Advising, Coaching, and

Student Success with Life

Design in Mind (C62)

BILL JOHNSON, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO

2019 NACADA NATIONAL CONFERENCE

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Who do I ultimately want to become?

How do I want to profoundly serve others?

1. I HATE doing this work and have absolutely NO interest in doing this work for

the rest of my life - or even the rest of this week!

2. I have very little interest in doing this work. But I have to work, right?

3. I'm doing this work because I was told by others to do this work, even if I don't

like it.

4. I’m only doing this work because I think it's one of the few options where I can

get a job that pays the bills.

5. I feel kind of in the middle about doing this work – some days I like it, some days

I don’t.

6. This work is okay. It's better than a lot of other options out there.

7. I like doing this work. Although I don’t love everything about it, there are

enough parts to it that makes it enjoyable on most days.

8. I love my work. Very rarely do I have days when I don't love it – and the feeling

goes away pretty quickly.

9. This work was created just for me. I can’t imagine doing anything other than this

work!

10. My calling in life is to pursue this work. It’s the reason why I was put here on

this earth!

Purpose: “A future-directed goal that is personally

meaningful and aimed at contributing to

something larger than (your) self.” - Heather Malin

Purpose: (1) Become your best self, and (2) Help

others. – Bill Johnson (and Brian Johnson)

• 80% of college students don't know what to do in college.

• 75% of students change their major at least once.

• 68% of college students considered a spiritual calling and sense of higher purpose critical to them when considering a career. (Gallup)

• 59% of college students in the U.S. graduate from 4-year college in 6 years.

• 37% of first-year UNCG students graduate in 4 years, 51% in 5 years, 55% in 6 years.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• 40-50% of population will be potential independent workers (freelance, consultants, etc.) by 2020.

• 75% of population will be potential independent workers by 2030.

• 85% of occupations today will no longer exist by 2030.

• 2.8 years in a job for people between ages 25 and 34 (4.2 years for all workers).

• 33% of working population have side hustle/side gigs.

Why Life Design Catalyst Work?

The Gap

Your Current

State

Your Best

Self

small gap

Big Gap

Where you areWhere you

want to be

Life Design Catalyst Program

Seeks to have meaningful

conversations that leads to

personal transformation

Purpose (“Who am I meant to be?”),

Meaning (“Why do I matter?”),

Mission (“What am I here to do?”),

Vision (“Where do I want to go?”).

Self-awareness: Know yourself well.

Self-actualization: Become the best

version of yourself.

Self-transcendence: Utilize your gifts for

something bigger than yourself.

Self Expertise: You are

the expert on YOU!

Better Character = Better People =>

Better People = Better Students

In every moment, you get to choose – move forward

into growth (+1) or backward into safety (-1).

Awakening the Life Design Catalyst (Entrepreneurial) Spirit by : (1) become deeply engaged in and committed

to meaningful work and purposeful, passionate goals; (2) be intentional and persistent in all activities by taking

calculated risks to create substantial value and generate significant results despite adversity, obstacles, and

failure; and (3) stepping out of your comfort zone to use curiosity, creativity, imagination, and resourcefulness

to design a plan for a better life and a better future for yourself and for others.

academic advisinglife coaching

personal growth and developmentcareer exploration and development

registration/scheduling/degree planningcontemplative practices

entrepreneurial spirit/thinkingfinancial management

HHS Student Success Navigators/

Life Design Catalyst Coaches/Guides

Jennifer Clark(5%)

Megan Cayton(75%)

Zitty Nxumalo(25%)

Bill Johnson(95%)

Coaching vs Guiding

Coaching: To partner with people to tap into their full

potential to help them move forward through the process of

identifying and achieving specific personal or professional

goals that will maximize their potential.

Guiding: To assist a person to travel through or reach a

destination in an unfamiliar area by accompanying or giving

directions to show points of interests and to explain their

meaning or significance.

40 Kick-Ass Life Questions

Are you being your best? Are you living your best life? How would you

know? The following 40 questions will provide you with an indication of

whether you are living your best life. You can’t live your best life in

relationship and in your work if you’re not living your best life in all areas

in life. My best advice for answering these questions: be truthful with

your answers.

