Services - Coaching
Our coaching team has a unique mix of international diversity expertise and deep coaching experience, giving us a real edge in managing change and diversity today.
We will support you at the edge of your learning – working with you to expand your understanding of managing change and diversity, and bringing to life the values and culture you really want.
We can help ensure that the effort you put into strategic activities achieves real cultural change at the deepest level.
How Do We Make It Happen?
Coaching 1 to 1 and with teams, we support your people through the emotional commitment to the changes they need to make - in themselves – and in the organisation.
This builds confidence, helps them articulate what they really want and develop a culture which reflects shared values, and where creativity and diversity potential can be unleashed.
Our coaching offers leaders and teams the vital combination of challenge and sensitive support to make the necessary changes.
So what our coaching does is to deepen learning and accelerate progress – either on its own, or in support of other diversity development activities.
Schneider ~ Ross Approach To Coaching
• We are outcome focused, encouraging people to move from where they are to where they want to be.
• We help people articulate the values they want for their organisations – and themselves.
• We are experienced at developing strong and open working relationships between coach, client and sponsor.
• We clarify boundaries from the start – being clear about what you want the coaching to achieve – and what is possible.
• We offer a mix of styles to suit the situation and the individual – from ‘facilitative’ to ‘challenging’.
• We have in depth expertise on key aspects of diversity (e.g. gender, race, sexual orientation, cross culture.)
• We are able to work in German, French, and Swedish as well as English.
• Coaching projects are supported by coaching supervision.
Benefits
These are examples of the impact of our coaching, according to feedback:
• A highly rated individual manager was able to take stock, align his personal values more closely with his organisation’s aims, and agree some changes to his work pattern to create a better match.
• A senior management team felt a growing confidence in dealing with the challenges of managing the nationality differences in their teams, and agreed a learning agenda for the following year.
• A team clearly articulated their values, and explored the behaviours that matched them, in a bid to outgrow some old fashioned practices, and develop as an organisation more in touch with the modern world.
• A senior manager increased his own awareness by exploring issues around working with women managers in his team, and developed a deeper understanding of the implications of gender difference.
• A senior manager with a boss from a very different business culture made changes that increased her confidence, resolved some issues about clarifying the “boundaries” for her work, which led to her achieving a promotion and increased recognition in the firm.
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CASE STUDIES
Case Study 1: Executive Work- Life Balance
A senior manager in a large government organisation was taking on a number of new roles, and finding that he was spending increasing hours in the office. He was increasingly uncomfortable about the number of hours spent away from his desk, in meetings.
He had received some complaints about his management style, that it was too aggressive and demanding of subordinates and colleagues.
Over a series of face to face meetings and telephone coaching – 5 sessions in all, he was able to review the current situation, and what he wanted to achieve from the coaching process.
Using a coaching visioning technique he was able to develop a set of goals for the changes he wanted to make. These included: getting clear about the priority areas for his focus, how he needed to restructure his work portfolio, and how to use the resources around him differently.
Other changes included goals re work life balance – setting some parameters about how much time he was prepared to dedicate to work, and cutting down the number of meetings.
“You have been very sensitive to my needs and have provided me with a framework on which I can work to improve my working methods”
Case Study 2: Business in transition
A business woman running a market research organisation sought coaching to help her manage a challenging period of transition. She was under time pressure to move offices, and yet continue with a smooth service clients and reconnect with some warm leads. She was also having to part company from a business associate.
She was able to make a very quick and smooth transition, prioritising client contact by phone while she prepared for and managed the office move. She was able to accept and then “move on” from some of the feelings of anger and loss in the ending of the business relationship, and did this partly through very practical tasks such as clearing out old paperwork which she had hung on to.
Through the coaching process she was able to articulate her values (and how they differed from her former associate), and rebuild confidence in her approach and business skills.
With this clarity of values she was then able to develop a new website which put these subtly across in the style and language she chose to use.
“The style of coaching suits the way I think and learn, letting me explore issues fully before closing down and encouraging me towards action.”
“The approach is both encouraging and supportive whilst never losing sight of the objectives, therefore ensuring I remain committed to achieving my goal.”
“You have helped to unblock where I got stuck and although it took me the best part of a week afterwards, I finally got it sorted”
Case Study 3: Team Coaching to change the culture
The consultancy wing of an engineering firm was taking a hard look at it’s culture and values - there was some feedback from younger members of staff which caused the senior management team to reflect that things needed to change.
