Session 7

Powerful Relationships

The concept behind this exercise, called Powerful Relationships, is based on the same principles found in the assumption chart and signature perspectives in session three. The central concept is the initial assumption, attitude, or perspective heavily influences the effectiveness of the action.

A negative assumption or terrible attitude has a negative impact on the action we take and the results that ensue. Such a connection is straightforward, yet so many people, often without even realizing it, take on a negative assumption and still expect to get desirable results. Sometimes having a pessimistic perspective may serve to lower expectations so we don’t get disappointed, and that can be fine and healthy. But what’s not fine or healthy is for that pessimistic perspective to become the default rather than an implementation of critical thinking.

Building Empathy

This exercise is a continuation of the subtle, yet important leap students take in the powerful relationships exercise. Empathy is one of the core emotional intelligence components and grants us the ability to accurately understand the thoughts and emotions of another human being.

High school students are going through a huge transformation period. Developing emotional intelligence allows a student to mature and grow rather than simply develop with Western culture, which tends to involve itself in a self-centered perspective, and doesn’t require empathy in order to succeed. This perspective is pervading in other regions of the world. Coaches working in Dubai, India and Africa have similar experience with teenagers really honing in on their inner selves, trying to figure out who they are and how they best fit in the world. However, when students only think about themselves, their lives are not simply not as rich. They’re missing out on forming a deeper connection with others. In this exercise, students are asked to imagine and explore what it would be like to be another person and ask powerful questions from the point of view of another person.