Coaching in Analogies #10: New glasses, or new nose?

Coaching is the best way I know of to bring about transformation in leaders. Some clients end their engagements with subtle shifts in energy and behavior. Others have huge breakthroughs and end up taking their work lives in an entirely different direction. The coach is the same guy, so the size and speed of change is up to the client. I’ve found it’s helpful to ask what they want early on.

A client in financial technology was seeking change in how others perceived him. He was thoughtful, even-tempered and had a solid reputation in the company. Still, he felt almost invisible at times. Colleagues weren’t including him in cross-functional discussions as often as he wanted. He didn’t want to spend his entire time there boxed into a single role.

In our first session, I asked him how big of a change he wanted his colleagues to notice if we were successful together. Was it a scale of change along the lines of getting new glasses -- you see things more clearly, your face is outlined in a slightly different way, and it’s subtle enough for some people to miss? Or was it a scale of change along the lines of getting a new nose -- your entire facial identity is different, and it cannot be ignored?

Turns out this client wasn’t looking for a new nose. He was seeking to add onto his existing presence more gradually, to the point that colleagues might notice the end result but not the work in progress. We decided to work together on thoughtful self-expression as a first step.

Coaching prompts:

• What is the scale of change you are hoping to achieve? How soon? 

• What does too much change, too fast, look like for you?

• How will you measure the external impact of that change? Who can help you do this?