Executive
Coaching with
Backbone and Heart
A Systems Approach to Engaging Leaders with Their Challenges
Excerpt from
CHAPTER SEVEN
Phase 3 -- Live Action Coaching: Strike When the Iron Is Hot
Live action-coaching means you are present
when your client conducts their business activities and interactions in
real time. Live action coaching is not choreographed but is more
like jazz improvisation. You intervene at unexpected yet critical times
to help your client achieve his goal.
The challenge you face in live action sessions is being prepared to be
very active at any time, while also prepared to do nothing if that is
what is called for. This is the ultimate challenge of the Client Responsibility
Model of coaching. After all, it is the leader's session. "Doing
nothing" yet staying attentive and engaged takes a lot of energy.
You observe to what extent your client is accomplishing what she set out
to do.
Turning your observations and your judgments into action can be tricky.
I said earlier that I have a bias for action in these live action settings.
Remember the motto from the Client Responsibility Model: "stay active
AND stay out of the way." You want to act in the moment to increase
the leader's possible learning. You can err in a number of ways, however,
that actually block the leader's full learning potential. One way is to
pseudo manage, that is, fill in during all the pauses, missteps, and hesitations
of the leader in such a way that you take away her leadership. You need
to stay out of the way of her management of agenda and her meeting.
Chapter Seven explores the steps
you can take to ensure that your "jazz improv" is successful
in helping your clients dramatically increase their effectiveness.
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