Hitch as conflicted Pato quit leadership training
Samson Osero
After attending a two-day Corporate CEOs Conference at Lake Naivasha Prime Resort, CEO Ben was convinced that Trulogic needed to introduce and co-ordinate an executive coaching programme.
The aim of the programme was to enhance the leadership and management capabilities of staff at senior and middle management levels.
Ben wrote a memo to Phyllice Nsao, the HR Manager, instructing her to develop the resources required for implementing the programme.
He wrote another memo to the target managers urging them to participate in the coaching programme.
To get into Ben’s good books, Pato became the first senior manager to join the programme.
Top-down employee development interventions have sometimes attracted staff members for wrong reasons.
Target employees were at liberty to choose either internal or external coaches.
Pato opted for an external coach, arguing that an internal one may expose his imaginary weaknesses to mischievous people.
He was not aware that coaches adhere to professional ethics like confidentiality when delivering their services.
From the profiles of external coaches which the HR Coaching Co-ordination (HCC) office provided, Pato selected Faith Ngamei.
Faith was a Finance Manager in one of the clothes-manufacturing companies at Kitengela Industrial Zone.
She was a Certified Executive Coach with over three years experience in coaching senior managers.
Pato had agreed with Ben on his coaching objectives which included improving working relationships with his direct reports and fellow managers.
From the last 360 degree feedback, he was rated poorly on the relationships attribute.
If Pato obtained a better score next time, it would demonstrate to Ben that he was serious with his performance improvement.
Administrative paperwork
After the required coaching administrative paperwork, Faith and Pato connected to hold their first virtual coaching session.
Faith said: “We shall hold the coaching sessions in confidence. None of the issues we shall talk about will be a subject of discussion in any forum.”
Pato was pleased with the assurance. He always feared that Ben might use anybody to spy on his working inadequacies.
Despite the rules of engagement which Faith spelt out, Pato said: “Here at Trulogic we are made to feel that we can be replaced any time.
We work with one mind inside the company and the other outside scanning for greener pastures.
In case you have a vacancy in logistics at senior management level, remember to alert me.”
Stopping Pato in his tracks Faith said: “Coaching is aimed at assisting you to achieve specific objectives that would contribute to your work performance.
Do not use this session to ventilate out your frustrations over your company’s working environment.”
Pouring out frustrations
Pato had hoped that pouring out the frustrations would create room for tackling his work-related problems.
For a coaching programme to attain positive outcomes, the employing organisation needs to provide employees with forums for expressing other concerns.
Faith continued: “From your coaching objectives it is clear that you want to improve on your working relationships. Tell me, how are you currently relating with your direct reports?”
Pato said: “They are the ones who complain that I do not actively listen and that I speak without thinking first. I don’t do what they are complaining about.”
Noting that Pato was in a denial mode, Faith asked him to reflect on his behaviours while interacting with his juniors.
Pato became impatient because he wanted quick solutions from Faith which were not forthcoming.
Coachees sometimes misunderstand the role of coaching in addressing their problems.
Although a coach assists a coachee to explore causes of a problem and generate possible solutions, it is the responsibility of the coachee to select the best solution.
The second coaching session was scheduled for Wednesday at 3pm in two weeks’ time. Pato called Faith on that Wednesday morning at 10am to postpone the meeting.
He had scheduled surprise field visits to confirm that van drivers were not carrying unauthorised passengers or luggage.
Faith was unhappy that Pato had not informed her in advance in this era of sophisticated means of communication including synchronised calendars.
They rescheduled the next meeting to the following Wednesday.
Faith called Pato on Monday to postpone the Wednesday meeting. She was to accompany her boss to an unscheduled meeting with the company’s bank to renegotiate loan repayments which were falling behind.
The boss made it clear that her coaching assignments were not a priority to the company.
Full-time employees who coach employees in other organisations require goodwill from their bosses.
Otherwise, the coach and coachee may resort to holding coaching sessions outside working hours. Such sessions could negatively tilt the work life balances of both parties.
As Pato waited for the next coaching sessions, he habitually called Faith to alert her on decisions he wanted to make.
On one occasion he told Faith: “Drivers want one of my senior supervisors to be sacked over her frequent use of abusive language to correct their mistakes.”
Out of courtesy, Faith told Pato that his expectations of coaching were getting out of hand.
The matter in question was administrative and did not require coaching intervention.
In coaching relationships, some coachees become too dependent on coaches to the detriment of their work performance.
Misunderstanding
Pato’s misunderstandings with his spouse on family matters had reached a boiling point. Since Faith had pledged to coach him in confidence, Pato called her for assistance.
He told her: “As a spouse in your marriage, advise me on how I can resolve this conflict with my spouse.”
Faith was shocked that Pato had the audacity to parade his family problems before her. The request was obviously out of coaching bounds.
Empathising with Pato, Faith told him: “Seek marital counselling services for your matter.
Let’s not mix your personal matters with our obligations in the coaching relationship.”
It is the responsibility of a coach to distinguish coaching from counselling to avoid any possible conflicts.
Pato ignored the coaching assignments which Faith gave him at the end of each session. He claimed that work on his in-tray continued to pile up making it impossible to accommodate coaching exercises.
When Faith was fed up with Pato’s frequent excuses for not meeting his coaching obligations, both amicably agreed to end their three-month coaching relationship.
To save his face and keep Ben from knowing that he had withdrawn from the executive coaching programme, Pato went to the HR Coaching Coordination office seeking for another coach. - The writer is HRD Consultant and Author of Transition into Retirement, [email protected]
