Leadership

The Challenge

Joe was having trouble communicating with his staff. His staff did not see him as approachable, nor did they feel he was open to other ideas that might differ from his own. Their perception of Joe was that he tended to be arrogant, demanding and egotistical. This misconception was obviously alarming to Joe, and opened him up to taking advantage of the coaching program his company had contracted XB Coaching to provide as part of a Leadership Development Program. Joe’s hope was that someone outside his organization could offer a fresh perspective.

Our goal was to reverse the ideas Joe’s employees had formed about him, to help Joe position himself in a better light, and to bring about an understanding that others do not communicate or respond to communication in the same way Joe does.

The Preparation

Joe participated in the DISC Behavioral Profile and the Personality Interests Attitudes and Values Profile. The findings suggested that Joe was very “task” focused, liked challenges and strove for success in everything he did & all honorable traits.

These assessments also revealed that Joe tended to set standards for himself and others so high that impossibility of the situation was commonplace. He would make “off the cuff” remarks that were viewed as personal prods, would resist participation as part of the team, unless he could lead, and would sometimes fail to complete what he started because of adding more and more projects.

In order to prepare an action plan for Joe, we opted to choose three factors to work on. These included communicating (listening), motivating others, and developing people.

The Implementation

Based on the discoveries from the DISC and PIAV profiles, Joe realized how those who did not know him well could perceive him as distant and unapproachable. In order to make progress with his employees, Joe chose to focus on building relationships with his employees, and on being more open-minded about how he handled his responsibilities.

During the coaching, Joe developed a plan that included working with each person on his team. He began to recognize how others processed information, how he sometimes was an ineffective communicator, and how he could communicate better with his direct reports and with the managers that reported to him.

The Results

After six months of participating in coaching, Joe had the following to say.

“I was not sure exactly what to expect from coaching. I was surprised by the fact that I was able to get things done in a manner I would not have ordinarily tried. Coaching really helped me in the way I was able to approach some work relationships. I am more effective in gaining cooperation from co-workers now, and am able to do a better job at getting results without “steamrolling” others.”

Follow Through

Joe’s initial coaching sessions were so productive and successful that he opted to continue coaching. The responses from Joe’s employees and team members have been very positive. Joe also recommended that his managers participate in coaching. As we continue to work with Joe on staying attuned to others’ communication needs, we find that he is developing rapidly, and that others around him are showing more appreciation and cooperation.