Mentoring for Business Improvement

I was asked to run a training event by the Scottish Exec committte of the Institute of Internal Auditors.  I delivered the event last week on the 6 December.  Over two hours we focused the process issues and how to maximise the benefits of occupational rather than organisational Mentoring.

Members were given the opportunity to gauge their mentoring and Influencing style using a personality profile.  It amazes me how many benefits could accrue from an organisational adiopting Mentoring as a chief learning tool to get up to high performance level of improvement in a very short period of time.

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Coaching: Harnessing the Performance Matrix

Just suppose you were able to identify higher performers and differentiate them from their low performing counterparts - how useful would that matrix be to you.  Philip Atkinson has written an article focused on his 'Performance matrix' where he identifies four key categories.

Using the Performance Matrix measures of 'current performance' and  and 'piotential achievement' Philip identifies four catergories and gives guidance on how you can move all players into the position of 'Star' which is current high performance demonstrating exceptional potential for the future.

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Top Team Coaching for CEO's & Directors

belive it or not for all the bravado and conflidence the role of CEO can be the loneliest place in a business.  As CEO there are expectations that you have all the answers or at least you have the experience to ask the right questions.

Confidentilaity Agreements: Retaining Trust

Because you occupy the CEO or senior Director role the expectation is that in a critical business situation as in a merger, or in tough talks with suppliers or customers that you will have all the answers.  Often they do not  Often they cannot share their concerns or fears because of confidentilaity agreements.

Often as not, the senior person will have plently lying heavy on her or his mind and have few if any to share concerns, strategies or tactics for resolution of the problem.

Content Free, Value Free Coaching

In this article Philip Atkinson highlights the key issues and approaches that a Caoch can take with a person in such a senior position.  Philip takes the view that when adopting the Coaching role one has to be content free and focus on using one's pure questionning, listening and Coaching skills. 

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Coaching for Matrix Management

One of the most complex relationships in which to Coach is that of managers who are working in complex Matrix structures and cultures.

Based on Philip Atkinson's expertise working with a variety of matrix businesses he puts forward his views on supporting people to work with clarity and ambiguity at the same time.  This requires a complex mindset based upon the consensus model of change.

Maximising the Integration & Ambiguity in Matrix Management

The theory of Matrix tells us that a business to be truly matrix one has to fully integrate the goals and expectations of 'differentiation' with specialities together with 'integration' across the business to make it truly customer facing.

In this article key issues are raised - much of it based on a consulting project in a business unit in North America who where the manufacturing prototyping business for an International $7billion dollar business in Agricultural and Construction equipment underwent signifigant structural and relationship change.

The change to a Matrix structure was successful with the Prototyping Plant servicing many manufacturing locations in at least 40 countries.

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Coaching for the In-House Coaching Culture

External Coaches are really powerful in bringing new ideas to an organisation,  Relying on different styles of Coaching and diversity of methods is healthy in bringing about change and innovation.

However, there comes a time when an organisation decides that one style or set of methods best suit its culture and they make the transition to grow their own culture.  This articles highlights these key issues.

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Coaching: Seven Influencing Styles

I find when I am Coaching I use a multitude of styles not just to influence those going through the deevelopment process but also to help them learn to use a variety of methods.

Flexibility in Influencing Strategy

I make the point that the best influencing style is flexibility.  Those with a flexibility of style can adapt to the needs of others or to their concerns instantly.  If there are two people in a negotiation - the person with more flexibility will probably emerge achieveing more.

Style reflects our attitude to valuing the source of one's use of legitimate Power

I often use the styles to ensourage others to break away from their preferred styles.  This article focuses on seven influencing strategies which reside on the back of one's natural style whether you use Myers Briggs or another profiling system.

Our overuse or under use of any style reflects of how we think power can be down to our view of how we can use power legitimately.  

The article goes through Rationality, Sociability, Negotiation, Assertivness, appeal to Higher Authority, Coercion and Collusion assessing when one style is preferable to others.

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Coaching for Transformational Change

Change does not come about by accident - but by working closely with people to help them develop new behaviours.  Warren Bennis drew the distinction between transactional and transformational leadership behaviour - and Coaching these skills is the focus of this article by Philip Atkinson.

Transactional Leaders

We all know you need an ability to be both tranactional - dealing with day to day issues and living in the 'here and now' with the practicalities of organisational change on a 'day to day' basis.

Transformational Leaders

Transformational Leaders tend to be more random in their thought processes, creative and intuitive as well as enthusiasm and less measured than their counterpart.  Step Change is what our Transformational hero will impact whereas our Transactional manager is more inclined to take less risks and stick with the realities of the tasks.

Blended Leading Styles

What we do know is that too many transformational types can become a nightmare - simply because they are overburdened with good ideas, may display little discipline and can be difficult to manage. But to be honest how many organisations take the risk and employ the unorthodox transformational type as the norm?  Very few.  Most setlle for the traditional Transactional Manager who fits in bringing with it the organisation peopled by risk averse managers.

This article outlines a practical approach to encourage staff away from the comfort zone of being transactors to becoming more transformational in leadership style.

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