Kaizen Coaching NZ

Coaching with the Ishi Spiral

Ishi is a discipline of self-governance.

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The 4 phases of the Ishi Spiral

A katana mid-swing, ink and watercolour

Decide

Choose and constrain

Governed will. Intent made actionable. Before effort, before endurance, before reflection, there is a decision.

A swordsmith hammering a blade beside the fire

Forge

Practise deliberately

Disciplined daily practice under pressure. Shugyo is sustained, deliberate exertion in service of a declared intent.

A lone climber on a steep rock face

Persist

Endure friction

Continue within the limits and abort criteria set at Decide. When a trigger fires, assess the evidence against those criteria before choosing Adjust, Hold or Abort.

A standing mirror showing the climber, the forge and the sword together

Reflect

Recalibrate

Honest self-examination without self-destruction. The disciplined practice of looking back with accuracy. What actually happened. What you actually did. Where intention and action diverged.

Its purpose is not optimisation.

Its purpose is to stop pressure, fatigue and urgency from repeatedly rewriting what is important.

The Ishi Card

It is handwritten because the friction is the point.

It defines what will be pursued, what will be excluded and under what conditions the work stops.

Kaizen and Hansei

Kaizen: continuous improvement through small, repeatable changes. Hansei: structured, honest reflection.

How the coaching runs

The aim is that you do not need a coach. By week 12 you hold the practice, the Ishi Card and the weekly review on your own.

Ishi: The Discipline of Determined Intent

Include what you'd like to work on.

Emailgareth@performo.co.nz