From Compliance to Alliance
The most common complaint I hear from health professionals is: “I tell patients what to do to solve their problems and they just don’t do it!”
This is sometimes followed with exasperation and disbelief: “I don’t get it. Don’t they want to get better?… Some people just aren’t willing to change. And they won’t take responsibility for themselves…”
In the field of medicine and therapy, the term often used in regards to how well a patient is following through on the recommendations prescribed to them is “compliance.”
Here’s a snippet from the abstract of an article on the NIH website:
“Patient compliance with regimens is one of the most researched and least-understood behavioral concerns in the healthcare profession…”
(See the abstract HERE)
And here’s a quote from a an article on medicalxpress.com entitled the Great Weight Debate
"The biggest variable to master is compliance," said Mcleod, "Once you've got that down, then you can worry about all of the other subtle nuances, but our analysis clearly shows that many ostensibly important variables just aren't that essential for the vast majority of people.”
What we can see from these two examples is that consistency and follow through are indeed critically important for meeting our health/fitness goals, but aside from telling people what to do, most professionals do not understand how to help people actually take the necessary steps.
I think one clue to this mystery is in the very word “compliance.”
To me, the word indicates a hierarchy where the professional assumes a position of authority over the client and commands them to comply with their dictates. Of course, for most, this is not intentional. Many simply assume that education is the issue, and by dispensing knowledge a patient will see the necessity and wisdom of their advice and start implementing it diligently. There’s a fallacy involved here where “knowing better equals doing better.” In truth, there’s a deeper psychology at play. Most people with an addiction can probably tell you all the ways the addiction is harmful - but changing patterns don’t happen through knowledge alone.
Have you ever been stuck on a decision and a well-meaning-advice-giver comes in with their opinion on which way you should go? Did you automatically agree with their advice? Chances are you leaned heavily in the opposite direction… at least for a moment.
One way to understand this is when a decision or change needs to be made and you are on the fence about it, it is as if there are two characters inside you - one for change and the other against it (like the proverbial devil and angel on one’s shoulders). If a well-meaning friend or health practitioner comes along and then assumes the role of the character that is for change, then all you are left with inside of you is the character that is against change. So, it becomes harder to actually take action at that point.
This is why advice giving does not work unless you are already 100% on board.
This is also why coaching is not advice giving and why I would rather switch the word compliance with the word alliance.
From Compliance to Alliance:
In alliance, there is no heirarchy, but rather a partnership formed for the purpose of moving toward change. A coach, as an ally, provides space to explore what drives you, what motivates you, and what’s holding you back. Then, together, you creatively find solutions to move through your obstacles and take steps forward as you see fit. Because, the most effective change occurs when the solutions come from inside you rather than from an outside expert. More often than not, those solutions do exist inside you, and having an alliance or even a supportive community often helps to draw those answers, and your own resolve, out into the open.
Change can be hard to accomplish on your own. Forming an alliance with someone can make it easier and more effective.
Who can you form an alliance with on your next goals?
(If you’d like some help with this, consider booking a free consultation.)