Ian Claffey Business Interview: Coaching to Success Conflict, Avoidance, and Collateral Damage Emotional Intelligence and 360 Feedback – is
Thailand Ready? Learning
to Bridge the Cultural Divide Stress
and the City The Benefits of Coaching in the Business
World Bilingual thinking: learning to think like a local on international assignments Bridging THE GAP. Meet the expert on executive coaching International executive coaching takes off… Bangkok Based Ian Claffey is providing Executive Coaching Professionals to both Local and International Companies within the region Ian Claffey Business Interview: Coaching to Success Ian Claffey- Business Interview – September 2011 Let's take it from the beginning Ian? Obviously a Scottish accent. Indeed it is! I was born in Glasgow, the youngest of four children! When I was growing up I remember asking, “Does life really have to be this cold?” One winter morning, when I was about eight years old, I recall being pushed out of the front door of the house into the snow and forced to go to school, there were blizzard conditions at the time. I said; “When I’m older I’m going to live somewhere warm”. These days you seldom hear me complaining about the heat! When I’m in Bangkok and someone says it’s really hot. I say; “I know, isn’t it great!” When did you leave Scotland and why? I moved to London when I was seventeen, which was probably a little on the young side when I think about it today, but I was looking for adventure, and I found it. I left for Australia when I was 20 and secured a job on a cruise ship sailing from Sydney harbour, I managed the night club. On each cruise there would be 1,500 young Australians looking to have fun for three weeks. We called at Tonga, French Numea, Pago Pago, American Samoa, Fiji, the Bay of Islands, Auckland and a few other places along the way, I loved it! I spent several years in the leisure industry in Melbourne and Perth; I managed a range of businesses including a river cruise company on the Swan River in Western Australia. We had a boat which was licensed to carry 100 passengers and would go from Perth to Fremantle every day, I would sometimes take my paperwork onto the boat and enjoy the scenery along the river, it’s a stunning part of the world. I then joined corporate Australia and worked for a holding company. I lived in Oz for ten years and I became an Australian citizen, which was a proud day for me. One day I realised I needed a new challenge and I decided to move back to the UK to train as a therapist. I studied at Regents College, London. I had heard good things about the training there, it was one of the best decisions of my life! What exactly does Oxondon do? Good question! I created Oxondon Consulting after working in private practice in Harley Street where I spent several years as a psychotherapist and executive coach. I was finding that more and more of my clients were coming to see me from the financial services sector in the City of London and from the corporate world in general, until then my clients were mostly from the entertainment industry, television and sport. I spotted a niche in the market; I realised I could cover a lot of issues that many other coaches didn’t have the depth of psychological training to deal with. For example, if an organisation had a senior member of staff who was facing difficult personal issues, I would receive a call to work with the individual. It made sense for the business not to lose a team member with years of experience; rather I would help them work through their personal challenges and often with no lost time to the business, a win-win as they say; good for the client and good for the business. That’s one of the great things about coaching, no one knows what’s said behind closed doors and this offers the client an opportunity to really open up and explore all issues and identify solutions. Over the years my remit has broadened and I can now finding myself working with senior executives transitioning from Managing Director level to Chairman, executives in their 100-days, or with clients focussing on change or strategy. Coaching on emotional intelligence includes: interpersonal skills training, career mapping, well-being, esteem and confidence building, assertiveness, challenges with communication, active listening skills, dealing with difficult conversations, conflict mediation and cross-cultural challenges. I believe what makes Oxondon different from many other providers is that our executive coaches adhere to professional codes of ethics and are accredited by external coaching associations, including the Association for Coaching and APECS; the Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision. The main reason we are so strong on accreditation is that it offers reassurance that our training and qualifications are genuine. I believe gold star standards are paramount, and we help the buyers of our services identify the questions they need to ask to us in order to understand the coaching process, these include: a chemistry meeting which is the one-hour session that takes place in order to see if the client and coach would work well together. Contracting, this includes how many sessions are expected and over what time period. Tripartite agreements, in this meeting the line manager, client and coach set the goals and agree expected outcomes. Our promise to clients is that we will work with the strongest commitment to confidentiality as we create programmes tailored to organisational needs and individual aspirations. How long have you been travelling to Thailand? My first trip was in 1989, I was on my way from Perth to London, I stopped over for a couple of days and fell in love with Thailand, and I now have a home here. I like many of the values Thai people have, including good manners, a sense of order, respect for elders, respect for tradition and respect for wisdom. Which countries are your clients in? I have clients in the UK, Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Singapore, Japan, South Africa and Nigeria. I am very fortunate to have worked with such high calibre clients, they include: Rolls-Royce Aerospace, The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, Amlin, Lloyds of London, Lloyds Register, AON, Standard Bank, J.P. Morgan, Cazenove, BNP Paribas, ANZ Bank, Barclays BGI, Rabo Bank, Erste Bank, VISA International, Prudential, Royal & Sun Alliance, Unilever, The NHS, The Red Cross, Thoratec Corporation, BP, Stat Oil, TNS Communications, Mace Construction, SABMiller, World Snooker, Betfair, London Clubs International, Mercedes Benz and BMW. What is the hardest project you have handled? One of the more challenging projects I worked on was a Leadership Coaching programme in Lagos, Nigeria. There were many issues to explore as I worked alongside the leadership team. In the first instance it appeared that the problems facing the business were cross-cultural, ex-pats vs. locals. However as we got further into the diagnostics what was first seen as a difference in communication styles started to become more complex. We then discovered that departmental ‘splitting’ was another presenting issue, this started to surface with one department withholding information from another department. It was interesting to observe that people were nicer to suppliers than they were to other team members. A more sophisticated challenge presented itself, which was both hierarchical and tribal; there are over 200 tribes in Nigeria. When we put all of these issues together we could see there was a great deal of work to be done, and highlighting our findings to all concerned gave