Individual Coaching - CASE STUDY

Issue: The Problem

A director in an international IT company was not transitioning well into his new role. The organisation had taken a leap in employing him. He did not specialise in this sector and had mixed leadership references. Some senior executives were becoming impatient with his progress, and he was beginning to doubt his capacity to take up his role effectively.

Ideas: Our Thinking

We understood that transitioning between business sectors can create role uncertainty. We framed our thinking through our knowledge of role ambiguity, systems-psychodynamics principles and our understanding of the needs of the business. We recommended a 12 session coaching program utlising Organisational Role Analysis.

Innovation: What We Did

We conducted an initial interview with the director to find a best fit with one of our coaches. The coaching process began with an in-depth assessment involving a ‘role biography’. This method surfaced a fundamental misunderstanding of key tasks and accountabilities required in his new role. Coaching focused on supporting him to define and take up these responsibilities. A core challenge was managing effective collaboration in leadership team meetings. To compliment the one-to-one sessions, the coach attended several team meetings as a participant-observer and utilised the data to enhance the coaching process.

Impact: The effect

The program assisted enhancing the director’s

• self-awareness of the requirements of his role
• understanding and enacting the authority in his role

• skill in managing team dynamics
• public presentation skills
• long term focus and planning