2.1 Model

For this coaching, I used my newly developed coaching model – 7E. This model considers 7 Steps (Establish, Evaluate, Envision, Encourage, Execute, Enable, and Empower), designed to empower the coachee towards the end of the coaching – to make coach independent and model dependent. During the course of steps followed in the coaching, I have applied few of the techniques from Appreciate Inquiry, and Inner Game of Stress.

2.2 Tools

During the coaching session, I used few of the tools like Perceptual positioning, Visualization, Power of Presence,   and some breathing and relaxation exercises.

3 Description of various options Exprored

3.1 Options

Before supporting Andy to identify his options, I requested management to look into the each Individual’s and Stakeholder’s POV to understand the dynamics under which they are functioning and how could I support Andy and at the same time meet the expectations of each involved in the new technology department. Their opinion of their exhibition on the this context will allowed  me to assess the

1. Personality of each individual on the Big Five Model (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience)
2.  Perception  these individuals has build perception about others in the group using the internal and external caused behaviour and factors mainly i)  distinctiveness ii) consensus, and  iii) consistency that has attributed to judge others in the group. And finally,
3. Motivation of these individuals

Armed with this information, I felt, I would not do justice to my coaching with Andy and decided, this information would not come in my way as judgment for creating options for Andy. Hence, I asked Andy to narrate his point of view on the current setup, It expalined as follow: I joined the Safron Inc. with the expectation to build the New Technology Group that would provide me growth platform wherein I could apply my technology and managerial experience acquired over the period of 6 ½ years while working with consulting organization. In deed during the job interview sessions, I have been said to lead the New Technology Group which is aligned with organizational objectives with set top and bottom line targets. With the given aggressive top and bottom line numbers in prospective, I have been able to set the big picture and over all planning to rapidly build the required capability to deliver advance solutions to clients across the globe. In general, advance technology solution requires highly capable technology consultant with management and sales skills. In case of Safron Inc., New technology capability initiatives setup has overlooked the repeated demand of technically equipped managers need and top management has forced to appoint their trusted managers and worst is those who would don’t have required technology base, and also has experience of managing smaller group of people. Further these managers have been asked not to report to the New Technology Group lead but have dotted line reporting.  With such a barrier to communication, and weak link of delivery management it has become daunting tasks to meet the set targets. To worrisome further, these technically weak managers have been interacting with clients without having prior knowledge of the client objectives and value management promised during the negotiation stage. These clients have taken extra mile decisions to award such advance technology solution projects to Safron Inc.(name changed). Due to past relationship that have built with them while delivering low cost and high quality based solutions in my last organizations. Monica bringing her own trusted people with no technology knowledge in the team have not only created fluffy situation but also it adds up to distrust of client on me to deliver the solutions within the budget with high quality.  With all the issues in hand, I don’t feel I would have a growth in this organization and at the same time I fear of losing my relationships with these clients – build over the years. I had few questions to Andy that is mentioned in the section 5 COACHING INTERVENTIONS. On the basis of reflection on these questions and tools used during the sessions, and bigger interest of organizational growth he came out with two solutions to the current issues:

Option 1: (Andy to be moved out of department)

