CHAPTER 7

Reset With a Friend

“Hi Mary, this is Katherine. How are you?”

“I am great, thank you but… you? From your voice, you don’t sound really well.”

“That’s it. I called you to check whether you had some time for me.”

“Gladly. Let me look... this afternoon around 3 p.m.?”

“That would be perfect, thanks. See you later.”

***

When it is time, Katherine climbs upstairs to the HR Department. Mary smiles at her from behind her desk, PC off, hands on the table. Katherine is amazed at how some top executives manage to give the impression of being always available and ready to listen, while certainly, they have a hectic agenda.

“You are always on time, I was waiting for you. Do you want to continue our conversation on attitude and antifragility?”

“Yes and no. I certainly feel very fragile now, Mary. In fact, I feel lost...”

Quickly Katherine updates her on the project, Andrew’s feedback, James’ disengagement, and Elisabeth’s hostility.

“Ok, one thing at a time. Let’s start from the beginning: What is the goal?”

“The goal of the project?”

“Both, the project’s and yours.”

“Our market channel share is declining rapidly, so the goal is to understand how to review the current strategy and reverse the trend.”

“And how will you be able to say that the trend has reversed?”

It sounds like a trivial question, but it isn’t. Katherine reflects for a moment, then: “Obviously we measure the sales we make through the channel. I believe that as a first step we want to stop the decline, it would be the first positive sign. Then the decline must shift to growth.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Yes sure. I don’t want to throw a random number, let me work with the team on this. I believe that growth can be any number higher than the average market growth. It would be a sign that we are gaining share.”

“And by when have you set out to reach these thresholds of lower decline, growth, and above average growth?”

The question is so obvious that Katherine wonders how she didn’t think about it herself: “I don’t know. I was not told and I didn’t think to clarify it. You’re absolutely right. For now, let’s say we want to stop the decrease within 6 months, put a positive sign in front of our numbers within 12, and be above the market average within 18. But I will work on it.”

“Well, for now, let’s work with these assumptions you just said. If you reach these goals, what is the outcome for the company?”

“Again, I don’t know, Mary, but once more you’re right. The impact would be enormous: first on the turnover. Then, given our cost structure, the benefit would be even higher on margins and this would mean more spending capacity in Research and Development and therefore an increase in our brand reputation.”

“Can you quantify these impacts?”

“Sure, I have to work on it, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. In case I have any problems, I can ask the CFO for support.”

“May I tell you my point of view?”

“I’m here for this…”

“Speak to the CFO anyway. Even if you come up with perfect calculations, dealing with someone outside the team always adds perspective and credibility. If you present some turnover and margin numbers that you have previously discussed with the CFO and got his stamp, nobody will argue or say that you are wrong.”

Katherine nods and Mary continues: “Now, let’s keep going with our reasoning: Even without accurate numbers, and considering only a bulk estimate, how important are these results for you, personally?”

“Very important.” Katherine responds with no hesitation, then she reflects and adds, lowering her voice: “For the company, from what I see, it is fundamental. We are not doing as well as it looks. The situation is more serious than they say, but perhaps you, given your role, are already aware of it.”

“Yes, it is as you say. Tell me about yourself: How important are the results for Kathy?”

“Same, very important. It is my first real big project, in total autonomy. I am facing enormous challenges, but I know that this is the best way to learn. From 1 to 10: 10!”

“Ok... you’ve already told me about the situation before: As you said, it’s challenging but clear. What options do you see moving forward?”

“I believe that it makes sense to let Mark and Maurice continue the task they started because it is giving good results, anyway. I just have to reframe it in a broader context.”

“So, what are you proposing?”

“I have to take care of the objectives myself, but I can get James to help me. He comes from Finance: He can be of great help in validating my assumptions and he can help me prepare for the meeting with the CFO.”

“And then?”

“I need to address the shortcomings highlighted by Andrew. I could ask Elisabeth for them. It suits her skills: She comes from Operations, and she has been working with Production and Procurement before.”

“What else? Is there anyone else who could be involved? Who will be the main recipient of your work?”

“Sales obviously, and in particular those working on channel. How would you engage them, Mary?”

“I’d like to hear your opinion first.”

Another question that is only apparently simple...

“I’d say the same way you started with me earlier: Share our goal and timing and ask them if they believe they’re relevant.”

“OK… then will you ask them for something concrete? Can they help you in any way?”

“Sure. Now a new world is opening up to me, Mary: I absolutely have to ask them to validate our assumptions. First, I need to check whether the numbers I discuss with the CFO are feasible from their point of view: The implementation of the project will actually pass through them because they are our Channel Account Managers and they negotiate priorities with our partners.”

“OK… Now, how do you plan to put these activities in priority order?”

Another moment of silence, Katherine needs to figure it out: “Clarifying the objectives is the first thing: Without those, I cannot effectively engage the stakeholders and ask for a contribution. It is even more difficult to motivate the team if the objectives are not clear.”

“Ok... What about considering even 1 or 2 simple actions, which allow building positive energy and visibility around the project?”

“A quick win: That’s a great point! I have an idea about it, I’m working on it... Mary: I don’t know how to thank you, you have been fantastic, as usual. You opened my eyes and helped me to see the way forward.”

As they stand up to say goodbye, Mary adds: “It’s always a pleasure, Kathy. However, be aware that you found the solution yourself: I only asked you a few questions. By the way, how about meeting again in 2 weeks so we can review the progress?”

