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Content of this Newsletter 0. Opinion 1. Leadership Coaching 2. Sales Management Coaching 3. Change Management Coaching 4. Career Coaching FURTHER NEWS * For upcoming seminars & events please visit: http://www.progressu.com.hk/ * For recent articles on Coaching please visit: http://www.progressu.com.hk/ * For recent articles on Leadership please visit: http://www.progressu.com.hk/ * For recent articles on Sales Management please visit: http://www.progressu.com.hk/ * For recent articles on Change Management please visit: http://www.progressu.com.hk/
Subscribe now to "Progress!" and get informed about the latest trends in Leadership, Change Management, Career Transition and Sales Management. To receive "Progress!", simply send a blank email to subscribe@progressu.com.hk
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Home > Resources > Progress! Newsletter > "Progress!" Issue No6 / July 04 "Progress!" (Progress-U Leadership & Coaching) - Issue No6 / July 2004 Dear Progress! Reader, Nowadays, the term "coaching" has become a popular buzz word. This somehow saddens me because I see it used in ways that dilute the true meaning of and philosophy behind coaching. "Coaching" is from the root word "coach," which originally only referred to a horse-drawn carriage for transporting people. If you think about it, even the modern meaning of coaching involves "transporting" a person from one place to another (in life). The current excessive use of the word "coaching" may imply that it is an easy process that everybody can do. However, it is not that easy to help people move from one place to another, i.e., help them make significant changes in their (professional) lives. So what makes coaching so difficult and, at the same time, different? A masterful coach is supposed to be-among other things-resourceful, nonjudgmental, empowering and able to bring out the best in their clients without bias. While remaining nonjudgmental is already a difficult task (aren't we usually quick to categorize people?), being unbiased is even tougher. Let me make an example: Mary asks a coach to help her with her internal communication. So Mary explains that she frequently hears complaints that she pushes her colleagues too much when she needs them to do something for her. The coach may ask something like "Can you give me a concrete example?" and Mary would explain that she is just following up closely after having placed a request. This is when it becomes challenging for a coach to remain nonjudgmental and unbiased. The "natural" reaction of the listener is to categorize Mary as a "pushy annoying woman" and tell her how she should change her behavior. A masterful coach will not do that. He will help Mary recognize the perceptions, feelings and emotions her behavior may create in others and let her come up with options on how to change her behavior positively. The coach does not tell her what to do but instead leaves the ownership of potential solutions with Mary. This way, Mary will much more likely make a lasting change. Whenever I ask people not trained in coaching to coach someone, they always end up telling that person what to do. Some do it more directly, some in a more hidden manner. Those who do it more subtly would not tell Mary what to do, but would pose leading questions that bring out the answers these "coaches" want to hear. True ownership is one of the keys to effective coaching. An unbiased
and nonjudgmental approach is difficult because it may be unnatural,
but it can be learned through professional Coach training and continuous
excercise. Yours sincerely, Charlie Lang
1. Leadership Coaching The CEO of a medium sized sub-supplier to the Automotive Industry took over his position one year ago. The workers in the production department, the engineers in R&D and the employees in Sales as well as the middle management complained about the "invisibility" of their new CEO. Most of them knew him only from the photograph in the company newspaper. Following a report about certain leadership relevant results compiled from various team development processes, I got the chance to talk to him. During this meeting I raised the issue of the above mentioned symptoms. He explained to me in a very convincing and pleasant manner that there was nothing more important to him than autonomy and entrepreneurship among his staff. He only wanted to set the goals while everything else should be done autonomously by his employees; his responsibility was to define the strategy. In the beginning he could not imagine that there could be such discouragement, disappointment and the feeling of low esteem of staff within the whole company. "They should be happy to have so much space, that their boss is not always controlling what they are doing!" I asked him what happens if one leaves a 3 year old child the whole day without supervision and also what happens if parents continuously supervise a 15 year old. He soon learned that granting autonomy is a process, the success of which is highly dependent on the correct timing, no matter whether we talk of companies or children. This Case reveals yet another aspect of leadership which can lead to the isolation inherent to top management positions; the power of feelings and expectations in hierarchic relationships is highly under-estimated. What appears to be a