Week 8 (13/4 – 19/4)
Man, this is a very tough week coming. Got a lot of deliverables need to be sorted out as requested by the Client and still had to complete the assignment.
The second coaching session however had progressed well. The coachee had managed to open up. The 2 subjects previously mentioned were discussed in further detail. Had managed to gain her trust I think since she has opened up and had shared her ambitions, aspirations and secrets more easily. From the previous coaching session, two areas were discussed and I had been able to solicit from her information regarding both subject areas by framing the discussion with open ended questions and steering away from suggestive questions such as “why its this not that?”. Had not been able to come to the timelines required though. At this point of time, and with these two sets of areas explored, I do think that I will concentrate more on the career advancement rather than financial matters. I would tend to stay away from the financial matters since I am still at a loss on how to approach the subject. My greatest fear is that I could somehow accidently given a bad advice which will further complicate the matter. The session ended around 30 minutes which is sometimes excruciating on my part since I somehow ran out of questions resulting to the conversation to run in circles, without achieving my necessary objective. Will try to further improve the coaching skills in the next session.
The 3rd coaching is certainly better than the previous sessions. I think that in this session all the objectives that I had set out had been met. The conversation is more relaxed in nature due to my increase in confidence on how to “frame” the conversation. Although the session started from where we ended, the conversation started from exploring the subject matter, solicitation of answers from personal values and belief of the coachee, her take on what she believe to be happening, her thoughts on how she would overcome the barriers for her career growth and development, how to set the relevant goals and the necessary targets or datelines that she had set to achieve the various actions that she need to accomplish before achieving her goals.
The coaching exercise has given me some further insight on how an individual could be motivated in whatever their needs and desires. In coaching, the coach is not expected to give the answers to whatever the problem might be but by attentive listening, the coachee could be made more relaxed resulting to further in-depth revelations and managed to overcome the initial shyness associated with the subject compared to the previous sessions. In this session, I managed to cover all the areas listed out in my coaching plan ie from the exploration of the subject matter up to and including the timelines required in order for the coachee to frame her objectives and the necessary actions that she has to take in order to achieve her goals. In a nutshell, I think that by concentrating on career development, and by making the coachee realize herself the factors that might hold her back and coming with the necessary timelines and action plans, the means of how she can accomplish her goals would be more effective. Furthermore, concentrating on career development would also means that the coachee would further improve in her day to day work which will translate to increased performance which would eventually benefit the company.
Analysis of data was completed early this week. Results were very promising and beyond my wildest dreams. Looks like there is an opportunity to increase the efficiency by approx 20%! Had arranged for a discussion of the results with the HOUs so that we can come up with some proposals or options. Felt pretty good when I was proven right. Will prepare a presentation to the management, think that this exercise will be a feather in my cap.
Managed to finish the assignment slightly ahead of time and been proud of it. This assignment is quite taxing compared to LOC. Still yet to send the 3rd coaching report to Glen, will do that ASAP. Phew, what a relief….
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
VOL & VOLF
Week 7 (6/4 – 12/4)
Managed to complete and submit the final draft of the dissertation. What a relief! Keeping my fingers crossed and hopes that my supervisor will accept it. At this point of time I think that a pass would be sufficient, getting results better than B would be a bonus. Don’t think that I could extend my completion of studies anymore, think that its getting more difficult as the year progresses.
Started to think about the coaching practice now, since time is virtually running out. Had approached the coachee regarding the exercise and explained to her what my intention is. Had a short talk to her about the coaching exercise and informed her that there will be 3 sessions that I had planned. Not sure about the outcome yet, “fingers crossed” about it. Got to go through the notes and the references that I managed to compile regarding the coaching exercise so that I would not stuffed up.
Gone back through the notes since need to have a refresher on the correct way to coaching. Main items to be observed or noted are:-
Experience during request for permission for coaching;
Observations made of the coachee during coaching session;
Actions to be taken;
Commitments made.
The coaching session was undertaken for approximately 20 minutes on 10th April 2009 at my office. The purpose of the coaching exercise was explained to the coachee since she was initially uncomfortable about the coaching subject when informed previously. Although the coaching exercise is part of the requirements for the MBL course, I also made it clear that my intention to coach her was genuine. The main difficulties encountered was for the coachee to build the trusting relationship since the subject matter brought up was too personal in nature and since I am her superior. I had shown her my blog in order to show her that the prior commitment that I made ie not revealing her name in my blog was done. Didn’t manage to get far although 2 subjects were brought up by the coachee ie in terms of career direction and personal financial matters. Will try to get further inroads into the coaching aspects so that I will manage to progress further. In this aspect, I sincerely think that building the mutual trust would be essential so that this exercise would not be considered “forced upon”. Had looked through the sample questions in the notes and also done further reading in order to learn the necessary coaching skills required. I still think that why the first coaching session did not go that far was due to my lack of skills in coaching.
Just an update, PR won both Bukit Selambau & Bukit Gantang seats while BN won the Batang Ai seat. Most of the people that I met were not unduly surprised by the results, though some expected PR to win all 3 seats. Hmmm… politics, can’t live with them, can’t live without them.
Managed to complete and submit the final draft of the dissertation. What a relief! Keeping my fingers crossed and hopes that my supervisor will accept it. At this point of time I think that a pass would be sufficient, getting results better than B would be a bonus. Don’t think that I could extend my completion of studies anymore, think that its getting more difficult as the year progresses.
Started to think about the coaching practice now, since time is virtually running out. Had approached the coachee regarding the exercise and explained to her what my intention is. Had a short talk to her about the coaching exercise and informed her that there will be 3 sessions that I had planned. Not sure about the outcome yet, “fingers crossed” about it. Got to go through the notes and the references that I managed to compile regarding the coaching exercise so that I would not stuffed up.
Gone back through the notes since need to have a refresher on the correct way to coaching. Main items to be observed or noted are:-
Experience during request for permission for coaching;
Observations made of the coachee during coaching session;
Actions to be taken;
Commitments made.