us a platform to build on as we moved forward. Trust needed to be established, I wanted somewhere neutral to address theses issues, and we decided to get two speed boats and headed into the Gulf of Guinea for a team-building event. We landed on a beautiful beach and as part of a risk-taking exercise I asked everyone what was the bravest thing they have ever done? The answers were very moving. One man said he watched his three children being pulled out to sea by the current and using all of if his strength managed to swim out and rescue all three - the Gulf of Guinea is well known for its deadly currents. There were another 13 moving recollections of personal acts of bravery; everyone who took part had an opportunity to see their colleagues in a different light. It’s always risky trying to reformat a team with deep rooted issues, however, if you can get everyone to take a leap of faith, it then becomes possible. When we left Victoria Island that morning I noticed the teams were spilt evenly in the two boats, 7 ex-pats in one, 7 Nigerians in the other, however on the way back at the end of the day the teams were mixed. When I was back in my hotel room that evening I remember thinking that was a good day’s work. Why do you feel this is the right time to spend more of your time in Thailand? I have been planning to expand the business in AisaPac and Thailand is the obvious base for this. I think the time is right for coaching in Thailand; a great deal has been done over in recent years by Khun Kriengsak Niratpattanasai and others in making coaching part of the corporate landscape. I have watched an acceptance develop for coaching in Bangkok; initially there was a degree of scepticism, which I think was due in part to cultural beliefs. It was thought that if you held a particular role in an organsation then you were automatically the expert on all of the complex issues arising within your area, and you would be expected to have all the answers, I am happy to say this is changing. Now people here see they can develop themselves within their role and as they move up the career ladder, and having an experienced coach to work with confidentially is now being seen as a key asset in developing ones professional career path. And for ex-pats arriving from other parts of the world many are likely to have had coaching as part of their development in previous roles and will be looking for comparative quality support here in Thailand. Another very encouraging sign are the number of Thais who are keen to train as coaches, many of the models used for training coaches contain solution focused - logic based thinking and require pragmatism and goal setting capabilities. In the long-term the understanding and practice of these skills can only be a good thing for business in Thailand. Conflict, Avoidance,
and Collateral Damage Conflict in the workplace has a massive impact on both business running costs and bottom-line profits each year - as well as implications for staff and their emotional wellbeing. The cost to production and output can be staggering with an estimated annual loss to UK business running into £billions. Conflict may initially stem from a simple breakdown in communication, which may mean something as minor as poor email etiquette or misinterpreting the tone of an email through to cross-cultural misunderstandings within global teams arising from differences in both direct and indirect communication styles. It's easy to think of cross-culture differences when we look at other countries and cross-border issues; however cross-cultural challenges can exist within our teams, departments and organisations. The way finance and IT departments communicate may be very different to the communication styles of business developers, marketeers and sales professionals. And not forgetting those involved in the world of Mergers and Acquisitions who are managing merging cultures. Avoiding dealing with conflict could have long-term effects on a business. This may include time lost due to sick leave as staff report stress-related symptoms: poor concentration, low confidence and even lack of judgment as they lose focus on day-to-day tasks. The time lost and energy used by those involved in keeping the lid on the situation can be phenomenal both in terms of financial cost and morale. Signs of conflict can include ‘go slow’ behaviours, not sharing business knowledge across teams or departments and not responding to requests. These are just a few examples of what can happen when two or more parties consciously work against each other. More often than not the energy needed to keep those in conflict producing an acceptable level of work can be far greater than having them deliver on their original ‘job description’. Teams can split over time as people take sides and loyalties are tested. The longer conflict is allowed to go unchallenged the greater the risk of collateral damage to relationships and to the business in general. Symptoms from clients we have supported sound pretty much the same. Individuals tell us that home life and personal relationships suffer due to lack of energy and lack of emotional availability, most report that their free time is taken up thinking and rethinking the area of conflict. Clients also report a feeling of being in a downward spiral, or walking through a fog, with much time spent dwelling on the past and very little time spent considering ways forward. Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), puts the annual cost of conflict at work in the UK annually in excess of £20bn. Some line managers report having to allocate around 15-20% of their time to handling conflict. However it needn’t be all bad news; conflict can have its pluses. If the issues are dealt with constructively, and all parties feel they have been heard and their points of view taken seriously, there is every chance relationships can be repaired, and on occasion even strengthened. The main components required are ‘willingness’ needed at the beginning of the process, and a degree of ‘goodwill’ at the midpoint. When external mediation is introduced all parties will realise the situation will soon be resolved one way or another. Bringing in external support will help kick start the process and give it the focus and energy needed to reach a positive conclusion. Even though the causes of conflict can often be complex, the solution needs to be simple. If those involved are feeling drained by events, the last thing they want is to engage a series complicated challenges. Here are some suggestions for reaching consensus:
Mediation Overview
If mediation and conflict resolution is to be successful, all
involved need to feel the process is going to be safe and conducted
by professionals with the assurance of confidentiality from the
outset. Emotional intelligence and 360 Feedback – is Thailand ready? The Brief. Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand. October 2009, Ian Claffey At a recent meeting in Bangkok with the CEO of an international bank conversation turned to 360 feedback and whether corporate Thailand is ready for this method of managing ‘talented staff’. There are concerns about how feedback might be given, and taken, in this culture where keeping face is so important. This is a topic worth exploring in more detail especially in Thailand and Asia Pacific. Most of us are aware of Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, the scoring system derived from one of several different standardised tests designed to assess intelligence. However, the new arrival in the corporate world is Emotional Intelligence or EQ, a system used to identify and develop individuals on an emotional, interpersonal and communications skills level; it is mostly being delivered through coaching and training programmes. There is an ongoing debate as to whether the correct term is EQ or EI – in this instance EQ is the term favored. EQ is important to me as a coach because it offers a benchmark for the client (the coachee), to help them understand areas that need to be targeted as part of their coaching and personal development programme. An EQ overview:
