You're doing it all wrong

Anders was a successful and much sought after CEO. The high-tech firm considered it quite a coup when he finally accepted their offer. However, by the second week on the job, Anders had alienated much of the C-suite and lost precious goodwill at the company.

He openly criticized a litany of things the company held dear. From the organization’s strategic direction to its technical implementation process right down to how the offices were furnished. Nothing was sacred.

Many of his criticisms were on the mark, but his delivery, timing, and intentions needed work.

Coaching process for Anders

We focused on the steps for successful CEO onboarding. We established a balanced and thorough plan for his first 100 days as chief executive. We determined not only the priority of issues to be dealt with, but how those issues should be approached.

He created an advisory team that could help him navigate the hidden shoals of the new political waters. Anders also learned to take a step back from his reflexive reaction to change everything. Instead he took the time to really listen. Listening allowed him to understand the context behind how certain decisions were made.

Understanding also sparked Anders to clarify his own intentions. He discovered he wanted to hold back on certain changes. And by providing a lucid argument for the changes he did wish to implement, Anders was able to make his long-term vision more apparent to others.

The bottom line:

Anders was able to successfully transcend organizational cultures. He learned skills that allowed him to tell the truth while still preserving relationships. He became the kind of leader he wanted to be and the company needed him to be. Instead of berating and criticizing, Anders inspired others to make the changes most critical to the company’s long-term success.

Collateral damage

It’s no wonder David became a Vice President at a major telecommunications company. He was focused, driven, and strongly goal-oriented. Upper management knew they could completely rely on David to deliver high quality results on time every time. The people who worked for him loved his decisiveness and his investment in their careers.

By the time I was asked to coach David, his manager was receiving at least one complaint a day from his peers. As a member of the C-suite, his manager quickly grew tired of spending time on "damage control".

The problems began, as they often do, at the point of a transition. As the next big step in his career, David was placed in charge of a large project that required something new – collaborating across multiple teams with multiple functional disciplines.

Coaching process for David

I interviewed many of David’s co-workers. It became clear that he was over-playing one his greatest strengths – his singular focus on achieving results. And it was causing collateral damage in his relationships with his peers.

David thought and acted quickly. He knew the answer. He wanted to be done. He expected others to follow along without question. His peers needed him to slow down, listen to them more carefully, and consider all options and all sides of an issue before making a decision. They wanted to contribute too.

Together we focused on how David could deepen his relationships with his peers, create buy-in, and foster greater levels of trust.

The bottom line:

After six months, David moved to a new division. He applied the lessons learned and the new skills he’d practiced to his daily interactions. People now describe David as empathetic. He’s seen as someone who listens objectively and considers various viewpoints before making decisions. Significantly, he’s also still seen as someone who sets a high bar and gets things done on time.

Now you see me, now you don't

Mia is a dynamic, go-getter who’s great at whatever she sets her mind to. She rose quickly through the ranks to become General Manager of the Chinese subsidiary. Not only did she deliver great results, but people loved working with her. She was a popular and effective representative of the organization both internally and externally.

But whenever Mia came to the headquarters in the U.S., the senior leaders couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. During succession planning discussions they hardly ever heard from her. When Mia did speak up, senior leaders were still left without a strong sense of her unique contributions.

Coaching process for Mia

In-depth discussions with her, revealed some unconscious cultural inhibitions. Mia was perfectly comfortable in her native China because she understood the nuances of power at work in everyday conversations. She prided herself on picking up subtle cues others missed.

In the U.S., Mia was intimidated by the blunt, assertive tone of meetings. It was a whole new style of communication and it threw her off-balance. She came to view herself as an outsider. She didn’t want to speak up unless her thoughts were fully formed and she had the right data to back-up her argument. Often her idea wasn’t noticed until someone else brought up the same point more forcefully later in the meeting.

The bottom line:

Mia focused on how to translate her working style across cultures while remaining true to her beliefs and identity. Eighteen months later, Mia was hired into a job at the U.S. headquarters. Now she contributes comfortably in meetings and her ideas are appropriately adopted and attributed.