The coaching session was undertaken for approximately 20 minutes on 10th April 2009 at my office. The purpose of the coaching exercise was explained to the coachee since she was initially uncomfortable about the coaching subject when informed previously. Although the coaching exercise is part of the requirements for the MBL course, I also made it clear that my intention to coach her was genuine. The main difficulties encountered was for the coachee to build the trusting relationship since the subject matter brought up was too personal in nature and since I am her superior. I had shown her my blog in order to show her that the prior commitment that I made ie not revealing her name in my blog was done. Didn’t manage to get far although 2 subjects were brought up by the coachee ie in terms of career direction and personal financial matters. Will try to get further inroads into the coaching aspects so that I will manage to progress further. In this aspect, I sincerely think that building the mutual trust would be essential so that this exercise would not be considered “forced upon”. Had looked through the sample questions in the notes and also done further reading in order to learn the necessary coaching skills required. I still think that why the first coaching session did not go that far was due to my lack of skills in coaching.
Just an update, PR won both Bukit Selambau & Bukit Gantang seats while BN won the Batang Ai seat. Most of the people that I met were not unduly surprised by the results, though some expected PR to win all 3 seats. Hmmm… politics, can’t live with them, can’t live without them.
Monday, April 6, 2009
VOL & VOLF
Week 6 (30/3 – 5/4)
Does not manage to do much on the coaching exercise this week. Main focus apart from work and dissertation is to compile references on coaching that I might come across.
From Scott Armstrong (2001) Are You A Transformational Coach. The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, Vol. 72
Little research has explored the leader behaviors that facilitate effective coaching. Most efforts to apply leadership theory to sport have yielded minimal success. While leader behavior is often discussed, it is one of the least understood aspects of coaching. This is ironic, considering that the coach is the "definer, provider, [and] deliverer of sport experience for the athlete". The sport experience is a direct reflection of the coach's philosophy, beliefs, values, and priorities: "the quality of an athlete's experience can never exceed the quality of the leadership providing it". This point to a need to develop effective leader behavior among coaches. Effective leaders will probably coach more winners, but the bar is often set much higher than wins and losses. A successful coach demonstrates sensitivity to an athlete's needs both in and out of the competitive venue. An unsuccessful coach has a tendency to use athletes and overlook their personal needs. A successful coach skillfully uses athletics to help athletes learn lessons about life and appreciate their increased knowledge. In contrast, an unsuccessful coach shows little interest in guiding pupils further than the finish line on the track. Effective coaches demonstrate a people-centered attitude.
From Sean Mize (2008), Coaching Techniques : 5 Steps To Increase Your Coaching Techniques. Retrieved March 2008 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Coaching-Techniques
Focus on what can be done to move forward and keep checking that the progress is made and create own cheerleading attitude to progress.
Build a list of potential coaches / clients. Stay in contact and become a trusted advisor
Insist on encouragement.
Appreciate and approve of efforts as going through the learning curve of success.
Encourage niches in personal challenges.
John Burgoyne, Wendy Hirsh and Sadie Williams (2004). The Development of Management and Leadership Capability and its Contribution to Performance:
The evidence, the prospects and the research need. Research Report No. 560, Department For Education and Skills, University of Lancashire.
Coaching was used by 60% of the respondents to the survey. In large organizations (over 2,500 employees) as many as 80% were using coaching for senior managers. The very fact of the popularity of mentoring and coaching is evidence of demand and suggests that managers do find them useful. Another study of a group of managers undertaking a coaching programme also found that participants reported a number of important gains in competence. Other research also suggests that managers feel very positive about mentoring and coaching activities
Corporate Executive Board (2003). Maximizing Returns on Professional Executive
Coaching. Corporate Executive Council, Washington, May 2003. Retrieved from www.corporateleadershipcouncil.com
Key Findings:-
1. A Growing Trend
Organizations around the world indicate a growing excitement about the potential positive impact of coaching as a leadership development intervention.
2. A Costly Preference
Executives have a strong preference for executive coaching but also that such coaching is very expensive compared to other leadership development activities.
3. Inconsistent Implementation
Despite executives’ preferences and the high cost involved, organizations are rarely managing coaching investments in a coordinated or consistent manner.
4. Inconsistent Returns
Member organizations report significantly variable returns on coaching engagements, and Council research indicates that poorly implemented coaching is unreliable as a driver of improvements in employee or business performance. The Council has identified five challenges that inhibit the effective management and utilization of executive coaches within organizations. These challenges impede both the development of positive coaching engagements and the linkage of these engagements to business results. The strategic practices identified in this study address the following five problems.
a. Difficulty Finding “Best Fit” Professional Coaches
An abundance of coaching providers coupled with an absence of coordinated coach recruitment approaches prevents organizations from identifying suitable coaches.
b. Unfocused Coaching Engagements
Organizations often do not appropriately prioritize coaching engagements, offering coaching based on the merits of an individual request rather than business needs and requirements.
c. Poor Matching of Coaching Resources to Executive Requirements
High-impact coaching depends on a positive relationship between executive and coach, yet few organizations are able to ensure accurate matching of coaches’ experience and personalities with executives’ needs and requirements.
d. Disconnect from the Organization
The “behind closed doors” nature of coaching engagements often means that coaching goals do not correspond with business or organizational requirements and coaching fails to generate an ongoing impact for the business.
e. Inconsistent Delivery and Quality of Coaching
A wide diversity of coaching approaches and styles prevents organizations from effectively implementing and managing a performance standard for coaches across the organization.
From the above, there are obvious advantages of adopting coaching in an organization. However, care need to be undertaken so that for the improvement of performance to the organization, the organizational needs and requirements. In order for the organization to be successful in its implementation of the coaching strategies, the coaching activities should be done in a coordinated and consistent manner. The challenges that might impede the success of coaching are among others; finding the best fit coaches, unfocused coaching activities, poor matching of coaching resources, dis-association from organizational goals and objectives and quality of coaching.
The week is abuzz with the upcoming by-election in Bukit Selambau in Kedah, Bukit Gantang in Perak & Batang Ai in Sarawak. Interesting to read what the mainstream government had to say and comparing it to the political bloggers. Only time will tell I guess.