1. Andy has put his blood and sweat to setup this department and he has been this primary reason behind setting up the team and getting 4 clients for this ambitious project. He also felt to be one of the reason why department is in such a mess now with a disintegrated team and client dissatisfaction. Management feels that Andy was in complete control of situation till Monika decided to get Sudhir to work on delivery aspects. Monika’s decision was well justified as workload on Andy has been increasing a lot and he also needs to travel around the world for clients interactions, which would cause him to become bottleneck for team.
2. Andy gave his consent for this arrangement; he has made it a political issue and is diverting his energy towards making project a failure with the intention of showing his criticality to project and gaining more control over the whole group.
3. Andy moving out of department will provide right environment for Monika and Sudhir to resolve issues without any interference. They will be able to establish relationship with clients and discuss current situation and future course of action in an open manner. The team would also not have undue influence of Andy and it would be easy for Sudhir to gain support from them and build the required technical capabilities. Monika shall still go ahead with inducting Raghav to the team but his role shall be more focused on client interaction so that Sudhir can focus more on delivery and technicality aspect of application. Sudhir and Raghav both would report to Monika and shall complement each other to make the group a success.
4. The biggest challenge would be to convince clients to continue project without Andy being part of group.
5. Monika would be motivated with this setup as she would not run into risk of ANdy corrupting the client relationship and he would also no longer be a threat to her position in the organization. Sudhir’s concerns are also taken care of by providing him required time to build the skills and free hand on delivery aspects without external interference.
6.  The team may be slightly upset with Andy’s sudden departure and Monika and Sudhir need to work hard on resolving their concerns and bringing their focus back to deliverables. If team members perform well and are able to come with quality deliverables, then Management shall provide them required rewards to keep them motivated and stop attrition.
7. Finally, Andy felt that this solution would be quite demotivating to him as he would be removed from the team he himself had setup. At the same time, he will be placed to a new group where he will be provided good opportunity for learning new technologies and embarking on widening his technical, consulting  and client relationship management as this seems to be his strong area. He will be able to get a break and reestablish the relationships with project management team.

Option 2: (Andy is given complete responsibility and later move out of the department)

Andy is a management graduate and has keen interest in working with this organization and he felt he has become part of the organization. He reflected the option 2 as follow:

1. Situations like this are common among organization irrespective of their scale. The dilemma like this organization faces. Management has view to take what is the right step or takes a step that seems right to all. In my case one solution is to offer a “Win Win scenario” to all parties involved.
2. He felt that, he  is an industrious and creative asset to the company. Majority of the clients in his department chose to work with him, clients are banking on their past track record workinh with Andy, their well laid down business plan were carved out primarily by Andy using his interpersonal relationship and technical expertise.

He felt that, He can continue working in this department as earlier with full control and authority reporting only to Monica till the existing project deliveries are completed, he would be responsible for delivery and client relationship himself. At the same time Sudhir would be send on a technical knowledge transfer program where he can develop his technical skill , the area where he was struggling to make ends meet. Even though Monica’s decision to move in Sudhir in terms of his competency is questionable, her intention with the clarity he feels she took this decision for the benefit of the company in the long run. On completion of Sudhir’s training, Sudhir will return and take up the role he was previously engaged in. Along with Sudhir, Raghav also be inducted into the team who will head the client relationship part, and both employees will report to Monica. Gradually, Andy will identify new opportunity to work on.

With the options he has and insight he had for himself, he preferred to work towards option 2 where he would be able to build relations, have graceful exit and will be able to explore new opportunities with new technology and set of new friends and colleagues.

4. Insights FROM Client

4.1 Cross Section View of Current Cognitions and Behaviours

Andy has difficulty concentrating on his job at later stage and was just trying to fulfill his duty. While attempting to develop the consulting solution, he always the thought that – Why am I doing, what’s the benefits to me. For any work I do, others will take the credits. He also had an image of himself where he is observer of others getting rewarded for his contribution and work and seeing himself helpless. These thoughts and images lead to feeling sad, helpless and loneliness. In another situation, he find himself, letting down his clients with whom he had long relations, clients systems are getting issues and failure to not resolve these issues impacting clients staff losing their jobs. He then feels guilt. All of these situations he gets angry and blam himself and his technical team. Once being alone, he cries and guilt of joining this organization takes place.

4.2 Longitudinal View OF COGNITIONS and Behaviours

In the process of coaching journey, I discovered that Andy had been victim of credibility crisis. Even in his last organization, his boss took advantage and claimed the credit of Andy. Due to this, Andy has developed certain assumptions: “If I work hard then also it may not be beneficial for me, someone else will take away my credit.” To protect his credibility he has become aggressive in unsupportive to his superiors and other colleagues. For most part of my sessions with him, he tended to see others as taking away others credits and rights. At the other hand, he had very strong view about his hard work and coming up in life positively under such eventuality and occasionally cowed   by authority figures.

