As a coach and facilitator, I want my clients to thrive.
Every week I see individuals and teams who are facing a range of challenges including lack of direction, overwhelm, poor relationships, procrastination and stress.
While they come to me because of specific issues however, I strive to step back and consider how they are functioning across multiple areas. How are their relationships? Do they understand their priorities? Are they working to a purpose? Have they got a good grasp of their strengths and weaknesses? Do they enjoy what they’re doing?
And to streamline this approach I developed the THRIVE model.
THRIVE stands for Time, Headspace, Relationships, Identity, Vision and Enjoyment – summing up the key factors that research consistently shows contribute to success and satisfaction. Simply put, if one of these six elements is missing or sub-par then it will impact you as an individual, team and organisation.
TIME – arguably our most precious asset, and yet the one that we typically waste. Procrastination, disorganisation, lack of focus, distractions and pointless activity mean that most people are literally throwing away hours, days even weeks. Yet at the same time feeling like they have no time to achieve what they want.
HEADSPACE – it would also be easy to argue that our mental health is our most important possession. Once again however, it is something we consistently neglect. Lack of sleep, runaway thoughts, inability to manage stressful situations and even inactivity leave us feeling overwhelmed, unhappy and unable to achieve our best.
RELATIONSHIPS – research shows that regardless of your success, health and wealth if you don’t have good relationships then your wellbeing will suffer. In fact the Harvard Grant Study found relationships were the key determinant of happiness. Despite this we regularly underrate how critical it is to invest in our relationships with family, colleagues and clients.
IDENTITY – knowing what you stand for, what energises you and as well as your personal drivers (both as an individual and a company) is critical for achieving your potential. If you don’t have a clear view of your values and strengths then you will quickly find you’re off purpose. As an organisation your identity is the core of your culture and without it your people will be misaligned.
VISION– as the quote goes “a man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder” – Thomas Carlyle. Having a view of what we’re striving towards is critical not only to our psychological wellbeing but to us achieving our potential. At a minimum you need a fuzzy vision of what you want to achieve, with a strategy to get there.
ENJOYMENT– it is not enough to tick box your way through life. Both on a personal and professional level we need to feel engaged with what we’re doing. Making sure we take time to invest in those things that give us pleasure is critical.
As the THRIVE model suggests there is no golden key for success and satisfaction. But by being mindful of the whole and investing in yourself across multiple areas you can achieve great things.
Realise you need to give some greater focus to yourself or your team? Get in touch – we are always happy to chat.
