard Karen Kimsey-House talk you will hear more about the feminine or ‘Co’ of relationship, connection, intimacy, listening and love and Masculine of ‘Active’ of Strength, Achievement, Personal Power, Intention and Commitment. We are all of these things and many, many more (to coin a phrase) and I get excited every time I introduce one more Corporate executive or one more coach in training to the concept that they can be more of who they already are by trusting the material, trusting themselves and designing their alliance with themselves so that they can lean in and deeply connect to who they really are. Magical…..Knowing that there are times to step back, take a break, nurture and reflect before starting back on the learning journey once again.

Tell us what you do for fun?

I sing with my Choir, I love to go down the gym 3 or 4 times a week. I love the Theatre. I go to a fitness boot camp a couple of times a year. I try to do some thing scary too, the latest was Comedy Improv acting lessons – These were a great reminder to me of how we are programmed to ‘know’ stuff and get stuff ‘right’. With improv the skill is being present and open to ‘give to and take from’ your partner(s) and its about making your partner(s) and/or the audience look good and giving them a good time. It helps me stay grounded in the present and alert. It is also a great reminder to me of how much fun and how creative two or more human beings can be when they look to create from each other as opposed to compete with each other. It supports my growth as a Coach and Leader by helping me be spontaneous and have that feeling of aliveness, maybe aliveness is a better word that scary. What I will say is at this point in my own development I find it hard to differentiate between fear and excitement! I love to have a nice meal with good company and a few drinks with close friends. A long walk by the Thames…. All of the above and much, much more.

And, your wildest ambition, you are willing to share publicly?

I plan to take a year long sabbatical from mid year 2012 into 2013 and my wildest ambition is to spend 3-6 months working on a volunteer project some where abroad. Africa appeals to me, I have a potential opportunity to work with a great friend and colleague of mine doing some conflict resolution work. Now, that would tick a lot of boxes for me. Failing that, maybe somewhere in South America. I am and have been trying to learn Spanish for some time, so 3 or 6 months in a Spanish speaking country doing this kind of work would work for me on many levels. Working on a project that takes me outside of my comfort zone, whilst making a difference to people’s lives. By the way, I know they will also make a difference to my life too!