Whether in the coaching world or within organisations, there is no shortage of tools, tests and profiles available. Many people share a common experience of having completed a personal profile only to discover that it placed them in a ‘box’ or category. Some also comment that the questions and results seemed superficial to the point where completing the test felt like a waste of time. Amidst these considerations, is the Being Profile just another profiling tool? And what does it mean to be a Being Profile Accredited Practitioner? These are some common questions I receive when speaking to people who have heard about or experienced the Being Profile. In this article, I explore some of the key reasons why an increasing number of people are choosing to become Being Profile Accredited Practitioners based on feedback I have received during multiple one-on-one conversations, community events and workshops.
The Being Profile reveals the core factors that drive our decisions and behaviours
Before I outline the various reasons practitioners choose to become accredited in the Being Profile, let me highlight the main underlying factor behind their decision – the Being Profile delves much deeper than any other tool available. More specifically, the Being Profile measures a person’s relationship with 31 qualities that underly their performance, leadership and effectiveness, otherwise known as Aspects of Being. These qualities were carefully discovered over years of research and study by Ashkan Tashvir and his team and have been formally laid out in the Being FrameworkTM, which consists of the following core components:
Being Framework Ontological Model,
Being Profile assessment tool, and
Transformation Methodology.
Generally speaking, people who choose to take on the Being Profile with their team members or coaching clients want to get to the core factors that drive their decisions and behaviours rather than only working on what is visible on the surface. This can be for themselves and their performance, their partners or colleagues, or the team or organisation they are leading.
10 reasons people choose to become Being Profile Accredited Practitioners
Let’s go through additional aspects that the many practitioners in our community speak about once they become Accredited Practitioners of the Being Profile.
More than a profiling tool. The Being Profile is based on the Being Framework, a comprehensive and rigorous body of work intended to deeply understand human beings and those underlying qualities that contribute to leadership, effectiveness and fulfilment. Many appreciate having a framework that will support them in shaping their understanding of what it means to BE a human being in the scope of performance and leadership, both in terms of getting to know and understand themselves and others better.
Deep, transformational work through a practical tool. The Being Profile was designed to support people in transforming their relationship with the Aspects of Being they relate to in an unhealthy way. In this way, it helps them be more effective in their performance and leadership. This intention shines through to our practitioners and their clients as the application of the Being Framework is tangible and readily digestible, making it easy for them to apply it to their own experiences and businesses. It’s like having a blood test with clear indicators that will allow them to determine where to focus the work, be it through coaching, development programs or similar support activities.
From addressing behaviour to Aspects of Being. In a world where we are overloaded with the number of things we should be doing and how we are expected to act, Being Profile Accredited Practitioners take the conversation to the core of those underlying qualities that drive our behaviours, actions and accomplishments. They focus on how we are BEING rather than what we are doing. More specifically, the focus is on Aspects of Being that are common to all human beings but which we relate to differently, such as authenticity, responsibility and forgiveness. All 31 Aspects of Being in the Being Framework contribute to how we show up and our experience of life.
Free from judgement and morality. The role of the Being Profile Accredited Practitioner is not to judge a person as better, good or bad. The Being Profile is morality and judgement-free. Accredited Practitioners are interested in understanding what works and what doesn’t work, which will be expressed differently for each person.
A focus on oneself first. Being Profile Accredited Practitioners practise taking on their own personal growth before supporting others. They know you can only take others as far as you are willing to take yourself. The first day of the two-day Accreditation Program focuses on relating the content to their own Being Profile (a prerequisite for the program). Participants are encouraged to have a deeper conversation about their own Being and what they need to transform in a group setting. We have heard people say the two days have been transformative and, in some cases, have given them more than they received in months of one-to-one counselling.
Beyond putting people in ‘boxes’ or seeing them as fixed. Many of our practitioners sigh with relief when they understand that we won’t be categorising people. We believe that when we see people as fixed, including ourselves, we deny them the opportunity to ever transform. We work on understanding the relationship we have with our Aspects of Being and nurturing the ones that will support people to shift and achieve the results they seek in their lives.
A solid philosophical foundation. Many of our practitioners are surprised to find such a deep philosophical conversation when they start learning more about the Being Profile, including the Being Framework. The framework is articulated in a way that is readily digestible and that honours the deep study that went into understanding what many leading thinkers and philosophers have understood and communicated over the years about how human beings operate. The Being Framework and its assessment tool, the Being Profile, take an ontological approach – the field of philosophy concerned with the study of existence and reality. In addition, the Being Framework was informed by in-the-field experiences as well as in-depth studies of entrepreneurs, startups, leaders and investors, including many exceptionally high achievers, to discover the behavioural patterns and qualities that determine success or failure. Click here for a complete list of the 182 references that contributed to the development of the Being Framework.
Community. The uniqueness of the Being Profile community is an aspect I probably receive the most positive feedback about. Many feel lonely in their jobs and businesses, even with other people around them. The Being Profile Accredited Practitioner community is built one relationship at a time. Community members tell me how rare it is to find and connect with people who care deeply for each other and are willing to give freely and partner together to ensure we all have what we need to be fulfilled in life. We meet regularly and have deep transformational conversations. I have repeatedly heard our practitioners say: “I’m not alone anymore”.
Diversity. The people who participate in our Being Profile Accreditation programs are full of diversity in terms of backgrounds, nationalities and experiences. You don’t need to be an ontological coach or have years of experience to participate. Diversity brings richness to our conversations as we delve into those qualities that make us all human. We intentionally build an open community where people can say what is going on for them at any level by promoting open and caring discussions.
ROI. A survey of our Practitioner community indicated that 76% of those who took on the Being Profile Accredited Practitioner training in a professional capacity achieved a positive return on investment on the fees invested into the program. For many of our practitioners, it becomes a clear product they can add to their services or as a way of leading people into their programs by adding true value from the get-go.
As a Being Profile Accredited Practitioner, I get to wake up each day and, in my case, work with clients who are predominantly leaders interested in starting with themselves and going beyond addressing their surface-level behaviours and into sometimes challenging parts of their Being. By no means would I describe it as ‘easy’ work, but it is definitely rewarding. Undertaking this work alongside many others and sharing the ups and downs along the way really enriches the journey. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me or any of our growing tribe of Being Profile Accredited Practitioners. You can find many of us in the partner profiles section of the Engenesis website.