Does not manage to do much on the coaching exercise this week. Main focus apart from work and dissertation is to compile references on coaching that I might come across.
From Scott Armstrong (2001) Are You A Transformational Coach. The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, Vol. 72
Little research has explored the leader behaviors that facilitate effective coaching. Most efforts to apply leadership theory to sport have yielded minimal success. While leader behavior is often discussed, it is one of the least understood aspects of coaching. This is ironic, considering that the coach is the "definer, provider, [and] deliverer of sport experience for the athlete". The sport experience is a direct reflection of the coach's philosophy, beliefs, values, and priorities: "the quality of an athlete's experience can never exceed the quality of the leadership providing it". This point to a need to develop effective leader behavior among coaches. Effective leaders will probably coach more winners, but the bar is often set much higher than wins and losses. A successful coach demonstrates sensitivity to an athlete's needs both in and out of the competitive venue. An unsuccessful coach has a tendency to use athletes and overlook their personal needs. A successful coach skillfully uses athletics to help athletes learn lessons about life and appreciate their increased knowledge. In contrast, an unsuccessful coach shows little interest in guiding pupils further than the finish line on the track. Effective coaches demonstrate a people-centered attitude.
From Sean Mize (2008), Coaching Techniques : 5 Steps To Increase Your Coaching Techniques. Retrieved March 2008 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Coaching-Techniques
Focus on what can be done to move forward and keep checking that the progress is made and create own cheerleading attitude to progress.
Build a list of potential coaches / clients. Stay in contact and become a trusted advisor
Insist on encouragement.
Appreciate and approve of efforts as going through the learning curve of success.
Encourage niches in personal challenges.
John Burgoyne, Wendy Hirsh and Sadie Williams (2004). The Development of Management and Leadership Capability and its Contribution to Performance:
The evidence, the prospects and the research need. Research Report No. 560, Department For Education and Skills, University of Lancashire.
Coaching was used by 60% of the respondents to the survey. In large organizations (over 2,500 employees) as many as 80% were using coaching for senior managers. The very fact of the popularity of mentoring and coaching is evidence of demand and suggests that managers do find them useful. Another study of a group of managers undertaking a coaching programme also found that participants reported a number of important gains in competence. Other research also suggests that managers feel very positive about mentoring and coaching activities
Corporate Executive Board (2003). Maximizing Returns on Professional Executive
Coaching. Corporate Executive Council, Washington, May 2003. Retrieved from www.corporateleadershipcouncil.com
Key Findings:-
1. A Growing Trend
Organizations around the world indicate a growing excitement about the potential positive impact of coaching as a leadership development intervention.
2. A Costly Preference
Executives have a strong preference for executive coaching but also that such coaching is very expensive compared to other leadership development activities.
3. Inconsistent Implementation
Despite executives’ preferences and the high cost involved, organizations are rarely managing coaching investments in a coordinated or consistent manner.
4. Inconsistent Returns
Member organizations report significantly variable returns on coaching engagements, and Council research indicates that poorly implemented coaching is unreliable as a driver of improvements in employee or business performance. The Council has identified five challenges that inhibit the effective management and utilization of executive coaches within organizations. These challenges impede both the development of positive coaching engagements and the linkage of these engagements to business results. The strategic practices identified in this study address the following five problems.
a. Difficulty Finding “Best Fit” Professional Coaches
An abundance of coaching providers coupled with an absence of coordinated coach recruitment approaches prevents organizations from identifying suitable coaches.
b. Unfocused Coaching Engagements
Organizations often do not appropriately prioritize coaching engagements, offering coaching based on the merits of an individual request rather than business needs and requirements.
c. Poor Matching of Coaching Resources to Executive Requirements
High-impact coaching depends on a positive relationship between executive and coach, yet few organizations are able to ensure accurate matching of coaches’ experience and personalities with executives’ needs and requirements.
d. Disconnect from the Organization
The “behind closed doors” nature of coaching engagements often means that coaching goals do not correspond with business or organizational requirements and coaching fails to generate an ongoing impact for the business.
e. Inconsistent Delivery and Quality of Coaching
A wide diversity of coaching approaches and styles prevents organizations from effectively implementing and managing a performance standard for coaches across the organization.
From the above, there are obvious advantages of adopting coaching in an organization. However, care need to be undertaken so that for the improvement of performance to the organization, the organizational needs and requirements. In order for the organization to be successful in its implementation of the coaching strategies, the coaching activities should be done in a coordinated and consistent manner. The challenges that might impede the success of coaching are among others; finding the best fit coaches, unfocused coaching activities, poor matching of coaching resources, dis-association from organizational goals and objectives and quality of coaching.
The week is abuzz with the upcoming by-election in Bukit Selambau in Kedah, Bukit Gantang in Perak & Batang Ai in Sarawak. Interesting to read what the mainstream government had to say and comparing it to the political bloggers. Only time will tell I guess.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
VOL & VOLF
Week 5 (23/3 – 29/3)
Been a very hectic week. Although I was supposed to be on leave on Monday and Tuesday, there was a dislodged rock incident at Bukit Lanjan on Monday. Everybody was on their toes about it since the last time this happened; massive boulders had fallen down and closed the expressway for about six months, nevermind the traffic jams that had happened around KL for those months. The boss wanted me to prepare a press statement on behalf of the Client. Had delegated the matter to my Deputy so that I would have something to start with then. Gone through the draft, not too overly excited about it though. I redrafted the press statement after talking to the boss. Been touch and go about my dissertation though since the statistical analysis didn’t actually goes according to plan.
Spoke to the coachee about the coaching exercise. I think that I had got her somewhat worried. Told her that I will explain further once I had finished my dissertation which will be due on the 6th April. A commitment was also negotiated ie by not revealing her name in my reflective blog.
From the notes, the basic steps in coaching are as follows:-
• Enrollment
• Establishment of Relationship
• Openings
• Assessment
• Feedback
• Engagement In Coaching Conversations
For a coach – especially one who is just starting out – it is important to have a structure and discipline. Even master coaches refer to a structural “foundation” when they appear to deftly navigate the coaching process intuitively. The ability of master coaches to appear to “blink” their way through difficult coaching situations is, in most if not all cases, supported by many years of disciplined application of solid fundamentals. The learning and insight they have accumulated over time is the solid base of support that underlies their “intuition.”
