Coaching creates self-directed thinking
I spoke to a coaching client who is preparing hard to get into FAANG companies. He is an aspiring engineering manager. He asked me to help him with an interview question on situational leadership.
His question❓ was, How do you turn around the performance of a low-performing associate?
If you don’t know what FAANG is, it is an acronym for Facebook, Amazon, Apple, NetFlix, and Google.
Instead of answering him, I asked him, as the supervisor👨💼👩💼, how do you plan to handle this situation.
He answered I would ask him to focus on the gaps. I will put down organization goals, tell him where he is good or not good, and guide him/mentor him on the journey to fill in the gaps.
I replied while that is a good answer, but it does not cover a vital conversation aspect and does not talk about a critical leadership tool💡.
I asked, Assume you are the low-performing associate👎, and I am your supervisor. How would you feel if I asked for a meeting to discuss your performance?
He said that if I am a low-performing associate, I will be concerned about job security, nervous😯 about the consequences, and ready to defend.
I asked, What would be the first thing you want to have with such a mental state🤯 even before talking about the improvement plan📈?
He replied that he wanted to feel safe with my conversation.
I noticed that his awareness is getting shifted slowly.
Then, I told him about a leadership tool, “psychological safety.” Psychological safety🦺, it’s not about being nice. It is a powerful tool for having a trusted conversation. If he could prime the environment in such a way through his engagement, body language, and open-ended questions, he could create an opportunity for a natural and honest conversation.
Long pause…………..
He replied, yes, this is what I would prefer if I am a low-performing associate as this context setting makes me feel that my supervisor is working for my growth. I will drop my guard🛡️and be honest, knowing I will benefit from this conversation.
I asked, with this understanding, how would you now reply to the same question? I asked him to use the “mind-map” approach. This time, he got it correctly.
In addition, he said something profound.
He reflected on this thought🤔 and said, Why should I wait for FAANG company interview clearance? I will use it in my company, where I lead my people. It does not matter if I can clear FAANG company interviews or not.
Coaching creates new levels of awareness📖 for transformation, enabling self-directed thinking followed by self-organization.
With this newly found energy⚡, My friend decided to become an Effective Leader from this moment rather than waiting for future success from an interview.
The psychological safety tool changed his leadership style. Isn’t it a fantastic coaching moment?
