I worked with the director of a retail organisation. Over a series of one to one sessions we explored his frustration at not being able to transform his business. The more he tried, the more he gave of himself, the less impact he seemed to have. The more he drove the team, the less they responded. He was working flat out with no real progress.
By listening, challenging, asking questions and sharing stories I was able to help him discover three vital truths:
1) “Less is more” is the state of mind he need to operate from. “More is less” was what he was experiencing.
2) Trying too hard himself was suffocating the potential of his team to grow and contribute. “Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away.” (Dorothy Parker)
3) The greatest untapped weapon at this leader’s disposal was himself. He was not attending to himself and was therefore operating at considerably less than full power.
The interventions enabled him to refocus, which in turn led to much more powerful leadership for his team Was this coaching? Was it mentoring? I am not sure and frankly not that bothered with the label. At the time it felt like helping a friend. If you think you would benefit from this sort of support please contact me.
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