lack of interest of top management can lead people to unwanted or even destructive behavior! To be more specific, employees subconsciously wish that their boss would provide them with recognition, interest, time to listen and security. Despite popular thinking that adults actually don't "need" this, such wishes do exist and the value of intrinsic rewards should not be forgotten. Inefficient Lonely Fighters The natural conclusion for the effective manager is to nurture and fulfill these unconscious motives of human nature rather to than attract unnecessary and destructive opposition. Exceptional leaders very often display a special ability of "mothering", if I may use a rather unusual metaphor in this context. It is very important for Top Managers to understand that autonomy is a process and not something one can initially expect; the more it is demanded, the more the employees will desire the "mothering" and will negatively react to the lack of the same. Another unproductive path to achieve autonomy in the company is to surround yourself with very independent middle managers. This will lead to a lack of binding forces within the company which very often leads to personnel fluctuation and a reduction of communication which finally results in inefficient "lonely fighter" behavior. That is why it is so important that Executive Coaches work with Top Managers on efficiently making use of the intrinsic wishes of their employees. These "mothering wishes" must be identified, analyzed and supported by Top Management before the unsupportive culture can be changed. Corporate slogans are a valuable source in identifying unconscious desires; advertising is always a good indicator for the latent wishes of people. Finally, the CEO decided to perform "management-by-walking-around" for 6 months. He was being seen in person, unexpectedly joined the meetings of his directors, set up company information meetings and gave individual employees the chance to explain their problems and challenges. In the beginning, people were skeptical, however, after some time his staff believed that the CEO really identified himself with the company and its employees. The widespread belief that he would soon leave the company, (like many of his predecessors) was fading. Employee motivation and productivity was increasing significantly. At the same time, the CEO himself started to believe in his people and their ability to perform. After six months he subtly reduced his public appearance again without creating the same old dissatisfactions.
For more information related to Progress-U Leadership Coaching please visit http://www.progressu.com.hk/leadership.htm.
2. Sales Management
Coaching
Sales people are often puzzled by the sometimes long duration of
the sales cycle. Sales forecasts often fail because they are based
on a sales person's judgment of how close the customer is to making
a decision. Why does this feeling so often prove to be wrong? Do sales
people generally have bad intuition?
A key module of the Innovative Sales Program of Progress-U Ltd. focuses
on teaching the principles of purchase support and how the sales team
can help their interlocutors manage and influence the purchase process
of the DMS more effectively and efficiently. For more information related to the Progress-U Innovative Sales Management Program please visit http://www.progressu.com.hk/SalesDP.htm
NOTE: Progress-U offers the Innovative Sales Management Program as a tailor-made package consisting of an initial 2-day training combined with executive assessments and follow-up coaching of the sales management. If you are interested in a presentation of this program, please contact us at innovative-sales-program@progressu.com.hk.
3. Change Management
Coaching Here is one appealing vision that many businesses share: the shift from today's regional or local operation to tomorrow's global company. The thought of the global market drives visions of dollar bills into the minds of most ambitious managers who have only been working on a regional level. If only it were that simple. There is a myriad of new skills (languages, understanding of distant cultures, trading rules/habits, and so on) required for the frontline workers. While the money to be invested can also be an issue, it is often taken for granted that to become a globally successful company, a cultural change-if not shock-must be induced. Without that cultural change, a company will remain local at heart despite its global efforts. The longer the company has been a local player, the longer it usually takes to make the necessary cultural change. Without vivid internal projects promoting the now more global multilateral business, the globalization process is likely to slow down or even come to a full stop. During the kick-off workshop of Progress-U's "Win Through Change"
Program, the coach facilitates an introduction to the topic and a
group discussion on the desired outcome. Based on these findings,
the coach works out a course of action together with the Top Management
of the company. Individual coaching of all key executives assures
the timely implementation of the agreed changes. NOTE: Progress-U Ltd. offers the Win Through Change! Program
to assist corporations in their change process. For details visit
http://www.progressu.com.hk/ChangeMP.htm
4. Career Coaching
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