Coaching for Chapter LeadersBased on “Effective Coaching” by Myles Downey

Synergistic Relationship

• Individuals join organizations to realize some of their goals– Financial– Learning– Making a difference

• Organizations hire individuals to help fulfill its mission and reach its goals– Strategic– Mission/vision

As a chapter leader, as well as in the workplace, there are three skill areas that you will need to use to assist individuals achieve their goals and benefit the organization:

• Leadership• Management• Coaching

Overlapping Spheres of Influence

LEADERSHIP

COACHINGMANAGEMENT

What is Leadership?

Leadership is the element in your role that is concerned with the FUTURE

• Strategic planning

• Succession planning

• Vision

• Values

What is Management?

Management is the part of your role that deals with current operations

• Finances

• Tactics

• Standards

• Rules and legal obligations

What is Coaching?

Coaching is a process of helping another individual realize their inner potential, delivering fulfillment to

both the individual and the related organization.• Motivation • Excellence• Achievement• Intrinsic learning• Intense satisfaction

“Coaching is the art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another”

Myles Downey

Effective Coaching

Coaching is NOT…

• Leading

• Managing

• Instruction

• Mandating

• Disciplinary

• Giving advice

• Offering opinions

A Coach Does Not Need…

• To be right

• To be the expert

• To know the “right” answer

• To be in control

• To “fix” it

• To heal it or make it better

A Coach Needs…

To remove any “interference” an individual might be experiencing in

order to realize that individual’s own extraordinary innate abilities

What is Interference?

Interference is anything that distracts the individual from being successful:

• Fear• Lack of concentration• Anger• Boredom• Trying too hard• Lack of self-confidence

Mentoring vs. Coaching

Coaching is not mentoring. A mentor is usually long-term, while a coach is for

immediate performance issues.

How Do I Coach?The GROW Model

TOPIC:INITIAL

UNDERSTANDING

OPTIONS: WHAT IS POSSIBLE

WRAP-UPCLARITY,

COMMITMENT,SUPPORT

GOAL FOR SESSION

REALITY: WHO, WHAT,

WHEREHOW MUCH

TOPIC

This is setting the boundaries for the discussion:

• Scale

• Importance

• Emotional significance

• Understand specifically what the person wants to talk about

GOALS

• Establish the desired outcome of the conversation

• Identify and agree to a number of achievable outcomes within the session

REALITY

• Get an accurate picture of the problem

• Discuss and become more aware of all aspects of the topic

• The goal for the coach is simply to UNDERSTAND (not to fix it, offer guidance, advice or conclusions!)

OPTIONS

• Draw out a list of possibilities that address the goals

• Encourage the person to think. Do not think for them

• Do not judge or evaluate the options

• Like a brainstorming session

WRAP UP

• Have the person being coached select the most appropriate option

• Agree to the next steps

• Check commitment

When to Coach

• Performance Reviews

• Team setting (to generate buy-in for all team members)

• Individually

• In conjunction with set tasks

When Not to Coach

• When your task is to manage or lead, not coach

• When the person is not willing to be coached

Coaching is Successful When…

• There are both action and awareness:– Clear goals have been set– Understanding is achieved

• “Interference” is gone

• There is a balance between the skill level and the desired outcome

A Coach is successful when…

The individual or team they are coaching is successful at attaining a

higher level of performance.

It is not the coach who “wins”.

Coaching for Teams

• Coaching for teams is, very specifically, to help them achieve their set goals and that of their organization

• ALL activities must help achieve goals• Coaching teams is similar to coaching

individuals, but multiplies it by team dynamics• Each person needs to be heard, and

consensus and “team” must be built

Doubt

Doubt is a very contagious form of interference. To a team, it can be

paralyzing and can quickly evolve into panic.

But potential is contagious too!

Potential is Contagious

Potential is contagious. It also can allow a team to add up to more than the sum of its individual parts as unique talents

are exploited and complemented.

Team Interference

• Lack of trust in other team members

• Competition between members; rivalry

• Fear of looking ridiculous or uninformed

• Need for attention

• Hidden agendas

• Lack of understanding of goals

• Absence of process and ground rules

Teams Controlling Interference: “Team Think”

• Absence of hierarchy• Open conversations• Focus• Desire to understand• Creativity and innovation• Big (but achievable) goals• Feedback sought and given• Mutual accountability

Elements of Successful Teams

Top three elements of successful teams:

• Who: know them enough that you can trust them and know their goals

• What: know the team’s goals and what success would look like if achieved

• How: agreed on processes (strategy, communication, ground rules)

Reducing Interference

• Create a common vision

• Agree on a process (strategy, communications, ground rules)

• Disclosure of personal goals (builds trust)

• Identification of internal and external obstacles

• Recognize and discuss conflict

Stages of Teams

• Stage 1: Pretence that everyone is on the same page

• Stage 2: Disagreement, conflict, confusion

• Stage 3: Letting go of individual “rights” and learning to listen

• Stage 4: Fully present team

Stage 1: Pretence

• The belief is that everyone should “get along” and be in agreement

• To preserve this precarious balance, people pretend

• The result is that no-one is happy and the team will not perform well.

Stage 2: Conflict

• Individual disagreements will arise

• Tendency is to retreat back to stage 1 and pretend everything is OK

• Individuals try to convert others to their point of view

• “Camps” can evolve in this stage

• Teams do not perform well

Stage 3: Losing the Individual

• Individuals need to listen and give up on their “positions”, acknowledging differences

• Individual positions move to team interests

• Very difficult stage: may try to impose order through committees, task forces, etc. leaving the team with unresolved differences

Stage 4: High performance team

In this stage, the team is able to:

• Focus on task

• Be creative, innovative

• Decisions easily made

• Team is aligned with goals

• High level of trust

Team Cycle

• Teams will naturally cycle through these stages

• Once teams get adept at getting to stage 4, they will get there more often and stay there longer

• Coaches can simply notice the stages and work through them or can explicitly reveal the model to the team, to help them understand the process

GROW

• Use the GROW model for teams the same way as you would with an individual

• It will be more complex but the principles remain the same

• Ask the question: How can I help my team be brilliant today?

The GROW Model

TOPIC:INITIAL

UNDERSTANDING

OPTIONS: WHAT IS POSSIBLE

WRAP-UPCLARITY,

COMMITMENT,SUPPORT

GOAL FOR SESSION

REALITY: WHO, WHAT,

WHEREHOW MUCH

Philosophy of Coaching

“When people are achieving their goals, when those goals have some meaning and when

learning and developing is part of the process, enjoyment ensues. These three components,

achievement, fulfillment and joy, are interlinked and the absence of any one will impact and

erode the others. Learning without achievement quickly exhausts one’s energy. Achievement without learning soon becomes boring. The

absence of joy erodes the human spirit.”Myles Downey

Last Word

The only way to become adept at coaching is to do it.

How will I help my team be brilliant today?