1. Enrollment
Enrollment in a coaching context means acceptance by the coachee of the coaching relationship and the coaching conversation. Many coaching programs fail initially because of the coach’s inability to enroll the coachee. Why? Because enrollment demands that the coach is accepted without doubt or reservation by the coachee. This acceptance cannot be forced.
In order to be accepted by the coachee, the coach should be prepared to give up certain things – mainly his personal beliefs, habits and biases – as a measure of good faith. A manager must be ready to step out of the superior’s role in which he might have become comfortable, to “step down” to a position of equality insofar the coaching relationship is concerned. This “stepping down” can be the sign of commitment that a coachee needs to enroll himself or herself into the coaching process. Credibility and reassurance are absolutely vital for enrollment. Both are anchored on trust. “Trust me” is probably the scariest request a coachee can hear if the coach is his superior, but for the coaching relationship to work, trust must be developed. Many coaches fail to engage or enroll their coachees because they did not clearly establish - and gain acceptance for - the personal benefits that will result from coaching. Often managers assume that benefits to the company will be perceived as benefits to and for the coachee; however, the coachee is primarily focused on his/her self-interests, not necessarily those of the company.
Examples of statements of personal benefit:-
• The added efficiency and time savings will free up your time to do other things that you like doing.
• The increased skill level will improve your chances for promotion / recognition / higher pay.
• Excellent performance will be given due recognition and reward.
The key to successful engagement is the ability to identify which personal values, if satisfied and related to organizational expectations, can be the basis for sustained commitment to improving performance. Some examples of personal needs or values are:
• Recognition
• Personal freedom
• Financial security
The coach must be able to demonstrate his own commitment to the process. Having done that he then establishes the connection between the coachee’s personal values and the needs of the organization. By committing to meet each other’s needs, both coachee and organization will have established the synergy needed for growth and mutual sustainability.
The organization’s needs should be clearly defined. These are the performance specifics that the coachee must strive to deliver. And together, coach and coachee work toward the goal. The coachee is able to focus on performance improvement knowing that such performance bears a direct correlation with the satisfaction of his personal needs. Unless an individual is fully focused, engaged and committed to delivering the desired outcome, talent is not optimized. Engagement and commitment can only come about if the coachee is sufficiently assured that his personal interest and that of the organization – insofar as the specific desired outcome – are locked together.
2. Establishment of A Relationship
A coach must be sensitive, perceptive and discerning of cultural and other subjective factors right from the start. The relationship needed for coaching must be based on the following:
• Openness
• Communication
• Appreciation
• Fairness
• Shared commitment
Sometimes managers sense that they have “good chemistry” with a team member, but that is not an objective consideration for developing a coaching relationship. You will have some team members who you don’t particularly like and some who you will. It does not matter. A coach should be committed to building an effective, productive coaching relationship in any case.
The most effective strategy for building trust is to eliminate the fear of consequence – especially of betrayal. The coachee’s greatest fears will always include that of revealing “too much” in the course of conversation; that the revelation could be used against him or her. A simple “trust me” will not suffice. Integrity is, therefore, a key element in the relationship.
Trust is a gift that people give and a decision that we each have to make. In coaching, the direction of trust-giving is mostly toward the coach. Trust is not given unconditionally and without boundaries. A coach should set objective boundaries. The coaching contract should be clear about the scope of the coaching conversation. Like in any other relationship, trust is earned by keeping commitments and meeting expectations. Culture considerations may come into play in building trust, too. While most cultures expect leaders to care about their organizations, some cultures view delegation as a trust-building action while others may view it as an attempt to “pass the buck” and put the employee at risk. By providing boundaries and objectives, the expectations on both sides can be clearer.
In coaching, it’s not necessary to hold coachees up to the high-end standard of respect. What’s needed is the respect for the coachee in the domain of activity in which they will be coached, and within the day-to-day relationship that will exist for the duration of coaching – in both professional and personal terms.
The coach begins to establish mutual freedom of expression by inviting the coachee to speak openly and freely. In exchange, the coach commits to being open to receiving what the coachee has to say without argument or defense, responding instead with clarifying questions and assurances that the coachee has been heard. Whether explicit or otherwise, the coach gives the assurance to the coachee that the team member will not be put in a position to defend or explain his actions. Throughout the entire process the coach must be committed to absolute confidentiality. This might be difficult sometimes in a corporate setting. If the coachee found out that information from coaching conversations has been shared, damage will not be limited to just the coaching relationship itself. By skillfully combining openness, listening and confidentiality the coach will ensure freedom of expression throughout the coaching relationship.
3. Openings
Timing is everything. Knowing when and how to start may well determine whether you get anywhere. People don’t usually go around asking to be coached. It’s the coach’s job to sense and decide the right moment of initiation. That moment is sometimes referred to as the “moment of breakdown” which we think and believe that all’s well in life or at work until something goes wrong. Most people are not ready candidates for coaching until the predictability and regularity of some key aspect of existence, e.g. performance at work, is interrupted. Therefore, an opening for coaching is an occasion. It is an event that makes it more likely that the potential coachee will be approachable or receptive to coaching.
Collection of data had been completed, analysis are currently on-going. Had delegated the follow up from the HOUs to my deputy, the results should be ready by early next week. Quite nervous about it all since my reputation would be at stake ie. A hero or a zero.
Been a very hectic week. Although I was supposed to be on leave on Monday and Tuesday, there was a dislodged rock incident at Bukit Lanjan on Monday. Everybody was on their toes about it since the last time this happened; massive boulders had fallen down and closed the expressway for about six months, nevermind the traffic jams that had happened around KL for those months. The boss wanted me to prepare a press statement on behalf of the Client. Had delegated the matter to my Deputy so that I would have something to start with then. Gone through the draft, not too overly excited about it though. I redrafted the press statement after talking to the boss. Been touch and go about my dissertation though since the statistical analysis didn’t actually goes according to plan.
