Coaching in Challenging Times
John Blakey & Ian Day
www.121partners.com
“Where were all the coaches when
the banks went down?”
Copyright 121partners 2009
Evolution of the Professions
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Boom, boom, boom….
� CIPD 2006
• 82% reported difficulties recruiting
• 69% reporting difficulties retaining
� RightCoutts 2006
• 41% of Senior HR professionals thought retention of key staff was critical issue
� Accenture 2006
• 67% of senior directors think the inability to attract and retain the best talent is top 3 threats to success
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The Skills of Coaching – Building
Relationships (ICF Competencies)
� Shows genuine concern for the client's welfare and future
� Demonstrates respect for client's perceptions, learning style, ….
� Attends to the client's agenda, and not to the coach's agenda
� Summarises, paraphrases, reiterates, mirrors back ….
� Asks questions that reflect active listening …
� Acknowledges the client for what they have done, not done, ….
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Risks
Collusion Irrelevance Self Obsession
Bust, bust, bust….
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The Skills of Coaching - Delivering
Results (ICF Competencies)
� Positively confronts the client when he/she does not take actions
� Promotes client's self-discipline and holds the client accountable
� Creates a plan with results that …..have target dates
� Challenges client's assumptions…. to provoke new ideas
� Is clear, articulate and direct in providing feedback
� Accesses own intuition - "goes with the gut“
� Is open to not knowing and takes risks
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The link between relationships
and results
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Stretch yourself into the less natural when moving beyond your
default position
Rapport & Relationship
Shows genuine concernDemonstrates respect
Attends to client's agendaSummarises, paraphrases…
Active listeningAcknowledges the client
Business Results
Positively confrontsHolds the client accountable
Challenges assumptionsprovides feedback
Uses intuitiontakes risks
Facing the FACTSTM!
Feedback
Accountability
Challenge
Tension
Systems Thinking
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Contracting in the FACTSTM Approach
F Discussing the importance of feedback and asking permission to
give feedback
A How does the coachee wish the coach to hold them accountable
for actions?
C What does effective challenge mean to the coach and the
coachee?
T What level of tension is optimum for coachee performance?
S What are the expectations of the wider system for the coaching
assignment?
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Z.O.U.D
The zone of
comfortable debate (ZOCD)
The zone of
uncomfortable debate
(ZOUD)
What are the
conditions to
enable you to
stay in the Z.O.U.D.?
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Debate & Discussion
Where does a coach’s prime responsibility lie in a
coaching relationship?
To the needs and goals of the individual coachee 54%
To the coach’s own ethics, values and integrity 21%
To the needs and goals of the sponsoring organisation 15%
To the needs and goals of the coachee’s team 8%
To the needs and goals of the coachee’s line manager 1.6%
% Ranked No.1
What is the appropriate responsibility of a coach
for ‘big picture’ issues such as the ‘credit crunch’
crisis, leadership ethics and/or sustainability?
0 10 20 30 40 50
Other
Specific
Stance
Powerful
Questions
Irrelevant
%
FACTS - Systems Thinking Theory
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zoom edit
FACTS – Systems Thinking Practise
� Customers• How do you think your customers would react to this?
� Staff• In this situation, what could you do that would make your staff feel very
proud to work for you and this company?
� Shareholders• If you owned this business then how would that change your
perspective?
� Society• If this topic were featured on the front page of the Daily Telegraph, how
would you like to be portrayed?
� Family• If you were talking about this to your grandchildren in twenty year’s
time, how would you explain your decision to them?
� Friends• Who is your best friend? What would their advice be to you right now?
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FACTS – Accountability Theory
Access
to Information
Shifting Expectations
Generation Y Speaking Up
Accountability
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FACTS – Accountability
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Debate & Discussion
Survey Findings- When performance
dips how do you challenge?
Ask powerful questions 75% Always
Confront coachee with my opinion thathe/she is in denial 65% Sometimes
Give feedback on their impact on meas a coach 60% Sometimes
Seek feedback and involvement of other stakeholders 58% Sometimes
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FACTS – Feedback TheoryStages of giving feedback
� Observed – what was seen/what happened (specific, factual, description non-judgemental, “the act not the actor”)
� Impact – what assumptions did you (or others) make as a result, how did this make you feel of this, what are the consequences
� Invite input – “how do you see this?”
� Action – what should be done? Future focused and constructive (something can be done)
� In the context of a mutually respectful relationship
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FACTS – Challenge Theory
‘A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking’
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FACTS – Challenge Theory
Who challenges you?
What enables them to ‘get away with it’?’
How do they do it effectively?
What is the positive impact on you?
What happens when it goestoo far?
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Increasing Tension
(and risks breaking rapport)
Constructive
Tension
Comfort Anxiety
How does a coach sustain the optimum level of
tension in a coaching relationship?
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Debate & Discussion
What percentage of your coaching time do
you adopt a pure non-directive approach?
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0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00
0%
1-20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-99%
100%
Percentage of respondants
Creating the Conditions
to face the FACTS!
I
MP
AC
T
Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4
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Facing the FACTS!
Feedback
Accountability
Challenge
Tension
Systems Thinking
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Q&A
WHERE WERE ALL
THE COACHES
WHEN THE BANKS
WENT DOWN?
John Blakey and Ian Day
Foreword by Sir John Whitmore
Edited by Alice Hurley
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Coaching in Challenging Times
John Blakey & Ian Day
www.121partners.com
“Where were all the coaches when
the banks went down?”
Copyright 121partners 2009