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Coaching E-Zine - Issue No. 28/ April 2008

Dear Reader,

Most of our readers here in Asia-Pacific need to communicate with people from various cultural backgrounds. Even if all their colleagues are from the same cultural background, they often need to deal with customers and/or suppliers who may be from different countries or even continents.

Today's article deals with a case where my coachee was transferred from Europe to Asia and how coaching helped him overcome cultural challenges. I hope it will be useful for your inter-cultural communication as well.

Let’s keep progressing!

Charlie Lang

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From the coach's bench: Apply your strengths correctly

By Charlie Lang, Executive Coach & Trainer @ Progress-U Limited

Published in SCMP Classified Post on 22nd March 2008

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Diane, a 35-year-old American-born Chinese, is considered by her boss Andrew, the regional CEO of a US-based investment bank, to be an employee with top potential.

An ivy-leaguer from Harvard, she has risen quickly through the investment banking ranks and was recently appointed vice-president of mergers and acquisitions for North Asia.

Now, for the first time in her career, Diane is having considerable performance issues after a number of deals she was in charge of bringing to maturity fell through, even before the due diligence stage.

Andrew was well aware that Diane worked really hard on them and could not quite understand why, in spite of this, Diane's deals were falling through. That was when I was brought in.

When I met her, I sensed her deep frustration and disappointment with the recent results. When asked about how she saw this situation, she responded: "When the first two deals didn't work out, I still thought, 'okay, that can happen', even though it's not good, of course. But when the third one also fell through, I started wondering if something was wrong with me. Hence, I was actually glad when Andrew suggested coaching."

I decided to begin with a more positive and forward-oriented approach. Instead of analysing what was wrong with her, I asked her to share some of her successes in her past position.

She appreciated that she had an inherently dynamic personality and a knack for analysing situations. These qualities served her very well in her past roles.

When asked how she could leverage on these strengths in her new role, she realised that her dynamic approach might be considered too pushy in the initial stages and that it would be more important to first begin establishing good relationships and at least a basic level of trust among all concerned parties. Diane lamented: "It's clear now that I need to focus more on building a more trustful atmosphere in the initial stages of the deal. But how do I do that?"

I asked her: "If you were one of the other parties involved, what would be your main objective?" Diane paused for a while and I noticed that she tried her best to put herself into the other parties' shoes.

Then she said: "If I were one of the other parties, I'd like to get a good feeling that this is something that can be worked out and will benefit me ultimately."

I continued to prod her. "What does that mean for you as a facilitator of such deals?"

She replied: "I need to focus first more on creating a good atmosphere, make sure that all concerns are taken care of so that people feel ready to open up."

I said: "Do you see now how this is different from what you said earlier about your objective?"

Leveraging on Diane's sharp analytical skills, I merely used questions to help her realise her own situation. Hence, the ideas and resolutions were met with more acceptance.

She now knows that her strengths are still useful in her new role, but she needs to apply them in different ways and at different times.

Moreover, she realises that a change in her attitude and skills is in order.

Attitude-wise, Diane knows she needs to shift her focus from her own needs to her business partners' needs in order to ultimately close a deal. Taking care of her business partners' concerns will serve her own needs much better than focusing on her own outcomes as a first priority.

For more information related to Progress-U Leadership Training and Coaching, please click here.

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