Mark your response to each question with either a “Yes” or a “No” on the

Answer Sheet. Remember, be completely honest with this evaluation of

yourself – it’s the only way you’ll know and grow!

1. Are you happy?

2. Are you motivated to get out of bed in the

morning?

3. Do you typically wake up feeling optimistic?

5. Do you feel authentic in your interactions?

4. Do you have more good days than bad?

6. Do you honor your commitments to others?

7. Do you honor your commitments to yourself?

8. Are you courageous and willing to face

challenges?

9. Are you willing to step out of your comfort

zone?

10. Do you feel confident in yourself and your

capabilities?

11. Do you love what you do for a living?

12. Do you feel like you’re fulfilling your life’s

purpose?

13. Do you give yourself time to be curious

and/or creative?

14. Do you spend time every day on things you're

passionate or excited about?

15. Do you have a compelling goal that inspires

you?

16. Do you have a plan for your life or a vision

for your future?

17. Are you comfortable with your financial/money

situation?18. Do you refrain from social comparisons to

others?

19. Do you have a support network?

20. Is your social circle a positive one?

21. Do you feel like you’re in control of your life?

22. Is your love life what you want it to be?

23. Are you able to forgive and forget?

24. Do you feel you’ve let go of the heavy

baggage from the past?

25. Can you find the positive in apparent

negatives?

26. Do you handle adversity, obstacles, and

failure well?

27. Are you grateful for the good things in your

life?

28. Are you happy with the way you look?

29. Are you happy with the way you feel?

30. Do you do everything you can to stay healthy?

31. Do you do something good for someone else

every day?

32. Do you do something kind for yourself every

day?

33. Do you do something to make you feel

centered/at peace every day?

34. Are you living your life according to your

values?

35. Are you expressing the best version of

yourself?

36. Do you get to share your greatest talents and

gifts with the world?

37. Are you committed to serving something

bigger than yourself?

38. Do you take 100% responsibility for your

actions and decisions?

39. Do you like the person you are today?

40. Are you completely honest with yourself?

Kick-Ass Reflection…

How many “No” answers?

What’s going well?

What’s not working well?

What needs to change?

What holds you back?

Your Challenge: What’s ONE THING you could start doing today –

and are willing to do - to become a better you! Make a commitment by

writing it down, then place it somewhere where you can see it every day!

In every moment of the day

you to choose: step forward

into growth (+1) or backward

into safety (-1).

Abraham Maslow

Basic Initial Coaching Questions

1. What do you want? Why are you here (to see me)?

2. What’s the problem? What’s the issue? What’s your dilemma?

3. What do you want to happen? What do you want as the end

result?

4. What are you willing to do? What do you need to do right now?

5. What do you need from me? How would you like for me to help

you?

Life Design Catalyst Courses

First Year

Fall Semester: HHS125: Design Your Life I – What Could I

Do With My Life (1 credit) – Answers: “Who am I” and

“How do I serve others and do work that matters?”

Spring Semester: HHS135: Design Your Life II – Redesign

a Life You’ll Love (1 credit) – Answers: “How do I want to be

my best self and live my best life?”

Second Year

HHS250: Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship (3 credits)

HHS275: Entrepreneurial Personal Branding (3 credits)

HHS125 (What Could I Do With My Life)

Vulnerability/Authenticity

Storytelling

Values Assessment (Personal Core, Desired

Work, Legacy)

Personality Type Assessment (MBTI,

Holland, Enneagram)

Strengths Assessment (Character, Egagement)

Meaningful Work

Life’s Work

Seven Word Life Motto

HHS135 (Redesign a Life You’ll Love)

Daily Practices (Meditation, Journaling,

Movement, Random Acts of Kindness,

Gratitude)

Superpowers and Superhero

Transformation Triad/Ideal Life

Your Eulogy/Legacy

Dream Team/Dream Community

Personal Manifesto

Meaningful Life

Life Design Group Coaching Activities

HHS125: Design Your Life I –

What Could I Do With My Life?(1 credit, meets 50 minutes once a week during Fall Semester)

Simple Rules for Success:

1. Know Your True Self

2. Serve Profoundly

3. Find Your Right Pond

Students will create a plan that integrates

storytelling, course/degree planning, educational

and career preparation, professional development,

personal growth, and developing the entrepreneurial

spirit through focused reflection.