Spoke to the coachee about the coaching exercise. I think that I had got her somewhat worried. Told her that I will explain further once I had finished my dissertation which will be due on the 6th April. A commitment was also negotiated ie by not revealing her name in my reflective blog.
From the notes, the basic steps in coaching are as follows:-
• Enrollment
• Establishment of Relationship
• Openings
• Assessment
• Feedback
• Engagement In Coaching Conversations
For a coach – especially one who is just starting out – it is important to have a structure and discipline. Even master coaches refer to a structural “foundation” when they appear to deftly navigate the coaching process intuitively. The ability of master coaches to appear to “blink” their way through difficult coaching situations is, in most if not all cases, supported by many years of disciplined application of solid fundamentals. The learning and insight they have accumulated over time is the solid base of support that underlies their “intuition.”
1. Enrollment
Enrollment in a coaching context means acceptance by the coachee of the coaching relationship and the coaching conversation. Many coaching programs fail initially because of the coach’s inability to enroll the coachee. Why? Because enrollment demands that the coach is accepted without doubt or reservation by the coachee. This acceptance cannot be forced.
In order to be accepted by the coachee, the coach should be prepared to give up certain things – mainly his personal beliefs, habits and biases – as a measure of good faith. A manager must be ready to step out of the superior’s role in which he might have become comfortable, to “step down” to a position of equality insofar the coaching relationship is concerned. This “stepping down” can be the sign of commitment that a coachee needs to enroll himself or herself into the coaching process. Credibility and reassurance are absolutely vital for enrollment. Both are anchored on trust. “Trust me” is probably the scariest request a coachee can hear if the coach is his superior, but for the coaching relationship to work, trust must be developed. Many coaches fail to engage or enroll their coachees because they did not clearly establish - and gain acceptance for - the personal benefits that will result from coaching. Often managers assume that benefits to the company will be perceived as benefits to and for the coachee; however, the coachee is primarily focused on his/her self-interests, not necessarily those of the company.
Examples of statements of personal benefit:-
• The added efficiency and time savings will free up your time to do other things that you like doing.
• The increased skill level will improve your chances for promotion / recognition / higher pay.
• Excellent performance will be given due recognition and reward.
The key to successful engagement is the ability to identify which personal values, if satisfied and related to organizational expectations, can be the basis for sustained commitment to improving performance. Some examples of personal needs or values are:
• Recognition
• Personal freedom
• Financial security
The coach must be able to demonstrate his own commitment to the process. Having done that he then establishes the connection between the coachee’s personal values and the needs of the organization. By committing to meet each other’s needs, both coachee and organization will have established the synergy needed for growth and mutual sustainability.
The organization’s needs should be clearly defined. These are the performance specifics that the coachee must strive to deliver. And together, coach and coachee work toward the goal. The coachee is able to focus on performance improvement knowing that such performance bears a direct correlation with the satisfaction of his personal needs. Unless an individual is fully focused, engaged and committed to delivering the desired outcome, talent is not optimized. Engagement and commitment can only come about if the coachee is sufficiently assured that his personal interest and that of the organization – insofar as the specific desired outcome – are locked together.
2. Establishment of A Relationship
A coach must be sensitive, perceptive and discerning of cultural and other subjective factors right from the start. The relationship needed for coaching must be based on the following:
• Openness
• Communication
• Appreciation
• Fairness
• Shared commitment
Sometimes managers sense that they have “good chemistry” with a team member, but that is not an objective consideration for developing a coaching relationship. You will have some team members who you don’t particularly like and some who you will. It does not matter. A coach should be committed to building an effective, productive coaching relationship in any case.
The most effective strategy for building trust is to eliminate the fear of consequence – especially of betrayal. The coachee’s greatest fears will always include that of revealing “too much” in the course of conversation; that the revelation could be used against him or her. A simple “trust me” will not suffice. Integrity is, therefore, a key element in the relationship.
Trust is a gift that people give and a decision that we each have to make. In coaching, the direction of trust-giving is mostly toward the coach. Trust is not given unconditionally and without boundaries. A coach should set objective boundaries. The coaching contract should be clear about the scope of the coaching conversation. Like in any other relationship, trust is earned by keeping commitments and meeting expectations. Culture considerations may come into play in building trust, too. While most cultures expect leaders to care about their organizations, some cultures view delegation as a trust-building action while others may view it as an attempt to “pass the buck” and put the employee at risk. By providing boundaries and objectives, the expectations on both sides can be clearer.
In coaching, it’s not necessary to hold coachees up to the high-end standard of respect. What’s needed is the respect for the coachee in the domain of activity in which they will be coached, and within the day-to-day relationship that will exist for the duration of coaching – in both professional and personal terms.
The coach begins to establish mutual freedom of expression by inviting the coachee to speak openly and freely. In exchange, the coach commits to being open to receiving what the coachee has to say without argument or defense, responding instead with clarifying questions and assurances that the coachee has been heard. Whether explicit or otherwise, the coach gives the assurance to the coachee that the team member will not be put in a position to defend or explain his actions. Throughout the entire process the coach must be committed to absolute confidentiality. This might be difficult sometimes in a corporate setting. If the coachee found out that information from coaching conversations has been shared, damage will not be limited to just the coaching relationship itself. By skillfully combining openness, listening and confidentiality the coach will ensure freedom of expression throughout the coaching relationship.
3. Openings
Timing is everything. Knowing when and how to start may well determine whether you get anywhere. People don’t usually go around asking to be coached. It’s the coach’s job to sense and decide the right moment of initiation. That moment is sometimes referred to as the “moment of breakdown” which we think and believe that all’s well in life or at work until something goes wrong. Most people are not ready candidates for coaching until the predictability and regularity of some key aspect of existence, e.g. performance at work, is interrupted. Therefore, an opening for coaching is an occasion. It is an event that makes it more likely that the potential coachee will be approachable or receptive to coaching.
