Reinventive Coaching
Industries disrupt. Businesses transform. Sometimes without notice.
To stay relevant, you need to transform faster than your business. Leaders can be at the top of their game and then suddenly, the context in which they operate changes dramatically.
Fight your circumstances, fail to reinvent yourself, and risk irrelevance.
Companies are bought and sold. They expand globally. They shift from private to public or vice versa. They combine with other companies.
Reinvention doesn’t just happen. Ken has worked with numerous leaders who have successfully accepted the challenge, made the leap and reinvented their historically strong performance in their new situation.
“I highly recommend Ken to coach and guide others on how to transition in an unfamiliar environment, navigate new, complex challenges and remove perceived barriers.”
“In May 2019 the start-up company I founded (Voalte) was acquired by a large, publicly traded company (Hillrom). At the time, as the CHRO at Hillrom, Ken played a pivotal role in integrating our start-up into the larger organization. The size and structure of Hillrom were foreign to most of Voalte’s key technology talent whose retention in Hillrom was essential to a successful integration. Ken thoughtfully guided me and my Voalte leadership team on how to be effective in this much bigger and matrixed organization.
A typical reinventive coaching arrangement will include the following steps, usually over six to twelve months.
STEP 1.
Understanding the Context
We first must understand the conditions changing in the environment and accept that, as a result, changes are happening in the business and organization. We will clearly identify and articulate the change and any additional change that could develop subsequently. During this phase, we determine what success looks like in the new environment, how the leader’s role will change, and the perceived or real gaps the leader may have to navigate effectively.
STEP 2.
Goal Setting
Building on the work from step 1, we determine the client’s goals which may range from incremental to transformative change. Personal performance goals and business improvement goals are set. We get input from both the client and the client’s supervisor.
STEP 3.
Deepening Self-Awareness
We then develop an approach to strengthen the client’s self-awareness which includes a 360-interview process whereby the coach speaks with multiple client stakeholders and develops a report with essential themes and with specific focus on the skills and competencies required for operating in the new environment. Other tools may be used to assess stressors, derailers, interpersonal needs and leadership preferences.
STEP 4.
Testing New Methods
We discuss real challenges faced by the client and explore new methods to address those challenges based on learnings during the self-awareness phase. The client tests and practices those new methods. We also explore the challenges the client may face given new expectations and the changing circumstances.
STEP 5.
Sustaining Change
We create an action plan which includes specific commitments to learn new skills, build new (or leverage old) relationships and sustain new behaviors. We develop metrics to evaluate both personal and business progress.
STEP 6.
Evaluating Personal & Business Performance
We conclude the coaching assignment by reviewing goals and evaluating how behavior change has impacted personal performance. In some cases, a stakeholder check-in helps determine if behavior change is visible to others. A final meeting includes the coach, the client and the client’s supervisor to agree on the continuity of the change plan.