The Situation: Critical Conversations
Molly is in a group with a leader who makes decisions without information or dialogue with the team. It appears Molly has fallen into becoming the spokesperson for the group. She is the one who asks questions or challenges the decision. Molly has been close many times to not being invited to team meetings by the leader.
The Solution:
I was asked by Molly’s champion in the organization to work with her. The goal was to help Molly determine how not to be the lone spokesperson but instead gather support from the rest of team to navigate difficult situations with the team leader. The team leader is very intelligent and is valued by the senior leaders. During our sessions, Molly listened to her voice on tape and realized that when offering a different point of view, she was disruptive and had a challenging tone of voice. Molly wanted to offer another point of view for the leader and team to consider. She did not intend her comments to imply her viewpoint is the only solution.
The Outcome:
Molly and the team leader continue to slowly build a relationship. The results have been successful for the team in keeping the organization on track to meet their goals in the upcoming year.
When a client is faced with difficult situations in their career, a coach is a valuable sounding board and can offer critical listening skills.
“It always seems impossible until it is done.” Author Unknown