The 5 to Arrive: Our Unique Perspective, Education, and Experience

The same wind blows on all of us: the economic wind; the political wind; the social wind; the wind of failure and the wind of success. It’s not the blowing of the wind,  it’s the set of the sail. The difference in arrival in 5 years, 10 years and 15 years isn’t the blowing of the wind, it’s the set of the sail. The difference in arrival is the set of the sail. – Jim Rohn  

The Self Awareness Journey  Stages of HA graphic

We are taught that if we want more, then we must have more education, more relationships, and more opportunities. While this is true, the reality is if we want more, we must begin by becoming more self-aware. It is the foundation on which any development, both personal and professional, can be built.  This application is the first step in the self-awareness journey that students will take in the Center for Student Coaching & Success.


Personal Knowledge Acquisition   SDSSModel

In order for students to become self-directed, lifelong learners they must first learn what it means to be self-directed and how to accelerate the adoption and retention of market specific knowledge. Students will utilize the Self Directed, Self-Selected Coaching Model (SDSS) to develop both academic skills and critical thinking.  Innovation, in the context of the model, means “you go first.”  Participants have the opportunity to go first towards the market specific knowledge they need in order to become gainfully employed.  The reason is simple. It’s clear that those who desire to lead people and manage resources must solve problems and make decisions.  The problems that are solved and the decisions that are made drive results by which they will be judged and define how they will advance within the chosen career path.  In the context of the model this is called “reality.”  The final phase of the model is called “hard work” for a reason.  This is where students learn how to write effective problem statements through a frame of audience, stat, state, and call to action and then systematically solve problems through a frame of problem, cause, consequence, solution, and action. To download a printable version of the SDSS Coaching Model click here. To listen to a podcast on how to use the SDSS model click here


Personal Assessment  Grind your BE

Harrison Assessment measures the strengths and challenges of behavioral tendencies and with one self-assessment coaches, advisors, and support staff gain the ability to help students truly get to know themselves. The Center has partnered with Harrison Assessments to provide coaches with the most important tool they could use to coach students: a dialogue about the student in order to drive new levels of meaningful connection and change. The online behavioral assessment measures 175 factors including task preferences, motivations, work environment preferences, interests, and interpersonal preferences. The reports give the students life themes and purpose, summary and keywords, greatest strengths, emotional intelligence strengths and gaps, career development, and career options to focus on creating a bigger future.


Personal Coaching  5 to Arrive Wheel

The Center believes that the best way to create meaningful change in students is pairing personal assessments with narrative-based coaching. It is clear that students have a narrative or “script” that has been created for them or they have created for themselves. It is this narrative that has an impact on the relationships they develop, the choices they make, the opportunities they engage in, and the future they want to create.  Our belief is that we must first identify the “script” of the student and then identify what steps it will take in order to create a “new script.”  Having conversations about the obstacles students face and using strengths to overcome those obstacles helps each student use adversity to accelerate growth as they become aware of the challenging gap of approaching graduation, graduation, and gainful employment.


Personal Change MTSU Magazine cover

Our mission is to help students create personal change, not simply personal growth. Personal change is built through personal assessment and personal coaching that drives incremental, purposeful action towards gainful employment. At the end of the coaching session, the student will be asked a series of questions and create three action steps in order to drive self-direction and personal success.