How can a coach help you awaken your inner Voice
LEVERAGE YOUR STRENGTHS
How many times do we focus on our weaknesses – why did I do that? I know I am not good at that? Why do I keep doing that?
What changes when you focus on leveraging your strengths?
In an HBR article referring to well-researched projects* it postulates that using strengths increases happiness, energy levels, effective functioning, peak performance, and the achievement of goals - the value of ‘playing to one’s strengths’ goes far beyond the idea of ‘positive thinking’.
Identifying our strengths?
Most of us have a good idea where both our strengths and weaknesses lie, but this clarity can become clouded by the demands of our jobs and life roles. We can confirm our strengths by observing our happiness and energy levels, by asking our friends and co-workers. If you are aware of your ‘learned behaviours’ and weaknesses, you may choose to manage your work differently. So when you next face a specific challenge you may want to consider:
If I were to approach this by playing to my strengths, what would I do differently? How might I use my strengths to achieve a positive outcome?
What aspect of the challenge am I shying away from? What is the strength or weakness underlying that? How might I approach this differently?
An Executive coach can support an individual to help identify and use their strengths as a default approach through stimulating self awareness, asking the probing questions and providing a framework to make that new behaviour stick!
*Reference: Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness, Nicholas Brealey, 2003
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LISTENING
In a recent article by Alliance Coaching, summarised below, they state that the power of listening has now been verified through neuroscience experimentation*.
When we are truly listened to and are allowed to speak without interruption we feel appreciated, and serotonin is released into the higher functioning part of the brain enabling us to be creative and free thinking.
Interruptions trigger the ancient part of the brain – fight or flight – and cortisol is released which reduces our ability to think openly and efficiently.
What really is listening?
Listening is often thought of as hearing spoken words. We are able to express only a small fraction of our thoughts and feelings through the words we utter, so that listeners must be open to the intent, emotion and possible array of meanings ‘below’ the words in order to fully hear. And yet, until recently, children were rarely taught to listen, but instead learned how to question and challenge others’ words.
How do I improve my Listening?
Recognise that to listen fully is challenging for the listener! Your effectiveness will be influenced by you, the person you are listening to, and the environment of the conversation. See below a few pointers:
Be silent (an anagram of listen!)
Be interested and curious about the other person and what they are saying
Listen to understand rather than to answer or reply (be truly present and focused externally, rather than planning ahead and focused internally)
Be aware of and still your inner voice, recognising what triggers your internal dialogue, whether positive (eg excitement, building on the position) or negative (eg creating a counter argument or preparing your different view)
Recognise that the way we communicate is determined by a host of things including personal preferences, cultural and gender differences, backgrounds and experience, and be sensitive to implications.
How might effective Listening help me personally?
Those who build their listening capabilities report a range of benefits including:
More efficient and effective conversations
A greater sense of openness and connection
A fuller appreciation of others’ strengths and contributions
Reduced levels of misunderstanding among work colleagues.
An Executive Coach listens for all aspects of what a coachee is presenting, and is confident to know both the appropriate timing and question or comment to make in response. They act as ‘thinking partners’ to create a framework to help individuals make progress on challenging topics.
*Reference: Judith Glaser (2014), Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results, Bibliomotion
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DELEGATION - GETTING IT RIGHT
Effective delegation can empower a team, create more engagement, and provide the leader with greater capacity to focus on higher priority tasks. In fact, the ability to delegate effectively is a key part of becoming a successful leader.
However, there is such a thing as inappropriate delegation, which can do more harm than good - the goal is not merely to delegate more, but to delegate more effectively. There is also a fine line between delegation and abdication.
Ineffective Delegation
Common behaviour’s related to ineffective delegation are:
The leader is micromanaging their subordinates and gets overly involved, or
The leader is taking over tasks that could be handled more effectively by someone further down in the organization
The leader delegates without appropriate support which could lead to abdication.
The following steps, put forward by Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Coach, can help a leader to be more effective in delegating:
Four Steps to Effective Delegation
Step 1: Ask each direct report to list their key responsibilities. For each responsibility, ask, “Do you take on tasks that you feel you should be doing? Could you provide more support?” In this safe space, direct reports can share their honest thoughts about your performance to help you guide the dialogue for step #2.
Step 2: Schedule one-on-one conversations with each of your direct reports. In this conversation, review each area of responsibility and ask the following questions: “Are there cases where you believe that I get too involved and can let go more? Are there cases when I need to get more involved and give you some more help?” Typically, you will notice areas where more delegation is wanted and others where more help is needed.
Step 3: Next, allow your direct reports to provide suggestions. Ask the following questions: “Are there tasks I’ve worked on that someone at my level doesn’t need to do? Are there areas where I can help other people grow and develop, and give myself more time to focus on other higher priority items?” The direct reports will almost invariably come up with valuable suggestions. At the end of each suggestion, you are only allowed to say, “Thank you.”
Step 4: Create an action plan based on the information gathered during those prior sessions. Identify the required support needed, which is based on the level of help identified in Step 1 and 2. Ensure that the plan involves brief but regular check-ins to keep you accountable to these changes and the direct reports aware of the progress.
An Executive Coach can help with this simple process, leveraging the power of questions, to be more effective in delegating. Tackling these tough questions can have astounding long-term benefits by significantly increasing the team and an individual’s effectiveness and hence the overall business success.
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