“Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you.â€
John Wooden
The last few Blogs have introduced a powerful performance coaching model that can be used to engage and develop talent at all levels.
I’ve provided this case study and reflective questions in the spirit of seeing how well you have applied the model and coaching strategies associated with: 1) Performance Improvement Coaching; 2) Performance Acceleration Coaching; 3) Performance Management Coaching; and 4) Performance Enhancement Coaching.
Performance Coaching Case and Questions
Sam, the Senior Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing was referred to you by the Human Resources department who highly recommended you as an executive coach having done previous work with you elsewhere in the organization. The Senior Executive Vice President contacted you about working with one of the senior managers of the department named Chris who was recently promoted as International Vice President of Sales and Marketing about 6 months ago. Chris, has worked for the company for 4 years and has been a strong producer overall. Chris had previously managed the domestic sales and marketing team but was recently promoted to coordinate both domestic and international operations. Sam was interested in having you work with Chris in a coaching capacity to “fix†some critical personality and interpersonal “flaws†that had always existed but were largely tolerated until now.
Sam described a number of customers and staff members who perceived Chris as very intimating, aloof, overly confident, moody, insensitive, confrontational and a poor listener. At least one or more groups of employees had written human resources complaining of Chris’s “toxic†leadership and interpersonal style last year. Chris has had tremendous “bottom line†results over a number of years—senior management respects Chris’s technical knowledge, experience and ability to increase profitability for the company. Chris has been regarded as a “high potential†employee with tremendous skills and ability to achieve “bottom line†results.
Sam wants to have you work with Chris who has expressed some hesitation about working with “a shrink.â€Â Sam wants to have you share your impressions about Chris with human resources when you are done “just in case Chris doesn’t work out here.â€Â Sam also wants to know whether you think Chris can change leadership behavior and communication style to reflect the collaborative and team oriented culture of the company. Sam mentions that if things don’t work out that perhaps you could assist Chris with outplacement and career counseling as well. Sam is familiar with a number of assessment instruments that might “help Chris really see the light†but will let you decide which ones might be appropriate, if any. Chris has 12 direct reports—all regional managers—who can be interviewed if you want to speak to them.
Sam also shared with you information about a recent sexual harassment complaint that is currently being investigated by two female managers reporting to Chris. Sam thinks there probably isn’t much merit to the complaints but wanted you to be aware of the situation. Overall, Sam would really like to assist Chris become successful in the new senior management role. Sam is committed to offering coaching to Chris and is optimistic that with effective coaching that Sam will become more aware of specific behaviors that are currently creating a performance problem. Sam just completed the annual performance appraisal for Chris and mentioned that coaching was something that is necessary for ongoing professional development. Chris expressed only mild interest but announced that if it would make Sam happy they would be willing to participate.
COACHING CASE STUDY QUESTIONS
- Who is the client?
- What potential ethical/professional issues exist with this coaching situation?
- What approach to coaching makes the most sense given the facts of this case?
- What types of assessments, if any, might be used?
- What “best practices†should be used to ensure that the coaching will be a success?
- What are the potential barriers or “road blocks†to success?
- What are the coaching issues: skill deficit, differences in expectations, knowledge deficiencies and/or overall performance?
I’d be interested in your thoughts, reactions and answers! Be well…..
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Ken Nowack
Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)
Ken, this is a familiar case profile! Who is client? I think both are. In my case, I focused upfront on boundaries, including what would be shared information and held fairly regular feedback meetings with both at the same time. This changed when a stream of women came to my office to let me know about inappropriate behaviors on the part of the second client(in your case, Chris). I informed him of what was happening, and we had to cease work because it was compromised (he denied a case of serious misconduct, evidence was produced, he dug in…) He was eventually let go. But in the early stages, we made great inroads with competency modeling and goal setting. We uncovered mismatches in his role assignments and I was most fascinated by the relationship between the two men. It held the keys to many, many behaviors. The coach walks a fine line and can only help change behaviors when the client wants to change!