Navigating Today's Challenges with Effective Coaching

Welcome to No.4 in our series of Leadership Matters authored by our Director of Coaching, Keith Stopforth. In this edition, we will focus on how Coaching can be an effective tool in today's VUCA World. (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous)

In this edition, Keith will be sharing:

• An overview of VUCA - how the operating environment for leaders today demands some different answers
• Leaders who Coach - what's the difference from other leaders?
• Coaching in The Now - a simple model
• Real-life scenarios

Actionable Tips:

• top being a "Super Hero" and become a "Super Enabler"

Return on Investment (ROI).

VUCA-Driving the leadership operating environment every day

In the early 90s, the US Military was at war in Afghanistan. They were encountering warfare in a completely different way from the "norms" of the past 50 years when local knowledge trumped military strength and their enemy was much more agile and responsive to changing conditions.

The term VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) was born from this.

The business world has since adopted this, and whatever your view, businesses have experienced these conditions at an increasing rate since the dawn of the 2020s.

Some of the ways in which leaders might experience this are as follows:

·??Global warfare - impacting supply chains

·???Inflationary pressures - unseen for almost 3 decades

·???Talent shortages

·??The rise of AI

·??The shift in the psychological contract with employees - they are now much more in control

·??New challenges and opportunities for which there are no textbook solutions

If we are to cope with these (I'm sure you could add many more) more effectively, then how we lead and how we develop leaders must change. Whilst specific programmes have their value in developing leaders, sometimes, we need a more agile, responsive, and tailored approach.

This can only be provided by a Leader who Coaches, or by using the services of an Internal/External Coach.

Leaders who Coach - what's the difference from other leaders?

In their seminal work around Situational Leadership (Hersey& Blanchard, 1969) outlined different styles of leadership and how to use them optimally.

Fast forward to 2023 and you can find "10 Management Styles of Effective Leaders" (Miranda, D), which expands the range of styles and when they would be most useful.

I believe the style for these times, at the right time in the employees' journey to competence, is a Coaching style. In the article above, Leaders who Coach are described as:

• Those who put employee needs and strengths first/above their own
• Those who link employee growth and development to business goals and needs
• Those who give regular feedback, guidance, advice, and resources to help employees succeed in this role and/or their next one
• Those who involve employees in decision-making while offering clear guidance on the purpose and criteria for making a decision as well as how an employee's stance fits in with the overall vision

In 2020, all of us were impacted in some way by the global pandemic. I was part of a global team coaching a group of leaders who were operating in the events industry. This was one sector that had to run very fast to survive and find a new business model.

One of the leaders I worked with had previously worked in an office base and had never managed a team remotely. We discussed this and her concerns for keeping the team together, not only to ensure they could meet the changing business demands but also because she cared about her people and wanted to be seen to do so. She didn't know where to start.

We talked about adopting a coaching style as outlined above with her team. She would call a meeting on Teams with the agenda "How do we stay together as a team and look out for each other?"

I reassured her that this wasn't failure as a leader but true empowerment and working with the strengths of her team.

At the next annual survey, she received one of the highest engagement scores of her career and had discovered a lot more about the strengths of her team.

Coaching in The Now - a simple model

If you Googled coaching models (I just did, and there are 170 million articles), then you wouldn't know where to start, but I always say the best models are the ones that enable you to be you and not sound like you are using a model but just having a great conversation.

In 2014, I was asked to design a model for a group of leaders working in a high-pressure environment with limited time to spend with their people. I came up with The SIX WHATS.

It's designed to help you have structured conversation and make it sound natural. It allows you to focus on listening rather than thinking of on-the-spot solutions, and it enables your people to make more informed decisions while growing their self-confidence.

Here is the model:

1.?? WHAT would you like to talk about?

2.??WHAT have you tried already?

3.??WHAT else could you do?

4.??WHAT could stop you doing this?

5.??WHAT is your level of confidence that having put all your ideas into action you will resolve the problem? (1 being low and 10 being high)

6.??WHAT is your first action after this meeting?

All you need to do is:

·???????? Listen without judgement

·???????? Reflect back the key points

·???????? Use WHAT else? a couple of times, make them think

·???????? Don't interrupt and save any hot tips until the end

·???????? Promise to check in with your people as required

A Real-Life Scenario:

In helping people shift to becoming Leaders who Coach, I often must work on their mental models of leadership and management. What is wired internally for them in how to lead.

This can be shaped by:

• How they have been led previously
• What the textbook says
• Their own fears of getting it wrong or someone being better than them in their team
• Ego
• What the overall culture demands of them - or what they perceive it does

I worked with a finance leader like this in the private healthcare sector. He had led a successful team, implemented several new processes, and built a well-run operation. Due to cost reductions, he now had to take on a new team, also in the finance function but with several different responsibilities.

The leader was very concerned about two things:

1.?? How could he manage more workload

2.?? His lack of technical expertise in what the other team were responsible for

We worked through these over several sessions- focused on how he could move from being an operational to a more strategic leader. By pointing out that he had developed his own team to be self-sufficient and he was now operating more strategically anyway, I was able to build his confidence that he already had a defined template for how to develop this new team to self-sufficiency.

We also discussed how he could involve both teams in mapping out what they wanted from their leader and how they could become more empowered over time.

The leader put all of this into practice and whilst there were still challenges, he embraced them. The team felt more engaged and included and ultimately, he became a very successful strategic leader.

Return on Investment (ROI)

This is the age old question that organisations will ask before choosing to invest in Coaching for their people.

The truth is that it can be very difficult to monetise. Very often, the benefit may only be known to the individual and the coachee and they may not be able/ready to share the benefits.

But here are some of the outcomes I've seen over many years as a Coach:

• Engagement levels rise when their boss becomes a leader who coaches
• People develop greater self-confidence and decision-making skills, making their line manager's job much easier
• Organisations develop pipelines of more capable leaders and managers- enabling them to grow
• Some people leave - freeing up space for those aspiring to their role
• Leaders grow in capability
• Organisations become places where people want to work

Ready to Unleash the Full Potential of Coaching?

If you're eager to explore how coaching can transform your leadership in a VUCA world, please get in touch – send me a message or email: [email protected]

Join the Conversation: Share your coaching experiences and strategies, and let's explore together how effective coaching can transform our approach to leadership in a VUCA world. Subscribe now to stay ahead with more insights.

References:

·???????? 10 Management Styles of Effective Leaders, Miranda, D, Forbes magazine, 27.04.23

·???????? Situational Leadership, Hershey, P and Blanchard, K, Management of Organisational Behaviour: Utilising Human Resources, 1969

PS

Don't miss out on the opportunity to dive even deeper at our next complimentary online Interactive Session - Conscious Leadership & Wellbeing - Wednesday 22nd May 2024 - 09.30 - 11.00 GMT

We are excited to share our thinking and some simple strategies and techniques around how leaders can develop micro-habits that support both their own and others’ wellbeing on a practical, day to day basis. And explore with participants in the session how leaders can help create environments for everyone to thrive and feel safe enough to be themselves, challenge, and foster healthy and diverse thinking. This supports individuals, teams, and the wider organisation in consistently delivering more impact.?

It's a perfect chance to engage directly with leadership experts and like-minded professionals. Register now and secure your spot for an enriching experience that could further enhance your leadership toolkit. [Link to register https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdOmupz4uGtWX8e604CVwVRZAaJjYYEvE ]

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