Coach's CornerWhat Do You Think?George Johnstone "You can't solve today's complex problems with the same consciousness that created them." Albert Einstein Learning Points
A situation from the pastSome time ago I was facilitating a leadership development program for a Fortune 100 company. At one point John, a very successful and seasoned plant manager, said, "I can change people's way of behaving into a new way of thinking faster than I can change their thinking into a new way of behaving." There was a period of silence, and he was asked to say it again. After some reflection, people pretty much agreed. Behavior modification works! We see people's behavior and reward/compliment what we want and punish/point out what we don't want. A few months later I was conducting a training session in John's factory with union representatives and supervisors. During the second day of the program a worker approached me at lunch and told me that he was dropping out of class. When I asked why, he said, "One of my best friends just committed suicide in the back part of the factory, and we all know it's because of the treatment of his supervisor." I was shocked. How could this happen in John's plant? He would never condone any behaviors on the part of his supervisors that would result in such a tragedy. The more I thought about it the more I realized that coaching aimed at behavior alone is insufficient. It is the way we think -- our sets of assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, and mental models - that determines and drives our behavior. Yet most coaching concentrates on behavior! All too often we advocate what people should stop doing without clear direction about what to do differently and why. John's supervisor was coached to stop intimidating people and start treating them with respect -- but his behavior reflected his beliefs and mental models. A different mental modelAs it turns out the supervisor believed that people are basically "lazy" and that you have to be "tough and demanding" to get them to do anything. He thought management wanted results no matter how he got them, and he believed that he had to behave in a demanding autocratic fashion. In setting an environment where we could suspend judgment and surface his beliefs about his work and his direct reports, we both came to understand his mental model in this matter. We used a balance of inquiry and advocacy which we call "dialogue". It took quite some time to help reframe (rethink) how he saw people and his role. Eventually he did a turnaround. He was still directive, but he attempted to engage people more in understanding their responsibilities and how they contributed to the corporate strategy. Deadlines were met and, over time, product quality went up. In today's complex business environment the challenge of becoming more explicitly aware of how we think is critical to sustainable success. The situation with John's supervisor was addressed by coaching for thinking and behavior. It does take time, so it requires prioritizing when a dialogue is most appropriate. To solve today's complex problems I think we need to surface and challenge critical assumptions -- continuously testing and upgrading our thinking. What do you think? Look for this column to provide you with some of the tools and structure you would get from having your own coach. Please send questions or respond to grjohnstone@comcast.net. George Johnstone, a member of The New World of Work Network, coaches successful individuals and businesses to help them reach their potential. |