[Ailist] AI and Coaching - not only the coachee but also his boss

[EwingChange at aol.com]

David:
Thanks for that thoughtful and thorough set of comments. I will very likely  
pursue this. I like the need to strike a balance. There are definitely times  
where each style is important. My coaching is very appreciative and at the 
same  time, I find ways to gently challenge my coachee's thinking to help him  
stretch.
 
Best regards
Esther

Hi  Esther  


For work with the person you are coaching I  suggest you use Appreciative 
Coaching: A Positive Process for  Change by Sara Orem, Jacqueline Binkert and Ann 
Clancy.  They  beautifully apply the heart of AI philosophy and framework for 
consulting to  coaching.  I am using it with a new coaching client - I'm too 
early in  the process to report what is working.  However, if you are doing an 
AI  approach generally, this source will be helpful.


For work with the boss I suggest The  Versatile Leader: Make The Most Of Your 
Strengths - Without Overdoing  It by Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser.  The heart of 
their approach is  in a PDF article called "Developing Versatile Leadership," 
available  at
_http://www.performanceprograms.com/pdf/DevelopingVersatileLeadership(SMR2003)
.pdf_ 
(http://www.performanceprograms.com/pdf/DevelopingVersatileLeadership(SMR2003).pdf)    That version is available free (I found it with a Google 
search).  Or you  can pay for it at the MIT Sloan Management Review site.  That 
site does  have info about content of the article.


The part of The Versatile  Leader that is relevant to the boss you are 
working with is in their  concept of versatility as applied to the paired concepts 
of "Forceful" and  "Enabling" leadership.  They make a strong case that a 
leader who  overdoes either the Forceful or the Enabling part of the pair will be 
far less  effective than one who is versatile and can choose either Enabling or 
 Forceful, depending on the situation.  


The boss in this situation sounds stuck in Forceful leadership.  In  their 
book Kaplan and Kaiser report that many of the leaders they have worked  with 
had no clue that they were overdoing their Forceful leadership  style.  I just 
got the book yesterday and am not sure how useful I regard  their suggestions 
for people to change.  However, they do have specific  change suggestions.


Kaplan and Kaiser do not mention the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory  
perspective.  However, when I read them with awareness of the MBTI, I am  guessing that 
Forceful leaders are likely to have a preference for Thinking  and overdo their 
Thinking (logical) preference.   Enabling leaders,  I believe, are likely to 
have a preference for Feeling and to overdo their  Feeling (people concerns) 
preference.  The key, from an MBTI perspective,  is to develop one's 
less-preferred functions and to lead with a fuller  self.  In some of the MBTI 
literature that is called type flexing.   It seems very similar to Kaplan and Kaiser's 
versatility concept.


It may be useful at some point to introduce the versatile leader concept  to 
the person you are coaching.  That may enable him to understand more  of the 
behavior of the leader who dashes energy and esteem.  It may be  useful for him 
to recognize that the leader's behavior probably is not  personal (directed 
only to him).  It is in fact the leader's overdoing of  a strength (forceful 
leadership) that this boss probably does with most  people.


Both Appreciative  Coaching  and The Versatile Leader are available  from 
amazon.com. 


If you use one or both of these approaches, please let us know what  works.  
Good luck and enjoy the challenge!


Best to you,


David


David J. Snider, Ph.D.
David Snider Associates
  Consultants On Personal and 
  Organizational Development
17214 Wildemere
Detroit, MI 48221
O: 313 342 8060

Fax: 313 342 8650
_davidsnider at mindspring.com_ (mailto:davidsnider at mindspring.com) 


On Jul 3, 2007, at 8:13 AM, _EwingChange at aol.com_ 
(mailto:EwingChange at aol.com)  wrote:


I am about to take on a coaching assignment where  an  individual has quite 
low self-esteem as well as a poor relationship with  his  boss. I have had  
some 
preliminary conversations with him and he gets  quite  excited about the  
work 
(and is convinced it is important to do) and then  he has  a conversation  
with 
his boss who is apparently hyper-critical and his  esteem and  his energy  
gets 
dashed.


I would love it if he could learn to be more  resilient and I  will be  
working 
with him on this but does anyone have any  suggestions about how  I might  
work 
to influence the boss who, it seems, has some  beliefs that are  counter  to 
how I would like to work. Specifically she seems to  believe that  being 
encouraging is "to ignore the facts" and does not  believe that people need  
time  to 
make behaviour change.


Any thoughts?


Esther Ewing
The Change Alliance
330 East 38th St. Suite  53K
New York, NY 10016, USA
Telephone: 212-661-6024
Building   Strength from Within








_______________________________________________
The Appreciative Inquiry Discussion List is hosted  by the David Eccles 
School of Business at the University of Utah. Jack  Brittain is the list 
administrator. For subscription information, go  to:
_http://mailman.business.utah.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/ailist_ 
(http://mailman.business.utah.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/ailist) 









=



 
Esther Ewing
The Change Alliance
330 East 38th St. Suite  53K
New York, NY 10016, USA
Telephone: 212-661-6024
Building  Strength from Within