Meeting Three
The coach
Elaine Robinson, senior lecturer, HRM, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University
When I met Rebecca for our third coaching session, we quickly got stuck in. Rebecca came prepared with her homework. We knew that we would be concentrating on the employment of coaching tools. Rebecca had been discovering her “career hot buttons” by completing the John Lees questionnaire. This is an excellent tool that can help in the establishment of priorities.
In some ways this questionnaire is similar to the values elicitation exercise that we carried out together in the second coaching session. This time, however, Rebecca was invited to rate herself on a continuum ranging from “unimportant” to “moderately important” to “very important” for the key areas of financial rewards, influence, expertise, independence, relationships and security.
Other tools that I asked Rebecca to complete were the Quintax personality profile and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I had obtained printed reports which we used in our discussions. All the tools were helpful in building Rebecca’s self-awareness. They also helped us build a picture of her from different angles and to enable an enriched, quality conversation.
Apart from these coaching tools we also started to employ some NLP techniques. In particular, we tried using a timeline. It was important to build on the trust between us in order to allow Rebecca to close her eyes and drift, in her imagination, to the future. I guided her as she literally walked her imaginary line.
This exercise enabled Rebecca to imagine looking back on one of her important achievements and seeing how she got there. Rebecca was then able to look forward and imagine “visually and in full colour”, what a future goal would look and sound like and what steps she could possibly take to get there. The smile on Rebecca’s face suggested she was determined and happy to go there.
Learning/key points
- Employ as many tools as you can
- Keep building the trust and rapport
- Don’t ask leading questions
- Listen, listen, listen
Key coaching question
Using Sir John Whitmore’s ideas of constructive stories, and employing enabling and limiting cognitions, I asked Rebecca the following questions:
- Imagine that it is 10 years in the future. You are looking back on your achievements. What do you see?
- What do you hope to achieve by being concerned about this?
- When have you easily achieved departmental objectives?
- In what situations has this been difficult?
Reflections
Again, I found myself having to take great care not to give Rebecca the answers to these questions or the benefit of my advice. I am aware through my training as a coach that if I really can’t resist the temptation to give advice then I can either seek permission from the client to do so or try to position the advice in the form of a question.
For example: “Have you thought about the benefits of gaining further professional qualifications?”
Again, though, I would berate myself for being too leading with my client. I know I must not impose my own solution on Rebecca. Instead, through skilful questioning she must come to solutions of her own.
I congratulate myself on not having asked her any leading questions (on this occasion at least) but at the same time recognise how easy it is to do so. As a manager I am used to giving a steer and some direction to staff members.
I myself was coached by John Lees (famous for his book How to Get a Job You’ll Love). I was grateful to him for some hints and tips, particularly on self-branding, which I then discussed with Rebecca in this session, in addition to sharing John’s questionnaire with her.
The client
Rebecca Peat, staff development trainer, Centre for Professional Learning and Development, Nottingham Trent University
Elaine and I started the session by reviewing my actions from the last session. My task then had been to complete the questionnaires. Elaine asked me what I thought of them and how useful they had been to me.
The John Lees questionnaire involved me rating myself against statements related to eight different “career anchors”. It confirmed my preference for making all the major parts of my life integrate as a whole, rather than work as separate entities.
We discussed the Quintax personality profile and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instruments I had completed. Again, there were no surprises but the confirmations were reassuring for my self-awareness. Plus, they reminded me of how my personality and approach can have an impact on others.
Elaine took me through an NLP activity to help me focus on the future and think of the steps and timelines that I would need to take to get me there. This involved closing my eyes and taking actual, physical steps to the next imaginary goalpost. The length I walked between these goals signified the length of time I estimated it would take me to achieve them. I was then asked to look back on the goals and describe how I felt, how easily I had achieved them and what the next goal was.
Learning/key points
- Be open to tools and activities – give them a go!
- Coach needs to be open to feedback
- I might need some space away from the office to carry out some of the activities (for example, the NLP imaginary timeline)
- Try using humour – it can break down inhibitions and build trust
- The coach needs to be qualified in administering and interpreting psychometric tests
Reflections
This third session with Elaine was very much an exploration of my personality and preferences in the work area. Although I have completed a few such tools before, I find them beneficial to highlight areas or remind me of certain points. I always find them enjoyable.
This session highlighted what I believe is important to me and also my preferences for my working situation. It also confirmed that I was happy with where I was and where I could take this. In fact, the session marked a shift in my attitude that I could even say to myself, “Where could I take this?”, rather than, “Where is this taking me?”.
I felt a little uncomfortable with the NLP activity to begin with as I had not done anything like this before and closing my eyes while walking down a corridor was something I was certainly not used to! The outcome, however, was that I felt more empowered and in control of the direction that my life could take. This further motivated me to succeed. The hurdles that I faced were hurdles to be overcome, rather than barriers that cannot be broken down.
Volume 4, Issue 2