Recently, I´ve been contacted by the HR Director of a German/Austrian company I collaborate with. This request originated from the French market’s General Manager, whom I coach. We’ll call him Dieter to protect his identity.
Dieter asked me to begin coaching the Project Director reporting to him, whom we’ll call Pierre, as he’s French. Pierre had been reported twice for making tasteless jokes, unsettling one of his employees. (Apparently in his previous role in another company based in Paris, this was just fine).
The reason this situation grabbed my attention is the email from the HR director seeking my assistance, as she mentioned that when discussing his team’s issues, Pierre was surprised and completely unaware of the discomfort he was causing.
Lack of self-awareness, is the number one issue in leaders
Under the weight of these accusations, Pierre´s anxiety had spiked, affecting his performance and hindering the achievement of his objectives set by Dieter. The positive reading about this is that he cares.
To ensure my intervention is both effective and agile—given the urgency of assisting Pierre during this challenging time—I´ve asked Dieter to clarify Pierre’s KPIs and the targets he’s struggling to meet, as well as the areas requiring improvement.
In his detailed response, he also expressed his wish for Pierre to be more strategic and to propose creative solutions to the ongoing challenges in his projects. He tends to be reactive and cannot see the big picture.
How do I approach my coaching sessions?
- I utilize various techniques. During the first session, I introduce the foundations of emotional intelligence, essential for enhancing leadership to be more transformative and respectful towards team members (that is, training).
- I also cover basic neuroscience concepts to help them understand the link between our thoughts, internal dialogues, and the outcomes we achieve.
- With my background in leading multidisciplinary, multigenerational, and international teams across five industries, I employ mentoring and coaching to empower my coachees and accompany them in the process of boosting their self-awareness and general improvement.
When we understand how we function, recognizing how our thoughts and set paradigms influence our interactions with team members, it becomes easier to initiate the change process—from where we are now, to where we want and need to be.
If you are a Director with members in your company facing similar challenges or if you’re interested in learning how this strategic coaching can be applied to your organization, feel free to reach out for a consultation.
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