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I’m trying something new this month. Below you will find a description of a business situation and then various ways that I might coach this person. My intent is to give you a taste of coaching.

Enjoy what’s left of summer!
Val

A business leader stated, “We’re stuck!” We’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work. We have the BIG picture….but can’t seem to get started. The result is that we’re losing momentum. It feels like we’re taking one step forward and then two steps backwards. Employees are bailing. I’m beginning to question my ability to lead. Help!

A Coachable Moment:

There are multiple ways to begin the coaching process, here are a few.

• Tell me more. One of the best places to begin is to simply invite the person to share further. It is amazing how helpful the simple act of listening can be. Providing a safe space for a person to share is of tremendous value. “Speaking the truth” about a situation and “venting” to can be very freeing. In addition to listening, helping another to hear what they are saying is very insightful.

• Describe for me the BIG picture? In this scenario the person states that “We have the BIG picture…but can’t seem to get started.” As the coach, I want to confirm that they really do have the BIG picture. Over and over again, I discover that leaders think that others have the BIG picture when they really don’t. As a next step, I might encourage this person to facilitate more conversation and attention on the vision. We are quick to move into strategy-mode when what is really needed is to “hang-out in vision-mode.”

• What’s the plan? It could very well be an implementation issue. It’s not uncommon to develop a wonderful vision, hang it on the wall and assume it will just happen. A vision needs a plan. One of the top reasons a vision is never implemented is that it lacks a plan or the plan is poorly communicated.

• Who can help you with this? In addition to a coach, other business leaders and friends can be of tremendous assistance. There are numerous colleagues who have valuable insights and learning from similar experiences. Tap into their experiences. At a bear minimum they can be a sounding board and an encouraging word.

TEN QUESTIONS for those in leadership.

• What do you want to be able to say three years from now that you can’t say today? (About yourself or your organization)
• What are the possible next steps?
• Who can help you with this?
• What’s the truth about now?
• How do you handle failure?
• What do you model?
• How much of a people pleaser are you?
• What do you need to say goodbye to in order to move forward?
• On a scale of 1 to 10 how committed are you to taking action?
(1= no commitment, 10=high commitment)
• What’s the payoff of not taking action?

Never Eat Alone

by Keith Ferrazzi

Leadership is all about people. It doesn’t matter if it is leading a family, a business or an organization like a church. A significant key to success is the ability to form, develop, influence and build credible relationships. In the book Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi argues that what distinguishes the highly successful leader from most other people is the way they build relationships.

To Read more about this book, click here