Collection of data had been completed, analysis are currently on-going. Had delegated the follow up from the HOUs to my deputy, the results should be ready by early next week. Quite nervous about it all since my reputation would be at stake ie. A hero or a zero.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
VOL & VOLF
Week 4 (16/3 – 22/3)
It is absolutely vital for a coach to raise the coachee’s awareness – especially of self. The higher our expectations of performance, the greater the need for self awareness. The specific areas of awareness may vary but the objective is the same - increase the coachee’s insight in relation to:
• The effect of coachee’s behavior on the work environment, including the people around him or her.
• The external world’s effect – including other people’s behavior - on the coachee.
“When we are ordered to be responsible, told to be, or even given responsibility, if we do not fully accept it, performance does not rise. We might do the job because of the implied threat if we do not, but doing something to avoid a threat does not optimize performance. To feel truly responsible involves choice. This raises the oft-avoided but inevitable matter of personal commitment.”
– John Whitmore, “Coaching for Performance”
Since managers cannot do all the work or be everywhere all the time, it’s necessary to help people to take on responsibility themselves for their effectiveness and their results. This is part of what a manager coach does for optimal results.
Taking responsibility does not come easy in environments that do not encourage risk taking or where fear of uncertainty is programmed into the “cultural DNA.” Therefore, it is important to take cultural context – corporate as well as national – into account before coaching a coachee on taking responsibility. In any culture, however, the root of all motivation is personal commitment. Without personal commitment a person cannot be said to be fully engaged. He or she is not fully and truly committed. In order to develop and nurture commitment, a coach must help the coachee through a process that identifies what personal values – wants, needs and expectations – are met if he or she delivers on what the organization expects. Without that broad intersection between personal values and company expectations the coachee is likely to hedge or perform below potential. “What’s in it for me?” is a perfectly legitimate question and its answer is the basis for determining the level of personal engagement or commitment.
Fear of consequence is the other factor that leads coachees to be ambivalent and reluctant to commit or take risks. The influence of these two factors: personal values and internal attitude toward risk taking need to be understood if anything meaningful is to be achieved in terms of coaching a coachee towards taking greater responsibility. The personal dimension can be effectively addressed through coaching, but operating in a culture that does not promote risk taking or individual initiative presents a systemic challenge that requires coordinated action and agreement to foster change by the organization.
Almost any top athlete will tell you that it is the mind that leads the body. Top performance in business demands no less. The mind is key. As in sport, bright intellects are many in business. But these alone – technical ability, intellect and even experience – do not make for decisive advantage. They do not guarantee success. However, a winning mind is a different thing. There was a time when coaching was essentially directive. Responsibility was withheld and awareness suppressed. By doing so, coaches – and managers – contributed to their players’ and employees’ limitations. They might have gotten reasonable results from their players and employees. But paradoxically that very “success” likely kept performance levels stagnant at best because employees and players alike were not motivated to try anything new.
The coach is neither problem solver nor guru. He or she is not a teacher, adviser nor even an expert. Rather, the coach is a sounding board, a facilitator, and an awareness raiser.
John Whitmore gave the list of essential qualities to be an effective coach. In his writings, an effective coach is:
• Patient
• Detached
• Supportive
• Interested
• A good listener
• Perceptive
• Aware
• Self-aware
• Attentive
• Retentive
Of these, perhaps the effective coach ought to develop a bias for patience and detachment. Patience because it is the key to listening which, in turn, determines the quality and completeness of input. Detachment because as we get better at what we do and consequently become more engaged, we need to work ever harder to detach ourselves from the process and remain centered on improving coachee performance, not centered on the coachee. In addition to the foregoing, these add value but are not absolutely essential:
• Technical expertise
• Knowledge
• Experience
• Credibility
• Authority
Whitmore hastens to add that certain conditions need to be met if we are to include the last five. If they are to be of any real value, the coach must use or refer to them carefully. Technical expertise, knowledge and experience can be useful – even important – for processing information and insight gained in the course of coaching conversations.
Credibility and authority on the other hand are things a coach will have to earn from the coachee. Credibility comes from authenticity. It should be assumed that coachees can intuitively sense insincerity. You either are or you aren’t. Authority is not something to be projected; it is earned and renewed all throughout the coaching relationship.
The excerpts above would be very important in the coaching exercise. The coach need to be able to have the necessary patience and also to be professional enough to realize that performance coaching is to improve performance of the coachee, not of the coachee. In real life however, I would like to think that with improved performance of the coachee, it will create a positive image / outlook by the coachee and to a certain extent will encourage the coachee to raise his / her performance levels.
Will pursue on the improvement of the work order process. Had some advice from the Project Director on how to go about it. Had decided that data need to be collected beforehand, in order to support my observation. Had discussed the matter with the HOUs, sensed their resistance on it and tried to clarify the matter and highlighted the benefits to the organization. Since not all HOUs are particularly keen on the exercise, ultimately made the decision and issued a directive for data collection to commence for approximately 2 to 3 weeks.
It is absolutely vital for a coach to raise the coachee’s awareness – especially of self. The higher our expectations of performance, the greater the need for self awareness. The specific areas of awareness may vary but the objective is the same - increase the coachee’s insight in relation to:
• The effect of coachee’s behavior on the work environment, including the people around him or her.
• The external world’s effect – including other people’s behavior - on the coachee.
“When we are ordered to be responsible, told to be, or even given responsibility, if we do not fully accept it, performance does not rise. We might do the job because of the implied threat if we do not, but doing something to avoid a threat does not optimize performance. To feel truly responsible involves choice. This raises the oft-avoided but inevitable matter of personal commitment.”
– John Whitmore, “Coaching for Performance”
Since managers cannot do all the work or be everywhere all the time, it’s necessary to help people to take on responsibility themselves for their effectiveness and their results. This is part of what a manager coach does for optimal results.
Taking responsibility does not come easy in environments that do not encourage risk taking or where fear of uncertainty is programmed into the “cultural DNA.” Therefore, it is important to take cultural context – corporate as well as national – into account before coaching a coachee on taking responsibility. In any culture, however, the root of all motivation is personal commitment. Without personal commitment a person cannot be said to be fully engaged. He or she is not fully and truly committed. In order to develop and nurture commitment, a coach must help the coachee through a process that identifies what personal values – wants, needs and expectations – are met if he or she delivers on what the organization expects. Without that broad intersection between personal values and company expectations the coachee is likely to hedge or perform below potential. “What’s in it for me?” is a perfectly legitimate question and its answer is the basis for determining the level of personal engagement or commitment.
