COACHING FORORGANIZATIONALCHANGE 155
Understanding what it means to click on a personal level is easy. We need
only think about our most energizing conversations to realize that those were
the times when we were truly open, authentic, optimistic, and forward-
directed. That same feeling is present in the best teams and highest func-
tioning groups. In such cases, trust is implicit and unquestioned, and commu-
nication occurs at high levels. As a result, lengthy meetings and formal
conversations are rarely necessary, while the focus is always in next steps. In
the best circumstances, team members can anticipate each other ’s moves,
ideas, and opinions while operating in the f low of the game, allowing for
faster response times, more consistent alignment and creative leaps. As an
organizational change coach, I try to instill that sense of click as widely as
necessary. Imagine the power when such conversations and relationships are
occurring across an organization in pursuit of a common objective.
The Role of the Coach in
Organizational Change
The organizational change coach operates like a free safety—a football term
for the player who can move freely around the field as the play requires. In
other words, the coach must be able to work when and where the need arises,
in order to facilitate the shift that is taking place.
First and foremost, the coach works behind the scenes with the leadership
team to help them achieve their strategic objectives. The coach’s role is not to
assist in formulating the strategy so much as provide help in facilitating the
strategic discussions and seeing that the agreed-upon strategy is then imple-
mented. The coach works with the team to sift through the options and come
to agreement around primary goals and best approaches. The coach then helps
the team drive that strategy throughout the organization.
This is the fundamental distinction between coaching and traditional con-
sulting. The consultant is expected to perform as part of the team, setting the
strategy, designing the work plan, drawing up the realignment, or creating
the product line for the organization to adopt and execute. The coach, on the
other hand, works with the leadership team on its own agenda to maximize its
capabilities. The coach stays in the background and shadows the actual play-
ers. Rather than being the focal point of the process, the coach seeks out the
cracks and gaps by doing the prework, the in-between work, and the after-
work needed to keep the organization on the move.
Sometimes, this means the coach is facilitating various teams. Other
times, the coach is working one on one with key leaders—the CEO, general
manager, product director, or other person in charge of the IT or M&A