Keynote presentation at the East of England Local Authority Coaching meeting - coach me happy

1. Developing your emotional and
mental wellbeing to move beyond
medical conditions
Living With and Beyond Cancer in the Workplace:
A Key Role for Internal and External Coaches
“Coach Me Happy”- A Healthy Approach
to Coaching
EELA Regional Coaching Conference
5 February 2019, Duxford Airspace
Conference Centre
Andrew A Parsons MSc, PhD, MBPsS,
PPABP

2. Outline Agenda
• Some timely notices
• My background, perspectives and experiences
• Happiness, return to work and work engagement
• Where does coaching fit
• Implications
• Questions

4. World Happiness Report 2018
Happiness Ranking By Country By Foreign Born Immigrants (n>100)
Sample Size 156 117
1 Finland Finland
2 Norway Denmark
3 Denmark Norway
4 Iceland Iceland
5 Switzerland New Zealand
USA 18 15
UK 19 20
3 South Sudan Rwanda
2 Central African Republic Togo
1 Burundi Syria

5. Sharing my story and perspectives
• Medicines Innovation
• Migraine (sumatriptan and frovatriptan)
• Stroke Neuro-recovery
• Business Process Innovation
• External R&D processes
• Business Unit Leadership
• JV and Internal Units
• Organisational Enterprise Leadership
• Leadership and Wellbeing Development initiatives
• Internal Coaching

6. There are different ways of knowing the world:
Co-existence of different ideas…
• Loss (Kubler-Ross) vs Transition (Bridges) view of change
• Population (Medical) vs Personal (Holistic) view of health
• Treating Disease vs Promoting Health (Salutogenesis)
• Forensic Psychology vs Positive Psychology
• Brexit vs Remain
• Contributor vs Leader
• Before and After Illness

7. The Fountain Centre
Royal Surrey County Hospital
Coaching for Patients, their Families and Staff
• From 1 coach (2014) to 7+ (2018)
• I have >350h client contact at the FC

8. Some cancers are becoming a
chronic condition
• Cancers are being detected, diagnosed and treated more efficiently and
effectively
Exmples of 5 Year Survival Figures in UK (Office for National Statistics, 2019)
Cancer Type Males Females
Melanoma > 80% >80%
Breast Not reported > 80%
Thyroid >80% >80%
Hodkins > 80% >80%
Lung <25% <25%
Brain <25% <25%
Pancreas <25% <25%

9. More people are living with and
beyond cancer (LWABC)
• In 2016 (USA), there were 15,500,000 people living with and
beyond cancer
• 26% were < 60 years of age
• In the UK, it is expected that the number of people living post
treatment will increase by 1,000,000 per decade

10. Health Needs Assessment
• Worry, fear or anxiety
• Tiredness / exhaustion or fatigue
• Sleep problems / nightmares
• Pain
• Eating or appetite
• Anger or frustration
• Getting around (walking)
• Memory or concentration
• Hot flushes / sweating
• Sore or dry mouth
Top 10 issues people LWABC are concerned about (Source McMillan)

11. Challenges in working with and
beyond Cancer (WWABC)
• Individuals live with a range of issues post cancer
• Physical – e.g. fatigue
• Psychological – e.g. mood changes, attitudes to work and lifestyle
• Social – e.g. support mechanisms (health system, family, friends etc)
• Highly dependent on individual experience
• Complex trajectory through re-entry, early and late stage survivorship
• (Successful) return to work is one of the strategic imperatives for the NHS
Strategic 5-year cancer plan
• Happiness and subjective wellbeing?

12. World Happiness Report 2018
Best
possible
Life (10)
Worst
possible
Life(0)
Cantril Ladder Measure of Happiness
On which
step …. feel
at this time?
Findings…
Ca 74% of variability explained by:
1. GDP/capita
2. Social Support
3. WHO assessed - Healthy Life
Expectancy
4. Freedom to choose
5. Generosity
6. Freedom from Corruption
Depends on where we are, who we are
and how we act

13. World Happiness Report 2018
Deeper Findings…
• Social Support, Freedom to Choose and Generosity increase Positive Affect
(Average of previous day - happiness, laughter and enjoyment) and reduce
Negative Affect (worry, sadness, anger)
• Perceptions of corruption predict negative affect
• Bringing Feelings into the equation of “Happiness” creates a better prediction
(76%)
• Positive (and not Negative) Affect is a significant predictor of subjective
wellbeing

14. RTW post cancer – 1 year Trajectory
(Dorland et al, 2017)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Baseline 3 months 6 months 9 months 12 months
Work Function
Work Function Trajectories (WOLICA Study) from
Dorland et al 2017
Phigh(16%) ModHigh (52%) Plow (32%)
Work Function (WRF-Q) over time in
324 patients
3 groups emerged
• Persistently High – better social
support from colleagues, less
change in meaning of work
• Moderate to High
• Persistently Lower – more
cognitive symptoms
No difference in work attitude
across groups

15. Development of the Quality of Working Life
Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS)
• Developed in a Dutch population (de Jong et al., 2018)
• 23 items in 5 subscales
• Meaning of work (4)
• Perception of the work situation (5)
• Atmosphere in the work situation(5)
• Understanding and recognition in the organization (5)
• Problems due to health situation (4)
• Specific to Cancer Survivors – consistent, valid and reproducible
Happiness Variables
Social Support
Freedom to choose
Generosity
Perceived Freedom
from Corruption

