Razban Golden Rule 2: Steady Giant and/or Baby Steps in Executive Coaching

Being a Senior Management and Technology Consultant with thirty years of experience, I have learned, and re-learned over and over again, that any change of improvement has to be done in steps.

One of the worst things I experienced was when a coach told me that "My problem was that I did not interface with executives forcefully enough!" He then emphatically added, "Next time, I want you to go for the kill!" This was much easier said than done. It reminds me of when an employee was suffering from depression. His manager told him, "Snap out of it, you can do it. I did it myself!" and then with a confident smile, as if intentionally or unintentionally rubbing salt in a wound, he added, "Get over it!"

This is very similar to the days that I was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, and a good friend told me repeatedly, that I should quite. If it was that easy to quit I would have had done it!

As a coach, we come across a very similar situation routinely. My advice is this:

• Make sure that you understand what the problem is.
• Then, make sure that you have it well defined preferably in a write up just for you.
• Then, make sure you understand the root cause not just symptoms.
• Then, formulate a solution.
• Then, define, again preferably in writing, what the solution should be like from deliverable observable points of view.
• Then, devise a step by step plan.
• Then, get input from another colleague.
• Then, discuss it, step by step with the person you are coaching.
• Then, modify it with his/her feedback.
• Then, get commitment about the solution and outcome.
• Then, work with him/her on steps on how to achieve this.

I once knew a man who had lost more than 100 Lbs, and he had pictures and Doctor Documents to prove it. He told me that sometimes all he could do was to take a baby step at a time. Sometimes, he would take one step and two backwards, or one sideways.

Whether the step was, giant or baby size, forward or backward or sideways, his coach was always there to cheer him up. He always asked the pivotal question, "And, what do we learn from this?" But more importantly, "What is the next step?"

So, please let me indulge and ask:

• Which step are you on?
• What is the next step?
• Do you have commitment?
• Have you communicated, communicated, and communicated again the goal and steps?