Client Stories: Leadership Coaching
Leading from Your Core
He was a builder of stonewalls, he told me. The way I saw Bob, he could have lived close to the earth, handling each stone firmly, respectfully, knowing exactly where to place it in the natural order of things. For now, though, he was inside a brick building, surrounded by cubicles, meeting sales targets, and motivating discouraged or inexperienced people in a tough economy.
Driven by strong revenue goals, Bob was eager to see his group succeed. He reviewed with me his international team and the differences among them—cultural, motivational and personality—identifying the best approach for each person and what they needed from Bob to meet-and in fact exceed-their goals.
But Bob often felt handicapped by the values of those who made the rules in his work environment, and he would find himself falling back on a schoolyard brusque and combative style. Caught in a classic middle position, Bob needed to motivate and defend his people against changing financial demands from the top, demands that often seemed unreasonable when coupled with the reduced commission compensation...
It might be said that the negative leadership example served to strengthen Bob's own priorities. "My loyalty to my group is #1," he said; "that's why they trust me." In order to fortify Bob's inner compass, he established a Master Mind Group of professionals who would help him meet his goals of learning and effectiveness. He also resurrected some outside interests that had been neglected, and that helped him avoid burnout.
Little by little, Bob softened his edges, returning to the stonewall builder. Supporting his people, giving them leads, acknowledging their success, and watching his own progress, Bob could allow his natural leadership style to produce increased revenue for the company, the team, and himself, along with greater job satisfaction.
I have worked with Wynne for the past seven months around financial and interpersonal goals. She has solid training as a facilitator and coach and is able to listen to the other person without "reacting" or "interjecting" her viewpoint. This reflective listening, combined with her understanding of the coach's role, has helped me to achieve several of my stated goals. She has helped me increase revenue, establish a mastermind group and get back to outside interests.
—Globalization Division Manager, Technology Recruiters