16. 20 Years of the Job-Demands Resources Model
(Adapted from Bakker and Demerouti, 2017)
Job
Personal
Resources
++ Engagement
Strain
Performance
Job Demands
+
-
+
Job Crafting
Self-doubt
+

17. The experience of WWABC
Participants identified through
Working with Cancer
Part 1: Self-reported Questionnaires
Part 2: Exploring
the demands
and resources of
RTW

18. Findings….
Confirms
PsyCap is
important for
Engagement
QWLQ-CS
predicts
Engagement
PsyCap-
Resilience
Optimism are
important for
QWLQ-CS
Personal
Resources can be
significantly
impacted e.g.
confidence
A new concept of
self (incl. personal
resources develops)
Experience impacts self-esteem
and perception of demands
and resources
Confirms
Engagement
in WWABC is
similar to
general pop.

19. So how does all this relate to
coaching and supporting people
return to work after cancer?

20. Meta-analysis of the Benefits of Coaching
Theeboom et al, 2014
• Better performance
• Improved skills
• Wellbeing
• Coping
• Work attitudes
• Goal directed self regulation
Jones et al., 2016
• Individual Performance
• Affective Outcomes (e.g. attitudes,
motivation, wellbeing)
• Skills Development
Number of sessions does not predict
outcome – short term works
Internal Coaches have stronger effects –
role for culture and credibility?

21. Life-Coaching in LWABC supports Goals Attainment
Feasibility Study - Wagland et al. 2015
• Pre-Post test design with 6
sessions (1 F2F) over 12 weeks
• Goals defined (e.g)
• Lifestyle change
• Emotional Outlook
• Skills development
• Various psychological and
wellbeing measures
• Volunteer Coaches
• IvdV an Associate
• Supported Clients reach
goals
• Although only a small study
some significant
improvements in score
• Personal wellbeing
• Hope
• Social outcomes

22. A Role for Coaching
FunctionDysfunction Thriving
Coaching
Counselling
“Medical
Model”
“Salutogenic
Model”
Processing Emotions e.g.
Grief, dealing with Loss
and developing self-
understanding
Agility with Emotions ( EQ)
enabling transition and
developing resources

23. Selecting the right coaching intervention
Depth of
Reflection
and
Awareness
Coach SkillWork Themes
-Goals
-Communication
Skills
- Behaviours &
Emotional
Management
-Self (Beliefs and
Motivations)
Coaching Approaches
Professional Skills (e.g.
Contracting and Flexibility
in approach)
Deeper Credible and
Specific Training
Theory (possibly
Psychological) Led(Coachee and Coach)
Internal coach
External coach

24. Coaching is often described in Outputs
The Requirement for Professional Standards?
“coaching is facilitating the client’s learning process by using professional
methods and techniques to help the client to improve what is obstructive and
nurture what is effective, in order to reach the client’s goals” EMCC/ICF
Professional Charter
“Aim of coaching is to build coaches’ self-awareness and sense of responsibility
for change in order to encourage learning, goal achievement … performance
improvement (Whitmore 2002)”
“ implementation of a set of interpersonal processes that lead to the coachee
experiencing enhanced … health (physiological), engagement in effective,
purposeful actions (behaviours),…. process information (cognitive), and an ability
to encounter a range of emotional states with equanimity and poise (affective)
and the conscious linking of personal goals… to important beliefs, core values,
and/or developing interests (meaning) (Spence and Deci, 2013)”

25. Happiness and Wellbeing
FunctionDysfunction
Thriving or
Optimizing
Subjective
Wellbeing
Coaching
Counselling
“Medical
Model”
“Salutogenic
Model”
Processing Emotions e.g.
Grief, dealing with Loss
and developing self-
understanding
Agility with Emotions ( EQ)
enabling transition and
developing resources
Happiness influenced by
“who” we are and “how”
we act
Coaching develops who
(meaning) and how
(behaviours, cognitions
and emotions)

26. QWLQ-CS provides a framework for discussion
(de Jong et al., 2018)
• Meaning of work
• Perception of the work situation
• Atmosphere in the work situation
• Understanding and recognition in the organization
• Problems due to health situation

27. A wider discussion….
• Self-regulated with a Professional Charter
https://www.eesc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/resources/docs/
142-private-act--2.pdf
• People work dealing with a range of “life
situations”
• Is it time to develop ‘Standards” describing
“what” and ”how” ?
• Competencies
• Behaviours
• Boundaries and ethics
• Principles and Values
• Assessments

28. Organisational Implications - Setting a strategy
• Policies that are right for the person
• Appropriate training / awareness about Cancer
• Communication Skills
• Coaching Skills
• Wellbeing Narrative
• Focus: the returnee, manager, team and organisation

29. Coaching: Happiness Impact
Supporting
Engagement
and Motivation
Job recrafting
(Freedom of
choice/autonomy)
Managing Job
(Social) Support
Developing
Personal
Resources
and New Skills
Building Confidence
‘Real Conversations” –
managing the strain
Happy and
Productive
Employees
Positive
Attitudes and
Emotions

30. Thank You
• Colleagues, clients (sponsors), coachees, supervisors and trainers
• Job + Coaching community in GSK
• The Fountain Centre Team
• The Working with Cancer Team
• Sue Jackson (Whitespace Coaching)
• Colleen Addicott (University of Hertfordshire)

31. Questions?