4.3 Strength and Assets

Andy had highly psychological mindedness, objectivity, courageous, ability to take on the job with well-planned structure  and adaptiveness. In the course of interaction, I observe that he is very intelligent, before he got into these organizational issues, very hard working and alone created the entire department making profits in less than 1 year timeframe. Looking at his client building strength, and course of coaching sessions, it was evident that he has the ability to form good, stable relationship with others.

5. Coaching Interventions

5.1 Powerful Questions, Techniques, metaphors

1. How does an individual’s/team behaviour is internally or externally causing you?
2. How do you display the different behaviours in different situations?
3. Does everyone in the new technology department are responding the same way to resolve the issues currently it had?
4. What is your responsibility in the given context? What is most important to you?
5. What worst will happen, if you don’t work with this new department?
6. What great value it will bring to your life, if you continue working in this environment?
7. Are you acting under the halo effect?
8.  How important is the team in your career growth, now and after?
9. What will happen, if you will move completely from this department?

Apart from these questions, I asked following questions as well during the course of sessions

1. How do you see your award (recognition and compensation) in the New Tech department?
2. Will you be able to get award (recognition and compensation) better and similar in other places?
3. Please can you explain your working environment job security, freedom from threats?
4. Do you feel of acceptance, belonging among team members and management?
5. How do you feel about your recognition, achievements, feel valued and appreciated in your current role?
6. Please explain me what’s important to you as Techno-functional leader?
7. What do you feel about Tech department challenging and meaningful work assignments?
8. You would like to be innovative, creativity, and progress according to long-term goals, what will be difficulties to get new opportunity according to your career goals?
9. What emotions currently you’re going through when you visualize the new opportunities with your long-term plans and goals?
10. What was going through your mind just before you started feeling loneliness?
11. What does this action means about you, your life and your future?

During the 3rd session, I used perceptual positioning Andy as Monica and on 5^th session I used Visualization techniques. All along the course of coaching, my whole objective was to induce Appreciate enquiry and it worked even with my limited knowledge.

5.2 Identifying Emotions

o    Andy was fearful, thinking that Monica will ask him to leave the organization o    He was filling guilt since he has brought all his old customers and was unable to support their success o    Chun Lum one of Andy clients was also his friend had lost his job due to delivery issues, and Andy was feeling fully responsible for Chun’s job loss.  With this he was very agitated and always felt guilty o    Since he was not having enough support from team and team members were not interacting with his as it was the case of beginning of the project, he felt everyone is his enemy and has generated hate for all and was getting angry if they come to take his support resolving technical or client issues.

5.3 Actions

o    Develop habit of thanking others o    Reach out to people with apologies even in smallest mistake and feeling of mistakes o    Attachment to a particular role is cause of concern, hence develop the process to becoming more skillful and develop soft skills for new level of successes o    Number of erring habits has been picked up and hence most important habit of Winning too much has to be worked out. o   Win at all costs and in all situations – when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point is another point of contains hence allow to let is go. o    The key action plan was that at a certain level and to grow upto a certain levels, these technical and management skills are critical to success. Further it is also equally true that once you reach a certain level, the recipe for success further up changes. You deal with a different level of stakeholders – peers, reports, clients, …; higher level of competence and comprehension, more worldly-wise and mature, highly outcome driven , ….. as a head of the function, Andy  need  a lot more interpersonal skills. He has identified few of them such as communications, strategic thinking and being humble and gratitude for others. o    To manage the stress learn how to step back, think, organize, and proceed with more conscious choice process, even in the most chaotic situations o    And mostly to become coach for yourself – develop the ability to open his intuition and wisdom o    He was also explained the Performance, Learning and Experience  triangle  and how to combine these three to redefine success and enhance his day-to-day living with wonderful enjoyment

6/Insights for the Coach and Summary

In this case, my role was definitely to support Andy and in my support, I found that if we as a coach drop our preconceived idea and suggesting clients are smart enough to identify individual goals and also will work in the interest of organizational set values. Andy options were very encouraging and I found that while coaching clients, we can work towards resolving or diffusing such issues that are not the only important objective for individual but supporting client in such a way that it will serve a short term objective and at the same space, will contribute to individual and organizational long term visions and missions.