After extensive study and rich dialogue with Art Costa and Bob Garmston, Thinking Collaborative has determined that the work of Cognitive CoachingSM would be best served with a revision to Capability 3. For years, Capability 3 has read “Adjust One’s Style Preferences.” Going forward, Capability 3 will now read, “Attune to and Adjust for Human Uniqueness.” This revision has been made with high consciousness of current global conditions and offers a hopefulness that this principle will provide the What, Why, and How for transformative action regarding human uniqueness. For the January Sustaining the Journey, we will explore this change in language and thinking:

We each hold personal “images of truth.” These images are constructed over time and become our mental models for viewing the world. Our mental models are usually held at an unconscious level and only become visible when we interact with a person or culture holding a different mental model.

Cognitive Coaches consciously strive to create comfort and rapport so that the coachee can feel free to be authentic, to live into their uniqueness. Guided by capabilities, the coach remains focused on tool choices and responses. They understand that operating and communicating from capabilities expand their repertoire of responses in order to honor the uniqueness of those they coach.

• How might you increase your coaching effectiveness through the capability of attuning to and adjusting for human uniqueness?

• What might be some human uniqueness that you might attune to and adjust for?