The Iversen Practice identifies the five common mindsets that prevent change, and what can be done to succeed in 2018
5 February 2018, London: With 80% of New Year’s Resolutions failing by the second week in February[1], The Iversen Practice, executive coaches with a unique psychological skillset, reveals the five common mindsets that are most likely to fail and sets out how to take control and make change.
These new observations are based on years of work with leading professionals from politics, law and finance tackling conscious and unconscious influences on success, combined with the unique clinical and psychological expertise of The Iversen Practice coaches.
Designed to help executives take control and follow through with real change in their work and home lives, the first step to doing better is to recognise the characteristics that prevent change from one or more of the following five common mindsets.
The Rebel
Independent. Non-conformist. Unconventional. The rebel believes rules are for others, and made to be broken. The rebel feels suffocated by conventions, by others telling them what they “should”, ”ought” and “must” do. The rebel creates rules only to derive unconscious satisfaction from not following them. In the end, their need for disobedience undermines their desire to succeed.
Solution
The key with a rebel is to frame goals in a way that feels uniquely personal, and distinct from the crowd. By articulating goals in a way that resonates with the individual, a rebel can channel energy into the pursuit of those goals free from the worry that they’re being forced to conform.
The Addict
Addiction isn’t limited to drugs, alcohol and gambling. We can experience addiction in all aspects of life from shopping, social media and mobile phones, to sex, food and dieting. The power of neurobiological addictions cannot be overstated. When we decide upon New Year’s resolutions, we often explicitly target these addictions. We know how hard it can be to reverse the downward spiral of addiction.
Solution
The first step in defeating any addiction is to acknowledge the problem and seek help. Depending on the severity of the addiction, that help can come in different forms. Some may require clinical services. For many, addiction can be broken by the use of techniques such as motivational interviewing. This approach boosts self-awareness, helping an individual clearly see the benefits of change and the costs of complacency.
The Self-Saboteur
If the rebel rejects rules imposed by others, the saboteur spoils their own dreams and aspirations. Their self-worth and self-acceptance is so damaged, they are incapable of taking action for their own benefit. For reasons they often don’t recognise, the saboteur will find subtle ways of undermining their own goals. Old rules combined with unhelpful thoughts and behavior strangle any progress with change.
Solution
For the saboteur change demands tackling those self-esteem issues head on. Once they start to place more value on their own self-worth, the saboteur can learn “new rules”, setting themselves on a path to success.
The Child
Afraid of failure and humiliation, the child settles into their comfort zone and will not easily be moved. They are stuck in a regressed position. Often as a result of insecure relationships with caregivers in childhood, the stress and anxiety of anything new makes change unbearable. Their inertia is often misconstrued as laziness. Angst, resistance and avoidance are also typical as the child rails against any proposed change.
The solution
Finding admired ‘adult’ role models for the child to emulate can help. Ultimately the child must be taught how to look after themselves, and how to ‘grow into’ their adult role.
The Perfectionist
Failure to live up to their own exacting standards in any detail can derail the perfectionist’s motivation. If a diet is not followed to the letter, if it fails to deliver the exact weigh loss expected, the perfectionist will view the venture as a failure and abandon it. As soon as a perfectionist feels like they have fallen short, they stop trying and a sense of failure becomes self-fulfilling. The apathy and depression that follow failure discourage any future attempts.
Solution
By encouraging a perfectionist to see the world from a different point of view, by getting them to admit, for example, that some of life’s greatest lessons can be taught by mistakes, their unrelenting standards can be relaxed. A new, ‘good enough’ solution can be agreed.
Dr Amy Iversen, executive coach and founder of The Iversen Practice comments: “Every year we see people setting New Year’s resolutions, only to break them six weeks later. This pattern of behaviour is not only incredibly familiar it’s completely avoidable. Drawing on my background as a psychiatrist, and years of experience coaching leaders, my team and I have profiled the five key mindsets most likely to ‘throw a spanner in the works’ of change.
“It’s fascinating to see which mindset we fall into. But we can also learn a lot from studying the difference between those who fail, and those determined few who see their resolutions through to the end. And of course all of this is about more than giving up chocolate for a few weeks. If we’re able to identify the triggers to failure and success for a New Year’s resolution, we can apply this learning to everything else we want to do. We can discover the best way of making bold and positive changes in our own lives.”
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About the Iversen Practice
Dr Amy Iversen is an experienced executive and performance coach with a unique skill set. She holds a first class degree in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge, is a qualified medical doctor and psychiatrist with a PhD in Epidemiology and alongside her highly successful psychiatry practice, acted as the psychiatrist responsible for the staff and Members of the Houses of Parliament.
In 2016, she took the road less traveled to more fully live her values, get a better work life balance and work as an executive and leadership coach. She now runs The Iversen Practice and along with her expert team operates using a hybrid of coaching and CBT. The Practice’s bold, intuitive and honest approach helps city high flyers and entrepreneurs to embrace change and 'get out of their own way' to live the best version of their lives. Much like as UK version of Wendy Rhoades in the popular TV show 'Billions', Amy takes an unconventional approach and asks tough questions to bring her clients success and clarity in their jobs and personal lives.
For media enquires
Please contact Rebecca Dunstan or Eleanor Pinkerton on 01732 779 087 or at [email protected].
[1] https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail