SIGNPOSTS
You grow girl
by Pia Muggerud
Have you ever been faced with a goal or task that seemed impossible to achieve? Did you feel overwhelmed, even by the thought of taking the first step towards it? Because of this, many of us never go for it. Instead we settle for something less out of fear of the implications of committing and putting in hard work.
Last month, after 13 years in Hong Kong, my client Rose received permanent resident status. This process normally requires a person to have lived here for seven years continuously. But due to one 12-month break during her time here, Rose had to start her residency period again, losing four years.
Rose is the sole proprietor of a small consulting business. The Immigration Department found many reasons not to renew her visa. They put pressure on her to get a bigger office, hire staff and generally make an effort to expand her profile. Rose enjoyed the size and direction of her business. As most of her work required her to be in her clients' office, the department's requests did not make sense.
The experience was stressful for her. Rose had to be more patient and creative than ever and there were moments when she had to face the possibility of having to leave Hong Kong.
When we started working together, she felt she had hit a wall and was close to giving up and leaving Hong Kong. She felt she had covered all her bases and exhausted all her options. What we realised was her fearful attitude was her number one enemy, and she had not taken a strategic approach to her problem.
Rose and I worked on her attitude towards this obstacle. She slowly regained her fire and made it her business not to allow anything to stop her from officially making Hong Kong her home.
Negativity would only stand in her way. I had Rose start using visualisation techniques daily, seeing herself receiving her permanent residency status in her mind's eye.
After working on her attitude, we became more strategic, using a coaching tool called the Grow (goal, current reality, options, will) model. This is a simple yet powerful tool to help you reach your targets.
Think of the Grow model as a plan you might make for an important journey. Rose started with the map. She decided where she wanted to go (her goal) and established where she was (reality). She wanted to become a permanent resident, but her reality was the immigration officials did not see her business as viable. This seemed to be her chief obstacle.
The next step was to explore various routes for the journey (options). Here Rose realised she had accumulated a large number of clients and contractors who could help her build her case for residency. The final step, establishing the will, involved deciding how to get committed to making the journey.
Here Rose took an inventory of the reasons why she was committed to Hong Kong, her investments and relationships for example, and developed a clear idea of all the things she loved about the city. This step gave her much-needed motivation.
It turned out the Grow model helped Rose with clarity, intention and drive. Her chosen route based on her options proved to be a winner and she was finally granted her permanent residency.
Grow can help with many practical issues. Where Rose found most value was believing that she could do it. She trusted the outcome would be the right one for her. She also allowed her intuition to give her peace of mind during a time when that seemed impossible.
Pia Muggerud is founder and head coach of Copia Coaching, and is a member of the Hong Kong International Coaching Community (info@coachinghk.org)