I have worked with many organisational leaders, and seen how top leaders develop managing emotions as a way to get the best out of staff. Look at international business leaders such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson - it is easy to see how they manage themselves and others – they have a calm and reflective approach even under pressure. Areas for consideration with the EQ model can include: communicating with international business cultures; communicating with foreign leaders/managers; G.R.O.W. (Smart) for solution focused thinking; listening skills and assertiveness training; dealing with difficult conversations; making the most of conference calls; behavior in meetings and effective email communication. One of the key methods for finding our blind spots is through 360 feedback questionnaires. Before explaining how a 360 works it is worth considering Thai culture and the method of giving and receiving of feedback. As mentioned there is a fear of ‘losing face’ when it comes to receiving feedback in Thailand and in other parts of South-East Asia. I believe this behaviour holds talented people back. If we think about the implications of losing face, we can see that in fact no one likes losing face, in any culture. Most people who learn to deal with constructive criticism will quickly learn to see feedback as a fast-track way of understanding how others see them. In my experience ‘losing face’ will only happen when feedback is handled badly. An example was brought to my attention earlier this month of young teacher in Chon Buri identified by the Principal of the college as not performing at his best. However, the first mention of this was at the weekly staff meeting. The teacher was left embarrassed and demoralised in front of colleagues, and later that day with self-esteem and self-confidence at an all time low spent several hours distributing CVs to other colleges in the region as he looked for a new job. This is not only a Thai issue - recently a company in England had a policy of naming the person who made the biggest blunder that month; the opposite of the employee-of-the-month award. This created a culture of fear with few willing to take risks or offer suggestions. Happily they have since changed this policy. Feedback needs to be handled respectfully, if it becomes part of the corporate culture it opens up a new world for employees. Working in a business where everyone is trying not to make mistakes can only create an atmosphere of insecurity and workforce of low-risk takers. The 360 degree process is simple The individual assesses him/herself and is also assessed by groups of colleagues - managers, peers and direct reports and even customers or external suppliers. It is completely anonymous and all identities are protected. Once the assessments are analysed, the individual is provided with a rated report and feedback delivered in the privacy of a 1-2-1 coaching session. Outcomes are shared with the line-manager or human resource manager as part of the individual’s personal development programme (PDP). Usually additional questions are used to encourage verbatim feedback on chosen areas and the completed 360 includes an area for the client to make notes in order to create an individual action plan. Sample 360 Questions The table shows some sample questions. Individuals and their nominated assessors will chose A or B and when the data is processed it offers unique view through their own eyes and contrasts it with those of others.
Talent management and succession planning Increasingly this is a key business imperative. Often one of the key challenges faced by organisations in their approach to talent management is how to identify talent and accurately match it to long-term business strategy, whilst taking into consideration day-to-day business needs. The 360’s blend of competencies, traits and behavioural preferences offers an unrivalled view of the individual that allows organisations to benchmark against front line leaders who are thriving in today's complex business world. Next steps After the 360 feedback session the individual should focus on their goals and building on their commitment to change. They are invited to work out for themselves the important messages from their 360 feedback under the guidance of their coach (rather than just telling them what it says). This helps them to identify their goals and to come up with realistic, short-term and long-term action plans. Key targets are agreed and put into the context of what is expected of them, and what development areas need work in order to achieve their goals as part of their (PDP). The question was ‘Emotional Intelligence and 360 feedback – is Thailand ready?’ In my opinion, the sooner the better. Ian Claffey. Oxondon provide a wide-range of programmes in communications skills training. We offer both short and long-term certificated training courses for staff who are working with foreign companies and foreigners working with local business leaders. We operate in Nigeria, South Africa, Tokyo, Singapore and Switzerland; the majority of our corporate clients are in the ‘City’ of London business district. Learning to Bridge the Cultural Divide The Sunday Times July 6th 2008, Steve Farrar
Executives are increasingly turning to coaches to bone up on etiquette and negotiating styles aboard. When Colin Chorley arrived in Nigeria to take charge of a project installing mobile-phone infrastructure in West Africa for the telecom company Alan Dick, he was already sensitive to the perils of assuming too much about what people form other cultures think. “I know these issues are a minefield and that’s something you can’t ignore,” he said. He wanted to ensure that he understood what his employees, African and expatriate European, were thinking and that they understood him as well as each other. Chorley, 49, now an independent telecoms consultant, brought in Ian Claffey, an international executive coach with Oxondon Consulting. In 2006, Claffey organised workshops in Nigeria and South Africa, as well as one-to-one consultations with senior figures involved with the company in both countries. Everyone was encouraged to discuss their opinions and concerns with the group. “We wanted to get them to understand that they shouldn’t necessarily make assumptions based on their culture but rather be aware that some of the differences in approach to work may be cultural,” Chorley said. Claffey said that a grasp of what the locals think always make life easier. “Although the office won’t look too different, when you start communicating you’ll find those who have an understanding of local culture will have people on their side and will be able to find answers to problems a lot quicker,”. In previous jobs, Michael George had enjoyed dealing with Americans. It had never posed any real problems. So when tensions arose between executives in British and US subsidiaries of the Takeda pharmaceutical company, the London-based managing director of Takeda Global research and development (Europe) was taken by surprise. “I couldn’t understand why we were finding