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.