Weekly       eCoach

BORA Consulting - Consultancy for Entrepreneurs - Ralf Borlinghaus
contact: ralf.borlinghaus@bora-consulting.com, +41 44 58 66 157

This week was a tough one. Let me tell you about a coaching, which absorbed quite a lot of my energy last week.

Angelo (name is changed), an Italian project leader, was asked by his Spanish direct manager to start a coaching process early October. When I got briefed by his boss he told me, that for him Angelo has become a very questionable member of his team during the last months: Although he regarded Angelo as a nice guy, his rigid behaviour and his finger pointing attitude was not any longer acceptable for a leader of one of the corporate core projects. Either Angelo should change his behaviour fundamentally or look out for new job opportunities inside or outside the company.

When I met Angelo first I got to know him as a very friendly, honest and smart guy. Obviously, to him the intention of his boss was not clear. Since major changes in the project organisation are expected for early next year, Angelo understood that the coaching exercise should help him to sort out his career opportunities. He told me that his projects are on target and that all requirements are fulfilled. Angelo thought that he was fully backed up by his boss. Therefore, he took the coaching as a personal incentive instead of a last call.

Obviously, there was no open communication between my client and his boss. So it was my job to help him getting an appropriate understanding of his situation. For personal career planning it's quite important to be clear about one's personal market position, which is not only defined by operational performance only but also on the perception of this performance by the relevant stakeholders, colleagues and staff leading to a specific image respectively brand. However, I couldn't tell him what I knew from his boss.

In order to help Angelo finding out how he is perceived by his relevant market I encouraged him to ask his boss and other stakeholders for open and honest feedback in order to support the coaching process. He got the feedback and the result knocked him down. Out of sudden, from several sides he was provided with a truth in writing, which nobody had dared to tell him straight to the face so far. He was upset and despaired and doubted that there was any chance to repair the situation and to re-positioning himself.

Finally, the entrepreneurial perspective helped him not to take the feedback personal but as a customer feedback, which was indeed not satisfying. But to really know how customers perceive one's products is the precondition for sustainable improvement. Even more: To dare asking for open and honest feedback is the first and decisive step to rise like Phoenix from the ashes.

Are you used to ask for personal feedback in order to improve your market position?

  Your comment is welcome

"Eat a third and drink a third and leave the remaining third of your stomach empty. Then, when you get angry, there will be sufficient room for your rage."
                                                        Babylonian Talmud
 

Like A Phoenix From The Ashes                                

Strategic Self-Manager                                               

The Art Of Feedback
Dieter Bohlen Does It His Way -
Producing Lots Of Collateral Damage

  Sometimes you can better learn by negative examples. Those in the video are even clear to people not familiar with German language.