communications difficult when dealing with our American colleagues,” he said. George determined that the problem was cultural. So he turned to a cultural coach. As globalisation gathers speed and new markets open up, professionals are increasingly dealing with colleagues, clients and competition from foreign cultures. It is note even necessary to travel, with many multicultural teams operating in Britain or online. This can throw up a variety of challenges, from meetings etiquette to negotiation styles. Mistakes can prove expensive as the unprepared watch collaborations sour, deals falter and business head elsewhere. In George’s case, Allyson Stewart-Allen, cultural coach and co-author of Working With Americans, was able to talk him through the specific business issues that he faced and showed him what underpinned them. In the past 18 months, they have had half a dozen sessions to identify tricky situations, define them, act them out and discuss the differing cultural perceptions. One revelation was that the US business culture is not homogenous. George had previously worked with East Coast professionals, but his colleagues at Takeda were based in the Midwest and had a rather different outlook. In particular, they felt their job security relied on taking action and that the European tendency to be more reflective undermined their company profile. “Americans want to do something, Europeans want to talk about it,” George said. “We can appear slow to move on issues and also, surprisingly, we can come across as quite aggressive and rather pushy despite the fact that that’s note how we perceive ourselves.” As a result of the coaching, George was able to build bridges, Communications have become more respectful and there is a deeper understanding of cultural differences. “People have more insight into the impact of what they say and do in cultural terms, and there’s a greater willingness on both sides to step back from a reaction and try to understand what issue is driving the business need,” he said. Stewart-Allen stressed there was a huge cultural divide between the two sides of the Atlantic. “Although there were some stands of British DNA in American business culture, most have been bred out by now,” she said. She likened her role to that of an optometrist, helping to provide British executives and corporate teams with the correct cultural lenses to enable them to look into the American psyche and get the best out of working with them. Cultural misunderstanding is a big source of business failure, according to Fons Trompenaars, an author and world authority on cross-cultural communication. It is one of the principal reasons that 75% of mergers and acquisitions fail. He said it was vital to recognise, respect and reconcile cultural differences and to gain an insight into other peoples’ intuition, emotions and mindsets. “It’s about knowing what is ‘Asian’ in you so you can understand them,” he said. At Ernst & Young, cultural coaches are brought in to help staff about to embark on three to five-year assignments abroad. Jane Collette, mobility leader for the professional-services firm, said: “We have many programmes to make sure partners are well prepared to live and work in their host organisations so they can hit the ground running. “We want them to gain the skills and the knowledge to be most effective in the environment in which they’re working.” Richard Ireland had six months to prepare before starting a three-year assignment in Beijing to head Ernst & Young’s telecoms practice last year. Despite extensive experience abroad, Ireland took his preparations seriously. He paid four visits to China, took part in a particular induction course and was brought up to speed on local problems. He also had weekly sessions learning Mandarin and gaining cultural understanding. “Without the coaching I would have upset a few people,” Ireland said. Business etiquette in China is more hierarchical than in Britain – even car seats are allocated according to rank. “Local colleagues and clients can see that I have made an effort to understand,” he said. “That is really appreciated and it gives me a business advantage over those who haven’t tried. Furthermore, the experience has given Ireland’s career a boost. “I have a whole different dynamic to my CV that you can’t get from web-based learning or reading books,” he said. “It has built my capability to be a much better client server, something that I will be able to apply when I leave Beijing. Stress and the City Complinet News article June 26 2008, Ian Claffey On reading that 40,000 city jobs were to go due to the credit crunch, my first reaction was concern for those people facing redundancy. (Whatever way we dress it up, the job might be redundant, and yet the employees who stay behind are the ones left feeling redundant). Most self-respecting organisations will have an Outplacement provider. The staff being affected by the corporate restructure will receive CV support, career counselling, assistance with cover letters, research, interview skills training, possibly psychometrics, along with assistance finding head hunters - agencies - as well as negotiating salaries and packages. And there is a good chance that more often than not, the individual leaving the business will end up securing a better position than the one they left behind. Our thoughts often go out to the people leaving the company, and yet, those staying can find themselves experiencing anxiety – a ‘survivor guilt’ – with mixed feelings and wondering whether life might have been better if they left along with their former colleagues. As the departures get underway, companies could consider paying attention to what will be required by those still with jobs who are being expected to look after the business in what is most likely a highly demoralised work environment. The new smaller workforce, having arrived on the other side of the change process, will no doubt be looking to incorporate several new email accounts which have been given over by their former colleagues, alongside a well documented or not so well documented handover. Prior to the recent downturn in the markets, ACAS Chief Executive, John Taylor reported that the overall cost of stress to the economy each year had already reached just under the £4bn mark, with a loss of 13 million work days across the UK. It could be argued this is of epidemic proportions. As we consider both the cost and the health implications to the workforce some immediate solutions may be needed in order to keep us in good mental health. There is nothing quite like the talk of redundancy to raise stress levels, which can of course have a negative impact on teams, departments and the organization as a whole. As people are becoming more stressed at work, this will cause an unhealthy atmosphere, which will ripple across the business, affecting morale and the way people interact with one another. I have witnessed an increased demand within my own business for support with stress and conflict resolution. We are not quite at the point where we need Jerry Springer; however I do believe we need to recognise the signs of stress within our colleagues, and within ourselves. Having awareness of the fall-out or collateral damage within the business, which will have an impact on productivity and morale, means paying attention to those around us and how they are managing their stress. Signs of stress Stress will look different from person to person; however there are common signs:
If each person takes responsibility for staying stress-aware,
it will have a positive influence on the rest of the team.
