Coaching two general managers

Jennifer Lindley

Background and situation

Jennifer was asked to coach two general managers within the same company. There was conflict between them ( ˜they loathed each other ) and this was causing problems within the company. Mainly, these managers were using their workforce to score points off each other, and this in turn was creating a blame culture. If a member of staff made a mistake, the manager concerned would not admit that the person had not been trained, but just bellow at the person for getting it wrong.

The process

Jennifer used the GROW model of coaching “ goal, reality, options, will to succeed. For further information on the GROW model, refer to John Whitmore s book Coaching for Performance “ (details in the Further Reading section).

Positive aspects of this approach

Jennifer was able to use the approach to work with the two managers individually so that they were able to see the impact of their behaviour.

Challenges faced

Jennifer was faced with the challenge of being a female coach within a macho male environment. She was frequently told that she didn t really know what these guys were like and that she was too soft etc. It was only when the managers saw the results of their changed behaviour that they began to come round to her ideas.

Learning

Jennifer learnt that sometimes clients are not ready or do not want to be coached. Building up rapport, credibility and relationships is paramount, but takes time. However, in order to make a permanent change, it can t be short-circuited.

Top tips

Jennifer recommends that people who are going to coach others should:

• work on their interpersonal skills “ NLP helps; improve questioning and listening skills;

• find themselves a good coach!

• develop their assertiveness skills.

Advice for the coachee

Be open to new ideas and stick with it. Don t look for easy solutions from the coach, but work on your own solutions. And this takes time, so don t expect miracles too soon. Have faith, it works!