Coachable Personas

Coaching is an effective development tool for leaders in all stages of their careers. Research from Leadership & Organization Development Journal even suggests that a combination of individual coaching and multi-rater feedback can increase leadership effectiveness by up to 60% (Thach, 2002).

Though no two leaders are the same, CMA’s years of experience coaching has provided insight into common types of leaders who benefit from a coaching relationship. The document below describes 12 individuals with developmental areas easily tackled with coaching.

TIMID TANYA

Tanya enjoys her role as a department manager but is a bit introverted. She is reluctant to speak up in meetings and her subordinates hesitate to approach her. Coaching will help Tanya build better relationships with her coworkers and build her confidence in public speaking.

ALOOF ALBERT

Albert trusts his subordinates to do their jobs well and takes a hands-off approach to leadership. However, his employees feel they need more direction and oversight. Coaching can help Albert see the benefit of more one-on-one conversations and learn management skills that still allow worker autonomy.

TECHNICAL TAREN

Taren enjoys focusing on the technical aspects of his work and has an eye for detail. Unfortunately, Taren’s co-workers have a hard time understanding his message at times. Coaching can help Taren appropriately frame information for different audiences and use active listening to make sure others understand his points.

NEW LEADER NATALIA

Although Natalia was the best worker in her previous role, as a recently promoted leader she has little experience delegating to and managing others, including her peers. Coaching will help Natalia successfully make this transition, lead her team, and grow into this new role.

BEST FRIEND BRAD

Brad sees himself as friendly and approachable but his subordinates need more feedback and developmental support. Brad will benefit from coaching related to giving constructive criticism and striking a balance between relationships and structure at work.

MICROMANAGING MANUEL

Manuel has high standards for himself and others. While he sees himself as hard-driving, others see him as abrasive and nitpicky. Coaching can help Manuel delegate and learn more appropriate oversight techniques.

COMFORTABLE KAREN

Karen has a lot of experience in her role and has a routine way of doing things. She sees herself as traditional but others see her as uncompromising and closed to new ideas. Karen will benefit from coaching on flexibility and active listening. Additionally, coaching can help Karen stretch outside her comfort zone and challenge her to take her leadership to the next level.

NEXT-GEN NORAH

Norah is the next generation leader in her family’s business. While she is doing well in her current role in the company, her family would like to accelerate her development to enable her to effectively lead the company when the time comes. She would benefit from coaching on leadership and management in a family-owned and -managed business to prepare her for this new role.

MONOPOLIZING MATHIS

Mathis views himself as actively engaged at work but others see him as a monopolizer. He gets anxious in silence and fills voids with chatter. If others get the floor he tends to interrupt, making it hard for less assertive co-workers to get a point across. Mathis will benefit from coaching related to developing self-awareness, communication, and active listening skills.

INCONSOLABLE IVETTE

Ivette tends to present problems as insurmountable and seems to take pride in the seriousness of her issues. She tears down provided solutions and exhausts the group who can’t win or feel effective. Coaching can help Ivette build interpersonal skills and work to develop a social network to appropriately draw on for support. Coaching can also help Ivette work to repair relationships she may have damaged.

RESISTANT RICK

Rick is convinced he doesn’t need coaching, but his stakeholders disagree. CMA uses an assessment and 360 prior to coaching to assess and facilitate self-awareness and readiness for change. Assessment before coaching also helps determine whether coaching is the right developmental resource for the leader’s needs. Since 1975, CMA has provided evidence-based coaching services to thousands of leaders across the world. Learn more about our proven coaching method and success stories here.

To learn more about coaching with CMA, contact us at cmaconsult@cmaconsult.com or visit us on the web at www.cmaconsult.com.
References:

Thach, E. C. (2002). The impact of executive coaching and 360 feedback on leadership effectiveness. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 23(4), 205-214.