Personal STRESS BUSTER tips: Set realistic targets for yourself. Be sure to get a regular
health check from your doctor. Relaxation techniques Relaxation is not unlike meditation - the more you practise, the better you become. Deep muscle relaxation techniques are becoming commonly used as a way to reduce overall levels of tension. Here are some simple techniques that can be practised at your desk.
Try to practise this on a regular basis; to gain the quickest results find time for relaxation every day. When you feel stressed, repeat your breathing techniques in order to centre your mind. Even on your daily commute, there are moments when these can easily be done. In addition, you may find it helpful to set up a regular informal co-coaching arrangement with a colleague who you feel you can trust and empathise with. Simply agree to have ten or fifteen minutes each of uninterrupted listening time, perhaps once a week. This can provide an outlet for some of the pressure you may be experiencing. Ian Claffey is an International Executive Coach and is an accredited member of the Association for Professional Executive Coaches/Supervision (APECS) and the Association for Coaching. He is involved in team development programmes, including 1-2-1 coaching and facilitation of cross-cultural and difficult team issues and works in the UK, Switzerland, Tokyo, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa and Nigeria. 0845 055 9600 The benefits of Coaching in the business world BIZ WEEK Bangkok Business Friday November 23rd 2007 Ian Claffey is an accredited Executive Coach and Facilitator; his international experience has been gained working in London, Zurich, Tokyo, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa and Nigeria. He is accredited by The Association for Coaching and The Association for Professional Coaches / Supervision (APECS). He started his professional career in Harley Street, London where he worked as a psychotherapist before becoming a professional coach. Ian outlines the benefits of coaching, the areas where it can add value, and what we should look for when choosing a coach. What is coaching? The objective of coaching is to unlock hidden potential and maximise performance. It takes the shape exploring by doing, rather than learning by teaching. It assists with developing a ‘solution focused’ way of thinking; and it also helps with improving listening skills and empathic understanding. The role of coach is to ask incisive questions, which will allow the client to see each situation from a different viewpoint and possibly highlight any ‘blind spots’. The coach is not there to tell someone what to do; instead they are there to create space for the client to think about situations from different angles. Some of the additional areas where coaching can help include: gaining greater clarity about business and career goals, improving decision making ability, mastering your time-management skills, maintaining focus on your top priorities, reaching the source of problems quickly, learning how to focus on the solution - not dwelling on the problem, getting the balance between your business and personal life right, defining you short and long-term goals, and ensuring they are what you really want, along with boosting your confidence, self-esteem, interpersonal and communication skills.” Executive and Leadership Coaching “Executive and Leadership Coaching is a confidential service for senior level staff, including Directors, MDs and CEOs. Here the coach provides an individualised service, which is completely impartial, practical, and it offers the client the opportunity to focus on their key concerns within the context of the organisations' strategies and vision. Executive coaching, at the initial stage, will involve the executive, his or her coach, and the organisation representative who might be the HR Director or Line Manager. The ‘scope out’ meeting will give all three a chance to explore the interests of the organisation. A similar outline follows for most coaching contracts, the strategy will be agreed by setting goals (or the desired outcomes from the coaching assignment), deciding on benchmarks or milestones (the points along the way which show that coaching is heading in the right direction), and finally the outcomes (the final stage where the success of the coaching programme can be measured). Executive coaching is an individualised leader development process, which allows the executive to plan both short- and long-term organisational goals. It is conducted through one-on-one sessions, the relationship between the executive and the coach and based on mutual trust and respect; confidentiality is of key importance and is assured, as the coach has no other involvement within the organisation. Performance Coaching Performance Coaching is becoming the programme purchase of choice for many organisations. Many coaching clients will seek coaching for performance enhancement rather than the rectification of a performance issue. Coaching is shown to be an excellent investment for improving individual performance within specific areas. I can offer an example of this. Several years ago I was running coaching programme for an international oil company. I was asked to work with a senior drilling engineer who had been promoted, along with the promotion came the responsibility for managing 200 staff. I worked alongside the engineer for 6 months in order to help him develop his team management capabilities, delegation strategies, interpersonal and communications skills. It was worth considering that he has 5 years training as an engineer, but no training on how to manage people, far less 200 staff. Performance coaching will combine a selection of approaches from business and psychology as well as best practice from management approaches. The Cross-Culture Coaching In today's global market place, problems can arise if international organisations develop behaviour strategies locally and then try to implement them globally. It might be easy to fall into the trap of thinking as we are all using the same software packages that we are all thinking along the same lines. Cross-cultural coaching not only assists with international cultures, it also allows us to explore and understand the differences between organisational cultures, regional cultures and merging cultures. I facilitated an event in Zurich this year for a private wealth management bank, and what was interesting was that out of the 10 attendees none of them were Swiss. This brought home to me how much we need to consider the implications of doing business internationally. When working with clients on issues of culture I will quickly reassure them that the objective of coaching is not to ask them to lose any aspect of their own culture, more to consider the question, ‘how is business done within the country I am communicating with?’ For example, assertiveness coaching in Thailand would be at the opposite extreme from assertiveness coaching in South Africa; however the desired outcome is the same. The way both countries go about being assertive might shock the other! Another example might be the way people communicate in reports or by email. People from Switzerland or Germany would normally offer a more formal style, on the other hand people from the UK, Australia and the USA may tend to use toned down way of communicating. So we can see here that it is not as simple as geographical consideration, perhaps more to do with behavioral clusters. Recently I was asked to put together a cross-cultural programme for an organisation with international offices. The remit is straightforward; it is to develop and deliver a best practice model for communicating across the business globally, including roles and responsibilities, project management capabilities, email communications, conference call interactions, delivering clear messages, dealing with conflict, and managing difficult people. It gets more interesting when the programme needs to cover Pakistan, Nigeria, South Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. First 90 Day Career Coaching Interestingly when a new leader is voted into power, for example an American President, they are normally given the first 100 days grace in the job before big changes are expected from them. When a new employee arrives at the office on their first day they are expected to know everything, pretty much. First 90 day coaching can be a real asset for the new person who needs to create an action plan for the first three crucial months with the new company. They will often have to work out who they need to meet and network with along with thinking about getting the job into shape - all of this before you find out who they can rely on. First 90 day coaching can help you to adapt to a new industry which can often be different from your previous experiences. It can also help you to integrate with your new team and quickly understand their interpersonal styles, allow you to stretch yourself within your new role by creating targets, timeframes and action plans. Finally, it offers a confidential space for you to address any concerns about your new position. No matter how senior the executive, from my own experience of coaching across many levels and sectors, everyone I have coached has had his or her own concerns about making a good first impression and getting things right at the start. Checking Credentials Some Coaching providers favour an internal accreditation process, however for more robust accreditation; I believe that validation by a professional body is better placed to serve everyone. Accreditation with an independent association will demand the right level of training, qualifications, insurance, depth of experience and psychological expertise. For those looking to secure Coaching services, some helpful questions might include: what training, qualifications and experience do you have, are you accredited, if so, is it by an external association? Where can I verify your accreditation; a web site for example, can you direct me to it? Do you have professional liability insurance? Do you undergo regular professional supervision? If the answer is YES to all of the above questions, then it should be safe to move the discussion forward. Perhaps the next questions to consider could include: how many sessions are we looking at? How should feedback work? How does client confidentiality work? How can we measure the success of programmes? Checking accreditation is straightforward. It can be done online through reputable associations. An accredited Coach will have his or her name on the Accredited Coach section of the website, it’s that simple! The Association for Coaching: www.associationforcoaching.com is one such organisation. It has a formal complaints procedure in place, which is just one of the benefits of using an accredited Coach. Another organisation accrediting coaches is; The Association for Professional Coaches / Supervision (APECS): www.apecs.org Accreditation by (APECS) requires five-years minimum coaching experience at executive level, as well as professional psychological training. Ian is a part of the Association for Coaching accreditation assessment team; he is also expanding the Association for Coaching - Southeast Asia. Bilingual thinking: learning to think like a local on international assignments. Complinet News article 15/06/06 June 15 2006, Ian Claffey International organisations are now looking towards global training and coaching solutions as a way of dealing with cross-cultural issues. Borders are disappearing as a result of the internet and e-mail and larger businesses are seeking new ways of getting their international teams to run more smoothly. After gaining an understanding of how things are done in the country you work in, one of the first steps is to learn how to think like the locals. It requires what might be seen as a type of "bilingual thinking" — learning to think in a second language. Even though it could seem difficult initially, this advanced empathic understanding could help break down many of the barriers, which can be created in part by lack of local knowledge. Organisations are using cross-cultural facilitators to deal with outstanding issues and are reporting increased morale along with better communications, as a result of staff having a better understanding of how each other work. It is easy for small issues to become problems and often it can be over a simple misunderstanding. For example, in 2005 I was attempting to complete a proposal for a programme in Asia, yet the closer we got to signing the contract the more it started going cold. Little did I know they were waiting for a day with a "lucky number" before moving forward. Cross-cultural workshops are a great way of getting issues out into the open and it is worth asking staff ahead of the event what kind of topics they would like to address within the workshop. Some topics which may come up include misunderstandings around the use of language; making wrong assumptions with good intentions; beliefs and traditions; challenging versus being respectful; giving upward or downward feedback; assertiveness (either too much or too little); along with what kind of beliefs we take from media images. In group-work situations what is needed from the outset is the ability to sit through difficult conversations. I was in Africa in January delivering a programme for a global telecom infrastructure company and it was a breath of fresh air to hear team members having "big issue" discussions. We discussed a wide-range of topics, which were affecting the company in South Africa, including roles and responsibilities and why management had made the commercial decisions they had made. A healthy debate took place with people moving forward and not trying to apportion blame. The top team from across the region were committed to openly discussing the difficulties of doing business Pan Africa, and the cultural differences that can arise when trading in Egypt, Libya, Congo, DRC, Nigeria, Kinshasa, Cameroon and South Africa. The success of this particular event was perhaps due to the abundance of issues which created a sense of readiness to look at what needed to be done. On this particular contract I was working closely with the HR director. We agreed the workshop design, in which events included initial one-to-ones to get to know the senior team, followed by white water rafting on the Vaal River for the 20 delegates. The workshop content agreed by HR and myself offered something of a cathartic approach to getting to the bottom of outstanding issues. I offered two ways forward for the main workshop event: the first was writing down resentments or unresolved issues and leaving them in a box to be read out in front of the group, while the second alternative was to have each person voicing their own issues in open group which would be facilitated by myself; bravely everyone chose option two. The event was to put the past in the past, along with designing how the future might look for this rapidly growing organisation. For this particular type of event, in my experience, it is imperative to get people with appropriate training, as the facilitator needs to have the skills to encourage ownership of issues, create a safe environment for team members to both say what they mean, and mean what they say. The need for external input is extremely important, as the facilitator who is brought in for the event should be impartial and not aligned to particular team member; this helps to create a level playing field. A good deal of what needs to happen early on in the event requires that everyone has some training in empathy and listening skills, it is worth including empathic understanding and listening