I was very proud this week when one of my little fledglings got a fantastic new job. When I stop and think about the first time I met him over a year ago, the transformation I see in front of me is staggering and I get a real warm fuzzy glow. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job, but It’s also one of the hardest parts because now is his time to go out and forge his new career on his own. I wish him the best of luck and look forward to following his successes. Most of all I know I have made a friend for life.
I guess this maternal instinct over my fledglings is why I became known as ‘Scrum Mum’ in my current assignment.
As I sat in my broom cupboard of a hotel room this week I reflected over a conversation I had with another one of my fledglings where I truly put powerful questions into practice. The use of powerful questions at the right time can really help people think differently about the situations they face. It can take away the emotion of thinking about their own situation by putting themselves in the shoes of another. My coaching style personally turned the corner when I started to use these more frequently.
At a recent Agile Coaching Exchange (ACE) we were very fortunate to have Rachel Davies come in and run one of her coaching dojos. For those who are not familiar I have added the instructions that Rachel kindly put together below. (Click for Rachel’s blog on this)
This was a real great opportunity to put your coaching and listening into practice in a safe environment and for you to get feedback from your peers and most importantly the seeker. In the dojo we managed to do a couple of rounds getting some great insight into different styles in the groups. Here are a couple of our groups hard at work!
We can expand the coaching dojo technique further by combining it with well-known coaching models such as the ones I have listed below:
· The GROW Model – Goal, Reality, Options and Will or Way
· The SARA Model – Shock, Anger, Resistance and Acceptance
· The DESC Model – Describe, Explain, Suggest and Commitment
· Powerful questions
By getting the opportunity to put these into practice it arms our tool box with a model to pull out in the right situation. I would recommend playing several rounds with a different model in each so you commit learning to the brain.
I have named a few models that I tend to use frequently but there are a lot of well published models on the internet to use, so get Googling!
As with my little fledgling I have seen coaching really make a difference and so advocate getting as much practice as possible. With great power comes great responsibility.
Final thoughts
Next time you launch into telling someone what to do or how to do something, STOP! Observe and see how you can coach them to success instead.
If you get the chance to go to one of Rachel Davies Coaching Dojos I would highly recommend it! And why not give it a try for yourself back at your place of work.
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