Although our services focus on behavioral advancement, the problems arise during a behavioral coaching assignment, offer the coach the opportunity to help a leader (coachee) to simultaneously apply both behavioral changes and problem solving strategies.
As far as it concerns the problem solving there is a multitude of ways to help a person solve systemic, performance and interpersonal problems. One* of the models I like to use, especially when I work with strategists (strategic thinking leaders) is the following one:
- Help them formulate the system of equations governing the problem
- Facilitate them convert the unknown factors into known ones
- Invite them to try out alternative interpretations of the results
[*The model is a personal construction, no better than the endless known and unknown other ones. It involves four stages -the three mentioned plus one more- and nine steps]The harder the problem, the bigger the impact, the greater the momentum.
The good news:
When this procedure takes place, except from discovering a solution, the person has ultimately learnt how to solve similar problems. This transformation of the initial problem into an opportunity for hands-on problem solving experience, is much more useful than the solution itself. Moreover, it gives leaders the opportunity to teach their management team an advanced way to solve their problems and coach them to cascade it.
The bad news:
There come times that despite the fact that my clients (leaders) have been taught how to apply the model downwards and have rehearsed it, they don’t do it. Why? Because it takes time!
And, as much as it may sound self-evident that any similar process (formulation of logical sequence to produce a new mental path) takes time, the more experienced leaders appear more reluctant to spend this necessary amount of it (time). In other words, they prefer the short-cut rather than the aforementioned “ritual”.
Why that?
a.Because leaders always remember that…
…in real conditions, the leader being there to bring results, is in a hurry and often associates his personal value to speed.
Thus, any “delay” increases their anxiety. They tend to ready-made solutions, to see things happening as fast as possible so that they get relieved.
b.Because leaders sometimes forget that…
...people development and business development is a kind of change. And change sometimes requires first to slow down before the time to accelerate arrives.
For leaders who see the progress in a range from fast to fastest, this is a painful swift, since they need to cultivate a higher degree of the combination of self-discipline, competence and trust. This is a good way to live up to both subjects in question: business development and people development and activate their –positive- interrelationship.
It is as simple as that:
If problem solving in the workplace results in personal benefit for the employees both in their job and life, it is more likely that the function of the organization will exhibit increased levels of energy and reduced friction.
That is exactly the time of acceleration and subsequent retention of a permanently high speed in the production of ideas, decisions and results.
Now you can be sure that you are fast – not too fast!
Yiannis Koutsoumaris
Master Leadership Coach and Trusted Adviser, typically engages in medium-long term leadership advancement assignments with CEOs, to be promoted to CEOs, large scale business owners and political leaders. Twenty years of international corporate experience and more than 7000 hours in one-on-one c-level and political coaching sessions.