skills exercises into the programme before the main event. Getting some ground rules in place is a must for creating a safe environment. Basic rules might include: respecting personal and cultural differences, not discounting others' ideas, being non-judgmental, giving feedback directly and openly, focusing on the process and not on personalities, working towards the solution, rather than dwelling on problems and treating others with the respect that we would like to receive. These basic rules can be used in any country when difficult issues need to be addressed; however the issues in Africa might be very different from issues in Thailand. Taking assertiveness as one particular issue, in Africa it seems to be considered the right thing to do just to give direct feedback — all very matter of fact, while in Thailand the indigenous population would regard this as being extremely rude because the individual being given feedback could be seen as losing face; this is something that Thais will avoid at all costs. In Thailand they have a saying, "Jai yen", which means keep a cool heart, so basically do not lose your temper. Losing it with staff in Thailand also means losing their respect. Thais believe if you do not manage yourself well, then you probably won’t be able to manage others; they make a good point. I am pleased to say it is not all bad news for the corporate globetrotter, and working in different parts of the world can be both exciting and rewarding; it can also let you see how things might work differently at home. I do believe that having an open mind is crucial if you are to get the best out of your experience, and bilingual thinking, once mastered, can make working internationally a whole lot more enjoyable. Ian Claffey is an International Executive Coach, Coaching Supervisor, and member of the accreditation assessor’s team with the Association for Coaching. Ian has worked across a wide range of sectors at senior level including: Banking, Insurance, Legal, Petrochemicals, Manufacturing, IT and the Global Communications Industry. He is involved in Group development and Top Team programmes, including one-to-one Coaching and facilitation of cross-cultural and difficult Team issues in the UK, Africa and Thailand. Additionally Ian is developing the Association for Coaching, Southeast Asia. www.oxondon.com Bridging THE GAP. Meet the expert on executive coaching. Bangkok Post. 26/09/05 by KRIENGSAK NIRATPATTANASAI I had lunch recently with Ian Claffey, a veteran executive coach from London. Having also provided executive coaching for clients in Bangkok for several years, I was keen to exchange some views with a fellow practitioner. After the main course, I asked my first question: "How would you describe executive coaching and its benefits?" Ian replied: "Executive and performance coaching has seen rapid growth worldwide over the past five years, yet it's not such a new concept. Over the centuries, emperors and kings had their advisers, individuals who would offer alternative and impartial views on any given situation. "It would be difficult to imagine athletes who are currently training for the 2012 Olympics working out on their own without having coaches to give advice, hoping the skills they are developing are the ones needed. The same for the corporate world. The benefits of coaching in this particular arena are increased performance, strong goal focus, clear objectives, raised morale, along with awareness of how our behaviour impacts on others and how the behaviours of others affect us." I said: "I read an interview recently with a CEO from a large local conglomerate. He said: "When I need additional help, I normally read a book. There does not seem to be great deal of support available for top management.' Basically, he is not aware of executive coaching services. What's your opinion?" Ian explained: "People had the same perception some years ago in the West. Fortunately, these days corporate professionals are fast realising that having a coach can be a real asset. It's said that `It's tough at the top', and it sometimes can be, but having someone capable and impartial to bounce your ideas off can make all the difference. Many organisations, with offices around the world, are handing coaching duties over to professional coaches who have no other involvement within the organisation. Knowing that the coach-client relationship is completely confidential creates an unrestricted environment in which the individual can investigate concerns and explore new concepts.'' I nodded. "That's interesting; would you explain more about the process and possible outcomes?" Ian continued. "Having an executive coach is important when developing interpersonal skills that will invariably lead to better outcomes, both for the organisation and on a personal level. Agreed goals, which individuals, departments or organisations wish to accomplish, are put in place. These goals can either be people- or work-related, they may even be of a personal nature. Some additional areas coaching may cover include the development of people or communication skills, assertiveness training, team building and work-life balance issues. Coaching can also play a major part in helping staff to cope with changing roles and promotion." "How does coaching work when executives are travelling so much?" I asked. Ian smiled. "Good question. The use of International executive coaching becoming commonplace, and having a global client list is how many coaches tend to work. The coach could be based in London but the client could be anywhere in the world - Bangkok, New York or Sydney. After the initial contract is set up, coaching can be conducted by a videoconference, or simply over the telephone. A session can be put into the diary just like any other appointment." Then I asked: "What is your particular interest in the Thailand market?" Ian said: "Thailand is an emerging market for executive coaching services, and as East meets West, the opportunities for both cultures to form alliances and learn from each other is endless. This is why I was happy to accept the challenge of spearheading the Association for Coaching, Southeast Asia." The AC (www.associationforcoaching.com) was founded in 2002 and now has more than 1,000 members. An independent non-profit organisation, its aim is to promote best practices, raise awareness and standards across the coaching industry, as well as provide value-added benefits to its members, whether they are professional coaches or organisations involved in coaching. "I joined the Association for Coaching because I recognised there was a need for a coaching body that would offer membership to coaches with energy, enthusiasm, integrity, strong ethics and a professional understanding of the need for client confidentiality" said Ian. "My own career started in London's Harley Street, and after developing a successful private practice, I moved into the corporate world. Having now coached across several countries, industries and disciplines, I find that whether I am coaching at the board level - MDs, North Sea oil engineers, corporate lawyers or financial-services professionals, there is one common shortcoming. Very few resources are invested in coaching executives on how to look after their main people, and equally as important, how to look after themselves." If readers would like to find out more about Ian and executive coaching in general, they can contact him by e-mail at ianclaffey@gmail.com International executive coaching takes off…Complinet News article July 21 2005, Ian ClaffeyInternationally, executive and business coaching is growing at a phenomenal rate. Coaching has a firm footing in the United States, the UK and Australasia and now South East Asia is also reaping the benefits. The use of executive coaches is becoming commonplace, and having a global client list is how many coaches