Can I Coach?

This past week I was privileged to host an online chat through iShade.com that focused on ways to develop a leadership team. There was a particular emphasis on how coaching contributes to this process. During the two-hour conversation I learned that some of the persons on the chat felt like they didn’t have the skills to be an effective coach. How would you have answered this question or addressed their concern? Here are a few of the insights I shared.

First, coaching is all about the other person. If you are focused more on your own needs than helping the other person to grow then you won’t be a very good coach. You must be an exceptional listener, both to what is being said and the many unspoken issues that are conveyed through body language. A good coach also observes the actions of the person being coached. Has their behavior changed? Is that old habit still present? Is something new emerging that might impact success?

Too many coaches try to solve problems instead of helping the other person to recognize what is happening and consider their own course of action. My clients often remark after a coaching session that they knew what was needed but our conversation helped them to discern more clearly and commit to a decision. That’s why coaching doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The person being coached needs to test what they are learning and report back on both successes and failures.

Coaches must focus on strengths, helping the other person to identify and leverage their natural talents. Don’t ignore weaknesses, just look for ways to minimize them. Sometimes this is challenging for the other person. Perhaps they have been trying to meet other people’s expectations for years and never learned to follow their own heart. A coach can be that purposeful voice helping them to ignore those messages and do what they love.

Finally, a coach holds the other person accountable without being a nag. Remember that change takes time. It may be weeks before a new habit is firmly established. While patience is required, so is a willingness to remind the other person what they are hoping to accomplish and why it is their responsibility to make it happen. Coaches don’t contribute on the field or court. They only prepare the player, offer insight during the game, and help them learn from their successes or failure when the competition ends. It is still the player that must give the effort required to win.

I would be disingenuous if I said that coaching doesn’t offer its own rewards. Of course there is personal satisfaction in seeing another person growing personally or professionally! What makes a coach effective isn’t just a set of skills or attributes, but a willingness to learn and grow too. I hope that is enough incentive to encourage you to answer “yes” when the next coaching opportunity presents itself. No whistle required!

Seeing CC’s

A few years ago I purchased a 2010 Volkswagen CC, a beautifully designed and fun to drive automobile. Back then the CC was still relatively new to the VW lineup and there weren’t many of them on the road. In fact, one of the reasons I could afford the car was because dealer incentives had made financing for the CC more attractive than the less expensive Jetta, one of Volkswagen’s most popular cars. In the days following my purchase I reveled in the knowledge that my new car was unique. Then something strange happened.

Over the next weeks I began to notice more and more CC’s as I traveled around the region. I discovered that someone in my neighborhood was even driving a model that seemed like an exact match to mine, including the color. Was this some strange coincidence? Had more CC’s suddenly been sold in my market area? What could explain this phenomenon?

I have concluded that nothing magical happened to make more CC’s appear. What did change was my own powers of observation—I was looking for the car because I now owned one. The leadership lesson I learned from this experience has been quite helpful. I tend to see more of what I am looking for, regardless of the topic or issue.

For example, my very recent experience with Lyme disease has made me more aware of the many persons I know who have battled the bacteria personally, or know someone who has. Because I am focused on the topic, it is easier to notice and hear the stories of others who share what I am going through. There are not more people with the disease but I am more in tune with those who are suffering.

Leaders need to understand that what they choose to focus on in their work does matter. If one only sees scarcity and deficits it is likely you will see more and more of the same malaise. When one chooses to see opportunity and promise it is possible to find more of each in the present and future. What leaders notice makes a difference in their outlook and outcomes.

By seeing more CC’s I gained some valuable insights about myself as a leader. Not only do I love my car but I now have a new appreciation for others who share my passion. If I want to be more effective as a leader I must recognize how influential my powers of observation can be. They help me to notice changes in my work environment. I can become more aware of a co-worker who is feeling pain or a client who is stressed.

In a world that seems so chaotic and lost I wonder how many leaders might benefit from seeing CC’s. Even if you’re not a car aficionado.

Lessons from Lyme Disease

If you regularly read my blog you already know that I rarely miss a weekly installment, even when on vacation or traveling for business. Last weekend was an exception and the culprit is a microscopic deer tick. It’s untimely presence on my body, likely during our Maine vacation in mid-July, brought with it Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete bacterium that causes Lyme disease. My symptoms included fever, headaches, and achiness, as well as the famous expanding rash (erythema migrans) confirming for my doctor that I was infected. With a twice daily dose of Doxycycline, a powerful antibiotic, for the next several weeks I am expected to make a full recovery.

Reports of Lyme disease have been steadily increasing (more than 150,000 cases reported to the CDC since 1982) but it remains difficult to diagnose and can cause severe health problems if allowed to reach its latter stages before treatment begins. So, in spite of feeling nasty for much of last week and the weekend I am grateful for being properly diagnosed and treated in the early stages. My experience prompted me to consider some parallels between Lyme disease (LD) and leadership.

First, LD is caused by the bite of a minuscule insect (actually they must be feeding on the host for about 36-48 hours before they transmit the spirochete). At the time of my initial contact with the deer tick I was unaware of its presence. In retrospect I do recall feeling some slight discomfort in the area where I was likely infected but, because I couldn’t see anything, dismissed it as a non-issue. How many times are leaders likewise infected with the smallest of temptations to give in to ego, a lust for power, or the need to be in control? It requires vigilance on a daily basis to maintain integrity so your choices don’t result in a decision that may cause real harm at some later time.

Without the symptoms how would the disease have been diagnosed? Leaders would do well to learn the warning signs of their own poor behavior and those of other leaders on their team. The workplace is filled with daily reminders that not everything is healthy. Absenteeism, poor productivity, and silence during meetings often mean that leadership is lacking or performing well below expectations. An accurate diagnosis and treatment plan is needed to prevent these behaviors from becoming systemic and cultural.

Treatment is often not as painful as imagined and generally can work quickly to change the direction of the disease. Within 24 hours of diagnosis and first treatment my symptoms had abated and I was feeling much better. Leaders who act quickly to deal with workplace dysfunction will also often realize how soon the atmosphere and attitude of workers can change. Some treatment plans may be more painful, like reassigning a manager or relieving them of their duties entirely, but without taking action the disease will ultimately win and the damage may become permanent.

Hopefully, my future vacation trips and other excursions into the deer tick habitat will prompt me to be more attentive. If I had carefully inspected myself for the presence of ticks every day while on vacation the entire infection, diagnosis, and treatment process could have been avoided. That may be the most important LD lesson. Leaders who regularly assess their own behaviors and who notice the health and well-being of their teams will likely never contract the typical behavioral “diseases” that infect so many organizations. How proactive are you in assessing your leadership practices? Are there symptoms of poor leadership emanating from your workplace? Take a lesson from my Lyme disease experience and don’t wait for the first bite.