Thinking back, that’s exactly what happened. Mary was just asking questions and while doing so, she was focused and relaxed, while Katherine was literally sweating to find intelligent answers to the goads she was receiving. The result, however, has been amazing.

Right tomorrow there is a new team meeting. Katherine feels ready, more aware, and fully motivated.

Deep Dive—GROW Model

Certainly, one of the best-known coaching models, the GROW model can help all the leaders in their daily conversations with their collaborators. The model enables a structured, goal-oriented conversation, aimed at developing a creative and generative thinking and achieving results. GROW is the acronym for:

G—Goal

R—Reality

O—Options

W—Will

Once the subject (Topic) and the objective of the conversation (Goal) have been set and agreed upon, it is important to analyze the current situation (Reality) and all the possible alternatives (Options) to achieve the desired result, identifying the action plan (Will) with the timeline, resources, and actions to ensure results. See Figure 7.1.

Let’s analyze the GROW process.

Goal: Once the topic of the conversation has been clarified, it is important to first define and agree on the goal which must be SMART, namely:

image S—Specific (instead of generic)

image M—Measurable (in terms of results)

image A—Achievable

image R—Realistic

image T—Timeframed (temporally identified)

If the topic is complex, it will be necessary to clarify both the macro-objective (e.g., definition of the commercial strategy to increase sales by 20% in this fiscal year) and the specific objective for the conversation of the day (e.g., definition of the commercial strategy to increase sales by 20% in this fiscal year for product X). Starting the conversation from the goal might seem unintuitive to some people, but it allows you to project yourself into the future and not get lost in discussions about past mistakes or situations which could be dysfunctional and time consuming to achieve the preset goal.

It is always advisable to translate the goal into the outcome (e.g., 3 strategic directions to increase sales of product X by 20% in this fiscal year) and verify its importance for the counterparts, checking and stimulating their motivation. (From 1 to 10 how much important is it for you to make 20% more sales than last year?)

Reality: Some information on current or past situations may be key to inform strategies and achieve the desired result. The advice is to limit this type of information exclusively to the relevant details needed to guide the following step.

Options: This is certainly the most creative phase, in which provoking new ideas is essential to identify the best option to achieve the goal. As in Design Thinking, initially quantity is more important than quality.

The following questions are all useful to boost creativity and add alternatives:

image What do you propose?

image In the absence of constraints, what would you do?

image What else?

image Looking at this situation from outside, what advice would you give a friend in your situation?

image Take 3 people you respect professionally, how would they act in this situation? Could there be further options to consider?

For example, if the objective is to define 3 strategic directions, at this stage it is good to create a list that is at least 2 or 3 times longer (in the example, 6 to 9 options).

What if the coachee has no ideas? Or ask the executive for help? In this case, the leader can provoke creative thinking, suggesting multiple options (at least 2 or 3) without sharing any personal preference and avoiding influencing the collaborator to choose the one that the executive favors.

Once the list of alternatives has been established, the collaborator must narrow it down and select the best option based on the expected benefits, its feasibility, and accountability, which must be with the coachee.

The analysis and choice of the best option is the employee’s responsibility, but the leader can contribute in 2 ways:

image Observation and intuition: The leader can share a perception or an intuition that comes from the careful observation of the collaborator (e.g., While you were speaking, I noticed that your tone changed when you mentioned option 1. Can you help me to better understand your instinctive reaction?).

image Brainstorming: The leader can contribute to the brainstorming with their own reflections and perspectives.

Will: The last phase is action planning. It is necessary to define the necessary actions to implement the option chosen in the previous phase and specify the resources, timeline, and possibly the people who need to be involved for contributions or approvals. The Will is the phase in which the real action plan is drawn.

In order for the model to work, there are a few tricks to apply:

Listening: Listening must be attentive, free, and open. º Attentive: To allow the executive to grasp the words and all the additional signals coming from the nonverbal and para-verbal communication (tones and rhythms of the voice) of the collaborator. The executive must, therefore, listen with big eyes, open heart, and an emotional belly!

image Free: To allow the executive to follow the logical flow of the collaborator without thinking about what to say next.

image Open: To avoid the influence of prejudice, assumptions, beliefs.

For this to happen, the executives will have to devote themselves completely to their collaborators, avoiding interruptions or interferences such as e-mails, phone calls, messages that, by distracting them, defocus from the main object of listening. The employees will recognize all this attention, feel like the priority, and reward their manager with a higher engagement.

Accountability: Coaching is based on the individual’s responsibility. The action plan, therefore, must include tasks that the collaborator can control. If there are activities that need to be carried out by others, the collaborator will act as project manager and ensure the execution of others’ tasks in the preestablished ways and timeline.

Questions: The GROW model and coaching recognize the importance of questions to stimulate the cognitive process. Each of us is, in fact, more at ease with thoughts, answers, and solutions developed autonomously compared to those forced by others. Hence, the importance of provoking personal reflection through questions. To work, questions must be:

image Open: They should not imply a yes/no answer, but allow the employees to think through and generate their own answers (e.g., “What is the best customer target to increase sales by 20% year over year?” is very different from saying “To increase sales by 20%, would you only target large customers?”).

image Powerful and transformative: They must act like reagents developing a process of transformation, increasing awareness in the employee, enlightening the reality with new perspectives, pushing to explore, and get out of the comfort zone.

However, the GROW approach produces the best results if applied in a safe, judgment-free environment built on preexisting trust between the executive and the collaborator.

image

Figure 7.1 GROW model

Credits: Sebastiano Boni

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