Customer Service
The Challenge
Ashley participated in Leadership Development training as a result of her organization hiring XB Consulting. Part of her development training consisted of participating in coaching for a three-month term. Ashley had been managing a team for about one year at the point we began coaching. From feedback she had already received, her team felt that she wasn’t approachable. She, as a first-time manager, also had lack of confidence, and she was not yet team-oriented. These were the challenges we chose to focus on during her coaching time.
The Preparation
Ashley’s DISC Behavioral Profile determined that her core behavior was Compliance and that she also had a high tendency toward Stability. This combination lent itself to her being naturally uncomfortable with people and relatively shy about being the focus or center of attention in a group.
As a Customer Service Manager, Ashley was obviously always the center point of the group. Whether in front of her team, or in front of her customers, Ashley’s position, overall, created a great deal of stress in her life. While she loved the organization she worked for, Ashley understood she had some weaknesses and realized her need to overcome them. She was willing to attend coaching sessions, but was skeptical about how successful coaching would be.
The Implementation
Knowledge was the key tool used to assist Ashley in becoming a more effective and a powerful manager. Ashley participated in the DISC Behavioral Profile; the Personal Interests, Attitudes, and Values (PIAV) assessment; and the 360-Degree Feedback process.
Through the DISC profile, Ashley discovered her natural communication and behavioral style as well as those of the members of her team. She learned how she could position herself in a more favorable light by adjusting her communication style to meet those of her employees (and her customers). By aligning herself with others, she began to break down the barriers between herself and her team.
When Ashley participated in the PIAV assessment, she found that not all people are interested in the same aspects of the job. She also discovered that each person is motivated by different factors and has different reasons for performing a job. With this knowledge, Ashley was able to “customize” her managerial style to fit each of her employees. She was able to become more involved with each team member and relate better to his/her personal interests, attitudes, and motivational influences.
Again, this information was also helpful to Ashley and her team when working with customers to resolve issues. Through the information taught in both the DISC and PIAV assessments, Ashley’s entire department benefited by uncovering vital communication information that could be used on a daily basis.
Finally, through the 360-Degree Feedback process, Ashley was able to get a confirmation of how her team perceived her, what roadblocks there were to true teamwork, and how her “soft” skills (or lack of them) were causing trials for both her and her employees. Once this information was made available to Ashley, she became more motivated to make positive adjustments in her managerial style in order to benefit both herself and her team.
The Results
Was Ashley’s initial skepticism warranted? At the end of our coaching time, Ashley’s 360-Degree Feedback results had changed. She had become an incredible manager and leader. She had increased confidence in her leadership skills, had bolstered her beliefs and abilities to do a great job, and had become a top manager in her company.
She can tell you best in her own words. After six months of Leadership Training and three months of coaching, this is what Ashley had to say:
“My initial reaction to coaching was that it would be stressful to have to come up with scenarios where I felt coaching was required and that I would be embarrassed talking about myself and day-to-day issues. But I was looking forward to some formal management training because I was very insecure about my abilities as a manager.
“As it turns out, the process was not stressful at all, and in fact, I looked forward to my coaching sessions each week. Scenarios seemed to come up without me having to spend a lot of time thinking about them. Even small issues led to larger ideas and helpful ways of handling interaction with my team members.
“The coaching relationship exceeded my expectations because I feel I really learned qualities I could actually practice, and real issues were discussed and worked through. Sometimes when you take a class or a self-development seminar, the ideas sound good on paper, but it is hard to move the ideas to the real world. I feel the coaching relationship was very practical and easily transferred to the real world in the workplace and personally. I also think the coaching relationship gave me greater self-confidence and the strength to put myself in a situation where I was the “center of attention.” It helped me understand why I am uncomfortable in certain situations.
“I believe the coaching relationship helped me to identify what I am really good at and what I really enjoy in my work day. I have always enjoyed working here and felt I contributed, but the coaching relationship has raised me to the next level of contribution and has raised my belief in my abilities to do a great job.”