tend to work. The coach could be based in London but their client could be anywhere in the world — Bangkok, New York, or even on an oilrig. After the initial contract is set up, coaching can be conducted face-to-face, by a videoconference, or simply over the telephone. A session can be put into the diary just like any other appointment; this allows for both flexibility and privacy. Life at the top can be a lonely experience, and having someone capable and impartial to bounce your ideas off can make all the difference. Many organisations with offices around the world are handing coaching duties over to professional consultants who have no other involvement with the organisation. Knowing that the coach/client relationship is completely confidential creates an unrestricted environment in which the individual can investigate concerns and explore new concepts. Benefits of a coaching programme include increased performance; raised morale; and a heightened awareness of how our behaviour impacts on others and how the behaviours of others impact on us. Coaching can also play a major part in helping staff to cope with changing roles or promotions. International lessons Moving into a new role is often a challenge but, in a new country, this experience can be overwhelming. Some local knowledge can go a long way. In Thailand, for example, employees are often more interested in the job title than any other aspect of the employment package. This is because a prestigious title — such as 'manager' — brings a great deal of respect, which is important for the employee and their family's status within the community. When in Rome, it pays to think in the same way as the indigenous population. Thais have a great sense of fun and, to get 'buy-in', you need to make things interesting. They are less serious about timekeeping and 'dotting the 'I's and crossing the 'T's'. This attitude can take a great deal of getting used to, and shouting will not speed the process up, only slow it down. If Thais like you, they will do their best for you. But if you upset them, then you are on your own. Cultural differences can be confusing to say the least. Thai employees will seldom offer negative feedback to their bosses as this is considered to be disrespectful, even at the cost of productivity or profit. One way to overcome this attitude is the use of 360 degree feedback, where the employee, their superior, and at least three of their colleagues all complete performance related questionnaires. Downward, as well as upward, feedback can, if given with respect, be one of the quickest ways to develop an individual's strengths and minimise their weaknesses by identifying 'blind spots'. The gap between 'how we see ourselves' and 'how others see us' can be quite surprising. Another useful psychometric tool is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality test which classifies the individual as one of sixteen types, no one better than another. Everyone has preferred ways of working, and the MBTI model identifies the conditions which are conducive to an individual's performance. For example, someone may perform better working within a team, others on their own; some need facts and data and like to plan, others are more spontaneous. Feedback is given on a one-to-one basis and the MBTI questionnaire can be filled in online. Bad habits If there is a particular problem area associated with moving around the global market place, it would be the potential to pick up bad local practices, e.g., poor e-mail etiquette. In some countries, not replying to e-mails is acceptable; in others it as a mark of disrespect — this is worth considering for Asian based companies who want to do business overseas. This is where coaching can really pay off: it is a question of taking the best behaviours from each situation, not only company to company, but also from country to country. People must be encouraged to learn to look outward rather than inward if they are to grow in the global marketplace, and the Asian markets are very enthusiastic to learn how things are done in the West. Having an international coach is important when developing interpersonal skills which will invariably lead to better outcomes, both for the organisation and on a personal level. Agreed goals, which individuals, departments or organisations wish to accomplish, are put in place. These goals can either be people or work-related, and may even be of a personal nature. Some of the areas that coaching may cover include the development of people or communication skills, assertiveness training, team building and work-life balance issues. Choosing the right coach is important, and making sure that the coach is competent and qualified is vital. This is why I was happy to accept the challenge of spearheading the Association for Coaching — South East Asia. The AC gives anyone who is looking for a coach the opportunity to check training levels, membership status and accreditation. I have Coached across several countries, industries and disciplines. And whether I am Coaching Managing Directors, North Sea Drilling Engineers, Corporate Lawyers or Financial Services Professionals, I have found one common shortcoming: very few resources are invested in coaching executives on how to look after their main people and, equally as important, how to look after themselves. Ian Claffey has an M.A. in Psychoanalysis. He is a qualified Psychotherapist and Executive Coach and is spear-heading the Association for Coaching – South East Asia. The Brief. Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand. March 2005 Bangkok Based Ian Claffey is providing Executive Coaching Professionals to both Local and International Companies within the region. Ian Claffey has recently expanded his Coaching operation to include countries in South East Asia. He is a qualified and accredited Executive Coach whose experience has been developed across major UK organisations and in Private Practice in London's Harley Street. He is trained in Cognitive Behavioural approaches and NLP, is a certified user of Myers-Briggs (MBTi) Psychometric instrument' and has a Masters in Psychoanalysis. Along with his new challenge in Asia, Ian has also accepted the role of developing the 'Association for Coaching - South East Asia'. The Association is an independent non-profit organisation, which aims to promote best practice, raise awareness and standards across the Coaching Industry, as well as providing value-added benefits to its members -whether they are professional Coaches or organisations involved in Coaching. "I joined the Association for Coaching because I recognised there was a need for a Coaching body which would accredit quality trained Coaches - Consultants with energy, enthusiasm, strong ethics and a professional understanding of the need for client confidentiality". Since its launch in 2002 the (AC) has been greeted with unparalleled success and has seen rapid growth with membership now exceeding 1000 in the UK alone. The Association: -
What difference can Coaching make? Executive and Performance Coaching is increasingly being recognised by executives as the way of getting an impartial sounding board and honest feedback in often challenging situations. Coaching is also important in developing interpersonal skills leading to better outcomes, both for the organisation and on a personal level. A Coach can assist with developing the individual’s strengths and miminising their weaknesses by identifying 'blind spots' and behaviour patterns. Setting objectives or 'goal setting' might best describe what takes place in a coaching session. Agreed goals are put in place which are to be accomplished by individuals, departments or organisations. Areas coaching may cover include the development of people or communication skills, cross-cultural, assertiveness training, team building and work/life balance issues. |
