COACHING FORORGANIZATIONALCHANGE 181
Because ofthat success, I was asked to do more and more coaching within
GE. My work in companies outside of GE has held to the same pattern. Typ-
ically, I am brought into a business unit to work with a senior person who
either has a behavioral issue or has taken on a new level of responsibility. If
it’s a remedial issue, then the manager is valued enough by the organization
that it is preferable to spend money on having them make changes than go
through the cost of replacing them. If the manager is in a new level of re-
sponsibility, they need to figure out how to squeeze more from themselves to
meet the increased demands of their new role.
Different organizations play it different ways. Sometimes, I am a centrally
provided resource, either directly assigned to a person or told that my job is to
convince a manager that there will be value in working with me. At other
times, the approach is more subtle, and I am asked to get to know a particular
manager, develop a relationship and gradually turn that into a coaching inter-
vention. After I gain the trust of one senior manager and work with him or her
on changes that increase effectiveness, I rove around and develop coaching
relationships with others who want or need the same kind of intervention.
The critical challenge lies in convincing top managers to recognize the fact
that there is value in relating to the people around them as individuals with
individual needs. Many successful leaders are comfortable with a consistent
style of how they come across. They see no point in modulating that style to
the needs of others. If pushed, they’ll say, “That’s just who I am.” It’s a logic
that’s difficult to argue against. After all, they make significant salaries and
function at high levels of responsibility, visibility, and power—proof that
their way works. My job is to help them see that by becoming aware of their
own pluses and minuses, as well as how they are perceived by others, they can
reach even higher levels of effectiveness.
Additionally, people in significant positions serve as role models for oth-
ers and to a large extent set a tone that affects more than just themselves.
Through my observations, I come to an understanding of the complex con-
nections that such person has with him or herself: what they can offer in the
context of the organization, what they are being asked to do, what they are
comfortable with doing, and how they can contribute more efficiently to
meeting the needs of others. This can be difficult to grasp and accept, but
I’m very good at locking into people in an intense way, so that they feel safe
and have an increasingly positive view of what will happen.
After establishing the beginnings of trust, I keep pushing, insistently and
with determination, yet in a way that doesn’t offend. We define the change
pr ior ities and how we can make them occur. The focus is very pragmatic.