However this needed to be done in a sensitive way, that involved the whole team and allowed the firm’s many good features to shine through too.
We were commissioned by the MD to start with coaching sessions with key members of the team – senior managers and junior members of staff, as well as contacts in Human Resources and Organisation Development.
This was followed by a presentation and report of the key points about the culture – both the positive aspects, and proposals for change. The proposals fell into 3 catagories: - policy change, leadership and day to day behaviour and working culture.
As a result, we were asked to design and run an awayday for the whole team, where we facilitated a review of the values and behaviours, where project groups developed desired values and behaviours for themselves and their organisation.
Throughout the project we worked closely with HR, training and OD, and the awayday was co facilitated with colleagues from HR.
“Your style and credibility matched up well with our senior team’s needs“
“Excellent all round.. Extremely responsive and workshop was a direct hit.”
“We thought you kept our diverse group enthused, focussed and productive”
“The one to one coaching was a real success, in great part due to your fantastic listening skills”
Case Study 4: Western European bank executive working in Japan
The client had been appointed to take over and expand a small office in Japan and experienced great difficulties with leading and managing Japanese employees. Recruiting employees willing to work for a Western company with a relative new operation was also an issue. It soon became evident that employees used cultural differences to justify their resistance to change and new recruitment practices. We worked on an approach that was sensitive to cultural differences without allowing these differences to divert the client from his strategic objectives. For example, the client took advantage of cultural differences by seeking clarification and asking for specific examples to better understand his colleagues’ behaviour.
“Things are already going better I believe, thanks to the sessions we have had over the last three months. The enjoyment of my new role has greatly improved and by talking to you I have become more confident that I’m on the right track. Business is good and I now have the respect of my team which makes a huge difference.”
Case Study 5: Chinese oil executive working for Western company in China
This executive had problems with an excessive workload and a new foreign boss with a very direct leadership and communication style which caused the client severe stress. The client felt her new boss just kept increasing her responsibilities, that she was unable to manage her team effectively – and had no life outside work. The client was unable to communicate her concerns and there was also a question of loyalty as the boss had promoted the client and encouraged her individual development. We worked on a number of issues but focused on a finding ways to communicate with her boss.
“Our sessions has helped me focus on what is important and what is not – and given me courage to stand up to my boss and challenge the excessive hours he expects me work. It has not been easy – and it is still difficult - as we are not used to challenge our boss in my culture but at last I have a bit of life outside work. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heart-felt thank you for your time, advice and caring before!”
Case Study 6: Aligning values in Telecoms company
With a strategic intent to develop greater behavioural alignment around new corporate core values, the client provided an externally-sourced coaching programme for many of its managers. Coaching 18 managers from different teams over an eight month period, each manager was offered six two-hour sessions.
The focus determined by the client was for each manager to identify and develop ways in which the core values could be demonstrably part of the way the managers worked with their teams and other stake-holders. Although new to this form of coaching, each of the participants felt, on conclusion, that the coaching process had changed them in way that was positive in the short-term and was sustainable in the longer term too.
These outcomes were re-enforced by positive comments on the programme’s effectiveness.
“I believe that the coaching has changed the way that I think fundamentally”
“I always felt that I was supported at every stage and that I could always come back to you to discuss the outcome of what I was trying to do in a way that wasn’t judging me” and “It has given me a better sense of my ability as a manager hence greater self-confidence in myself”.
Case Study 7: Senior Exec Coaching in leading media organisation
A series of coaching sessions were held with an individual manager, who was, initially focussing on how she could do her role more effectively – wanting more impact.
During the coaching, it emerged that there was an underlying issue of self-confidence which was partly about insufficient recognition for her work capability but also about some personal issues lowering her sense of self-worth. The programme looked at the inter-relationship of these matters. After raising self-awareness of the issues, the coaching focused on making changes – at a pace determined by the coachee.
The interim result (after several months) was a renewed sense of personal worth, a more settled personal life and increased self-confidence about her abilities. The application of the abilities at work was then the main goal and the end-result of the coaching was successful promotion to a new role in a new department – also a key appointment for the client organisation’s ambitions.
“I can’t believe how far we’ve come. I’m just in a different place now to where I was – and that’s just great!”