In the dynamic world of leadership and coaching, one of the most transformative techniques at your disposal is ‘reframing’. This powerful method helps you shift a perspective, and open up new ways of thinking and approaching challenges. Reframing can inspire change, empower individuals and foster resilience. Making it a crucial tool for you when aiming to guide your team toward their full potential.

What is a Reframe?

Reframing involves changing the way you perceive a situation or problem. I call it an inner-negotiation tool. It’s about shifting focus to view challenges through a different lens. Which can lead to new solutions, more positive emotions, or a better understanding of a situation. Reframing doesn’t alter the reality of the situation but changes the meaning you assign to it. By altering the narrative, you can find new ways to cope, adapt, and ultimately succeed.

This technique is linked to cognitive behavioural therapy. CBT is grounded in the idea that our thoughts significantly influence our emotions and behaviours. I’ve found it can also work more powerfully in reverse, where feelings and intuition can help guide thoughts! Coaches use reframing to help clients question their assumptions away from being facts, see opportunities where they once saw obstacles, and develop strategies for overcoming setbacks.

Why do Coaches use it?

Coaches use reframing because it has the power to create profound shifts in thinking, feeling and assigning meaning to experiences. Leader can adopt with their team with ease. When you (or your team) are stuck in a fixed mindset or a cycle of negativity, you often get trapped in repetitive patterns that keep you from seeing solutions. Take how you feel about a tricky colleague or client. Reframing helps you break free from this mental loop. Then opens up space for fresh ideas, renewed energy, and often a sense of relief (or liberation!).

Reframing also encourages you to move from a reactive mindset to a responsive one. Instead of seeing yourself as a victim of circumstances, you can take control of your thoughts and emotions. With practice, influences actions and results. This shift can be particularly powerful in leadership, where one’s mindset sets the tone for the entire team.

How does it help?

Reframing offers practical tools to reshape your approach to challenges, allowing you to:

• Manage emotions: Reframing can help you step back from intense emotions, such as anxiety or frustration, and see them for what they are – temporary states that don’t define you.
• Challenge beliefs: The beliefs that hold you back are unexamined assumptions. Reframing enables you to question these beliefs and replace them with more empowering narratives.
• Shift mindsets: Whether it’s a deeply embedded pattern or a limiting perception, reframing helps you shift your mindset toward a more open and adaptable way of thinking.
• Increase appreciation: Reframing can also help you cultivate gratitude and appreciation in your life, which is vital for maintaining emotional agility and wellbeing.

One word of caution…

Reframing if used too whimsically or just to gloss over a terrible situation can turn to toxic positivity, where you’re able to reframe anything and everything. A rose-coloured glasses approach is not one I recommend. You can’t use reframing in every single situation. Nor as the first step or a reaction to everything that has gone ‘wrong’. There needs to be space to digest what is occurring (including patterns of behaviour), how that influences how people think and feel, and even embody a situation. Then look at a reframe, to identify what is helpful or not, and even appropriate for the situation.   

Five of the best Reframe techniques I use…

Here are five reframing techniques you can apply:

1. When stuck or in repeating thoughts

Reframe: “I am feeling [X]” vs. “I am [X].”

We often identify with our emotions, saying things like, “I am anxious,” or “I am stressed.” Instead, try saying, “I am feeling anxious,” or “I am feeling stressed.” This subtle shift helps you separate yourself from your emotions and recognise that feelings are temporary and manageable.

This approach is rooted in emotional resilience, mindfulness, and therapy. Susan David, in her work on emotional agility, emphasises that our emotions are data, not directives, allowing us to make conscious choices about how we respond.

2. To challenge a belief

Reframe: Ask, “What is the assumption I’m making?”

When faced with a belief that is limiting your growth, ask yourself what assumption underpins that belief. Keep digging deeper until you uncover its root. This may mean asking, “what is the assumption I’m making” each time you come up with a new answer (yep, up to 10-15 times!!)

For instance, imagine you believe you aren’t qualified for a leadership role. You may assume only people with a flawless record are qualified to lead. By challenging this assumption, you can realise that growth and leadership often come through learning from past experiences and f*ck ups. Not from avoiding failure altogether. And that your failures are often your superpower.

3. To challenge a condition or embedded pattern

Reframe: “I get to” vs. “I have to.”

This reframe encourages a shift from obligation to opportunity. For instance, instead of saying, “I have to give a presentation,” try saying, “I get to share my ideas with my colleagues.” This reframing can transform you from feeling burdened, terrified or constrained to feeling empowered, energised and connected with your colleagues. Embracing this shift, particularly when it comes to tasks or responsibilities that may initially feel draining, brings ease and liberation to your actions.

4. Reframe a limiting perception:

Reframe: “What is” vs. “What if?”

Olympian Anna Meares was interviewed on the ABC Conversations podcast, and shared this reframe technique she used with her coach. After a severe cycling accident, Meares faced a long and painful recovery in the lad up to her next Olympics. Instead of focusing on “what is” (the reality of her injuries) she began asking, “what if?”. Successive ‘what if’ questions led to a recovery and turning point in her career. By shifting her focus from limitation to possibility, she was able to push beyond her initial despair and rebuild her confidence and strength.

5. To bring more appreciation into your life

Reframe: “What went well for me today?” vs. “I am grateful for…”

This daily practice encourages you to look for moments of success and positivity throughout your day, rather than only focusing on what you feel grateful for (for me this often it feels abstract or cheesy). Hugh Van Cuylenburg from The Resilience Project champions this method (originating from American psychologist Martin Seligman) as it brings attention to specific actions or events that went well, rather than a vague sense of gratitude. One of my clients introduced this reframe technique to me after it has a significant impact on her. I’ve started doing it every night with my son and it’s turned the forced groan from ‘what are we grateful for’ into an energetic long list of items that are going great for him each day.

Experiment a little…

The real power of reframing comes through practice. It’s easy to understand these reframes intellectually, but the key is applying them in everyday life. Try one of the five techniques, and here are a few further steps to help you get started:

Be aware: Notice when you’re stuck in a negative thought loop or are overly identifying with an emotion. Awareness is the first step toward change.

Pause and reflect: Before reacting, pause and consider the reframing possibilities. What assumptions are you making? Is there a way to view this situation from a different angle?

Shift the language: Language shapes your perception. Practice using more empowering language to describe your emotions, beliefs, and perceptions. One of the critical components of coaching with me is to significantly broaden your vocabulary.

Journaling: Consider journaling (writing or drawing) your reframes. Write down limiting thoughts or beliefs, then reframe them using the techniques above. This practice can help solidify these new ways of thinking and create lasting change.

By using these reframing techniques, you can shift your mindset, challenge limiting beliefs, and build a more resilient, appreciative outlook on life, especially at work. Whether you’re facing professional hurdles or personal struggles, reframing provides a powerful way to unlock new possibilities and foster emotional growth.