HHS125 is a bold and

distinctive approach to

meeting the challenge of

preparing students for life.

Simple Rules for Success

Know Yourself (Your Story)

Serve Profoundly (Your Mission)

Find Your Right Pond (Your Work)

“Our job in this lifetime is not

to fit into some mold that others

have determined is best for us.

Our job is to find out who we

already are – and become it.”

Steven Pressfield

What am I here to contribute?

What problem am I here to solve?

What am I committed to create?

What is my ultimate concern?

What need(s) can I fulfill for others?

How can I best serve others?

What is my life’s task?

What are the gifts that I have been given to share with

the world?

What is it that I - and only I - can do to serve others?

What difference do I want to make?

What was I put on this earth to do?

What’s wildly important to me that makes my soul ache?

Meaningful Work Questions

Michael Jr: Know Your Why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytFB8TrkTo&t=119s

Choose Your Own Adventure: Career (Steve Tomlinson) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ_P7col8c0

Major/Career/Calling

Exploration Poster

Calling Connection

Mind Map

Educational: Potential vocation/technical school, associates degree, undergraduate degree,

graduate degree, professional degree, online program, certification, apprenticeship, and/or other

type of credentials, aligned with how you want to meaningfully serve others and how you will

make a positive impact in the world.

Experiential: Unique project, program, workshop, activity, and/or type of research you could

offer, based on your gifts, skills, knowledge, interests, abilities, and/or experiences that could be

implemented fairly quickly and provide a benefit to others right away.

Employable: Specific job title, job position, line of work, or employment opportunity you could

obtain that inspires you, where you could make a difference within your particular role and/or

within the organization (could be a current position/job).

Entrepreneurial: Viable business/self-employment venture, freelance, side hustle, and/or side gig

you could create that could deliver considerable value to others and provide a financial benefit to

you (could be a current business endeavor).

Your Life’s Work (new)

My Life Story

Poster

Personal

Charter

Poster

Current State vs.

Ideal State Poster

You, The Superhero

Poster

Assessment Examples

What is your intention for this semester? (Week 1)

What are your most important core values? (Week 6)

1. Being healthy - heart, mind, body, and spirit.

2. Being happy/enjoying life.

3. Connecting with family

4. Getting my degree/education

5. Being successful in life.

➢ How do you want to serve the world? (Week 8)

➢ What’s the problem you want to solve and why it matters? (Week 11)

Results!!!

Retention Rate

• UNCG students – 76.3%

• HHS125 students – 81.1% (84.7% for African American, 83.8% for Latinx)

Graduation Rates 4-Year 5-Year 6-Year

• UNCG students 33.1% 50.9% 54.7%

• HHS125 students 40.6% 63.4% 67.2%

• Note: 5-Year Grad rate for students who take both HHS125 and HHS135 in consecutive terms in first

year: 69.4%

Student Feedback

• 86.0% - This course helped me understand my meaningful work - how I plan to serve others.

• 82.0% - I believe that I can make better decisions about my life and my future now that I have

completed this course.

• 74.4% - This course helped me decide on my major or helped me clarify that I am in the right major.

• 86.9% - This course helped to clarify my goals and dreams and create a vision for my future.

Advising/Coaching Program Template

“My advising/coaching program helps <who’s it for> solve <main

problem>. They start “Step 1” feeling and thinking <current mindset>

and when they have finished all the steps they will think and feel

<new mindset>."

"My advising/coaching program will guide them through actionable

material on <enter the core main topics>. Each person who completes

all the steps in my program will have <enter tangible outcomes and

benefits e.g. path to success, self-confidence, plan for graduation,

better grades, inner peace, etc.>."

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man

stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit

belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust

and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short

again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but

who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the

great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows

in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at

least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold

and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.“

Theodore Roosevelt

Mel Robbins: Before You Give Uphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh6JAwBP16M

Is the thing that I’m getting ready to do

making me a better person and

profoundly serving others?

Contact Information

William H Johnson Jr (“Bill” or “The Dream Dean”)

Student Success Navigator/Life Design Catalyst Coach

School of Health and Human Sciences

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Phone: 336-207-6795

E-mail: whjohnso@uncg.edu

Blog: https://thedreamdean.com/

Web: https://lifedesigninstitute.org/