Fear of consequence is the other factor that leads coachees to be ambivalent and reluctant to commit or take risks. The influence of these two factors: personal values and internal attitude toward risk taking need to be understood if anything meaningful is to be achieved in terms of coaching a coachee towards taking greater responsibility. The personal dimension can be effectively addressed through coaching, but operating in a culture that does not promote risk taking or individual initiative presents a systemic challenge that requires coordinated action and agreement to foster change by the organization.
Almost any top athlete will tell you that it is the mind that leads the body. Top performance in business demands no less. The mind is key. As in sport, bright intellects are many in business. But these alone – technical ability, intellect and even experience – do not make for decisive advantage. They do not guarantee success. However, a winning mind is a different thing. There was a time when coaching was essentially directive. Responsibility was withheld and awareness suppressed. By doing so, coaches – and managers – contributed to their players’ and employees’ limitations. They might have gotten reasonable results from their players and employees. But paradoxically that very “success” likely kept performance levels stagnant at best because employees and players alike were not motivated to try anything new.
The coach is neither problem solver nor guru. He or she is not a teacher, adviser nor even an expert. Rather, the coach is a sounding board, a facilitator, and an awareness raiser.
John Whitmore gave the list of essential qualities to be an effective coach. In his writings, an effective coach is:
• Patient
• Detached
• Supportive
• Interested
• A good listener
• Perceptive
• Aware
• Self-aware
• Attentive
• Retentive
Of these, perhaps the effective coach ought to develop a bias for patience and detachment. Patience because it is the key to listening which, in turn, determines the quality and completeness of input. Detachment because as we get better at what we do and consequently become more engaged, we need to work ever harder to detach ourselves from the process and remain centered on improving coachee performance, not centered on the coachee. In addition to the foregoing, these add value but are not absolutely essential:
• Technical expertise
• Knowledge
• Experience
• Credibility
• Authority
Whitmore hastens to add that certain conditions need to be met if we are to include the last five. If they are to be of any real value, the coach must use or refer to them carefully. Technical expertise, knowledge and experience can be useful – even important – for processing information and insight gained in the course of coaching conversations.
Credibility and authority on the other hand are things a coach will have to earn from the coachee. Credibility comes from authenticity. It should be assumed that coachees can intuitively sense insincerity. You either are or you aren’t. Authority is not something to be projected; it is earned and renewed all throughout the coaching relationship.
The excerpts above would be very important in the coaching exercise. The coach need to be able to have the necessary patience and also to be professional enough to realize that performance coaching is to improve performance of the coachee, not of the coachee. In real life however, I would like to think that with improved performance of the coachee, it will create a positive image / outlook by the coachee and to a certain extent will encourage the coachee to raise his / her performance levels.
Will pursue on the improvement of the work order process. Had some advice from the Project Director on how to go about it. Had decided that data need to be collected beforehand, in order to support my observation. Had discussed the matter with the HOUs, sensed their resistance on it and tried to clarify the matter and highlighted the benefits to the organization. Since not all HOUs are particularly keen on the exercise, ultimately made the decision and issued a directive for data collection to commence for approximately 2 to 3 weeks.
Monday, March 16, 2009
VOL & VOLF
Week 3 (9/3 – 15/3)
Gone through the notes. Performance coaching was mooted about 20 years ago by Timothy Gallwell in his book titled “Inner Game” both for tennis and golf. This has dismantled the conventional wisdom of his day in relation to athletic performance. Gallwey had opened up the subject of the “mental game” that has been mastered by sports giants like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Self-mastery had now become the decisive element in any competitor’s arsenal of skills and competencies. The self mastery is so crucial to unlocking human potential that a manager coach seeks to bring about in his or her coachee. Gallwey defined the essence of coaching as unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance by helping them to learn rather than to teach. Of course every athlete need to train in their respective game in order to master the necessary skills required in order for them to excel in their particular game. Although coaching could also results for athletes to train and practice more, the mental game and also mental toughness is the “edge” required which will sustain the level of performance expected.
James Flaherty, in his book “Coaching – Evoking Excellence in Others”, listed the following as the products of coaching:
• Long-Term Excellent Performance
The coachee must, on a sustained basis, meet high objective standards of performance. A standard is objective when it can be observed by a competent person. For example, scoring goals and winning matches are obvious examples. Meeting revenue and profit targets are typical business examples. So are meeting project timelines, safety targets and budgets.
• Self-Correction
Well-coached people can observe when they are performing well and when they are not. As such they will make any necessary adjustments independent of the coach. This is a very important criterion. By keeping this in mind coaches can avoid the big temptation of becoming indispensable and, instead work to build the competency of the client.
• Self-Generation
Well-coached people are made to realize from the onset that they can always improve. As such they will always find ways on their own to do so. They become self-starting and pro-active. They begin to practice more, they observe and learn from how others perform or they’ll learn an activity that will strengthen them in a new way that improves or expands their competence.
The amount of work that a manager can perform by himself or herself is inversely proportional to the magnitude and scale of responsibility. That being the case he or she begins to rely more and more on the ability to harness human capacity – talent – in order to deliver on progressively higher expectations. How much can be achieved through direct supervision and instruction? Clearly the manager or executive must have better methods and tools at his or her disposal than skill and sheer will. Coaching is one of those tools. It can be the manager’s intervention-of-choice for creating the attitudes and conditions needed to sustain excellent performance.
Need to sleep on this coz this is somewhat important in the overall principles of coaching.
Gone through the notes. Performance coaching was mooted about 20 years ago by Timothy Gallwell in his book titled “Inner Game” both for tennis and golf. This has dismantled the conventional wisdom of his day in relation to athletic performance. Gallwey had opened up the subject of the “mental game” that has been mastered by sports giants like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Self-mastery had now become the decisive element in any competitor’s arsenal of skills and competencies. The self mastery is so crucial to unlocking human potential that a manager coach seeks to bring about in his or her coachee. Gallwey defined the essence of coaching as unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance by helping them to learn rather than to teach. Of course every athlete need to train in their respective game in order to master the necessary skills required in order for them to excel in their particular game. Although coaching could also results for athletes to train and practice more, the mental game and also mental toughness is the “edge” required which will sustain the level of performance expected.
James Flaherty, in his book “Coaching – Evoking Excellence in Others”, listed the following as the products of coaching:
• Long-Term Excellent Performance
The coachee must, on a sustained basis, meet high objective standards of performance. A standard is objective when it can be observed by a competent person. For example, scoring goals and winning matches are obvious examples. Meeting revenue and profit targets are typical business examples. So are meeting project timelines, safety targets and budgets.
• Self-Correction
Well-coached people can observe when they are performing well and when they are not. As such they will make any necessary adjustments independent of the coach. This is a very important criterion. By keeping this in mind coaches can avoid the big temptation of becoming indispensable and, instead work to build the competency of the client.
• Self-Generation
Well-coached people are made to realize from the onset that they can always improve. As such they will always find ways on their own to do so. They become self-starting and pro-active. They begin to practice more, they observe and learn from how others perform or they’ll learn an activity that will strengthen them in a new way that improves or expands their competence.
The amount of work that a manager can perform by himself or herself is inversely proportional to the magnitude and scale of responsibility. That being the case he or she begins to rely more and more on the ability to harness human capacity – talent – in order to deliver on progressively higher expectations. How much can be achieved through direct supervision and instruction? Clearly the manager or executive must have better methods and tools at his or her disposal than skill and sheer will. Coaching is one of those tools. It can be the manager’s intervention-of-choice for creating the attitudes and conditions needed to sustain excellent performance.
Need to sleep on this coz this is somewhat important in the overall principles of coaching.
Monday, March 9, 2009
VOL & VOLF
Week 2 (2/3 – 8/3)
Gone over the notes and also the assignment. Only came to realise that the core subject matter is coaching as opposed to Leadership. To quote from the notes:-
“Coaching is helping others to help themselves. It is about making people realize how good they can REALLY be versus how good they THINK they are. It is about helping people improve themselves through their own realizations, self-learning and self-motivation. All ownership remains with the coachee.”
This is the main idea in coaching. It is about the coachee, not the coach. The coachee is encouraged to self realize and come to their own conclusions on matters that they feel strongly about. The coach is not supposed to have all the answers but his main role is to enable the coachee to think about the possible ways or actions that might be the most appropriate, given the constraints that he or she had to endure. Most of the great sports coaches are not the top players themselves but most of them has the necessary qualities ie to inspire and to encourage their players to be able to achieve their potential. Everything that the coach has tried to impart is meant to advance the ability to bring out the best in people.
“When a man says I cannot, he has made a suggestion to himself. He has weakened his power of accomplishing that which otherwise would have been accomplished.”
– Muhammad Ali.
This quote from Muhammad Ali means that if an individual approaches their tasks negatively, subconsciously, an “invisible barrier” had been put up which makes accomplishing things more difficult.
By mastering some key fundamentals, and practicing them in a sincere effort, a manager can coach his subordinate, colleague – or even superior – to put him or her on a clear path toward realizing his or her potential. Coaching requires a kind of “contract” between people; not a commercial “contract” but rather an agreement between two human beings to remain engaged in a sincere effort to improve coachee performance, shift attitude or change behavior. Like any other contract it requires interest and effort by both parties. The payoffs for managers are many: more and better results, the personal satisfaction of helping people develop and grow, shared responsibility and more accountable employees are some of the possibilities.
I was also required to come up with specific practices to be introduced in order to challenge the existing process. At this point of time, the areas currently looked into is the current work order preparation and submission process. I do strongly feel that there are inefficiencies that has been creeping in since the resources and time required to undertake the process has not changed for the past 7 years. Will talk to the Project Director so that I could obtain his advise or thoughts on the matter.
Gone over the notes and also the assignment. Only came to realise that the core subject matter is coaching as opposed to Leadership. To quote from the notes:-
“Coaching is helping others to help themselves. It is about making people realize how good they can REALLY be versus how good they THINK they are. It is about helping people improve themselves through their own realizations, self-learning and self-motivation. All ownership remains with the coachee.”
This is the main idea in coaching. It is about the coachee, not the coach. The coachee is encouraged to self realize and come to their own conclusions on matters that they feel strongly about. The coach is not supposed to have all the answers but his main role is to enable the coachee to think about the possible ways or actions that might be the most appropriate, given the constraints that he or she had to endure. Most of the great sports coaches are not the top players themselves but most of them has the necessary qualities ie to inspire and to encourage their players to be able to achieve their potential. Everything that the coach has tried to impart is meant to advance the ability to bring out the best in people.
“When a man says I cannot, he has made a suggestion to himself. He has weakened his power of accomplishing that which otherwise would have been accomplished.”
– Muhammad Ali.
This quote from Muhammad Ali means that if an individual approaches their tasks negatively, subconsciously, an “invisible barrier” had been put up which makes accomplishing things more difficult.
By mastering some key fundamentals, and practicing them in a sincere effort, a manager can coach his subordinate, colleague – or even superior – to put him or her on a clear path toward realizing his or her potential. Coaching requires a kind of “contract” between people; not a commercial “contract” but rather an agreement between two human beings to remain engaged in a sincere effort to improve coachee performance, shift attitude or change behavior. Like any other contract it requires interest and effort by both parties. The payoffs for managers are many: more and better results, the personal satisfaction of helping people develop and grow, shared responsibility and more accountable employees are some of the possibilities.
I was also required to come up with specific practices to be introduced in order to challenge the existing process. At this point of time, the areas currently looked into is the current work order preparation and submission process. I do strongly feel that there are inefficiencies that has been creeping in since the resources and time required to undertake the process has not changed for the past 7 years. Will talk to the Project Director so that I could obtain his advise or thoughts on the matter.
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