Consider the following three short coaching case studies:
Age 35, served two tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, newly hired product-management
director in an insurance company, Wyatt was having trouble integrating into corporate
culture. Coupled together, his exacting expectations of his team and a larger-than-life ego
were driving down employee engagement and business outcomes.
Outcome
Wyatt
Equipped with insights and candid feedback from colleagues following a 360-degree feedback
process, Wyatt became aware of blind spots and the impact his style was having on the performance
of his team and the business. He began building key alliances with business partners. At the
conclusion of the coaching engagement, he was tapped for a role expansion.
Age 32, United States Army Reservist previously called up for multiple tours in Afghanistan,
recent MBA graduate, highly creative, strategic, hired as a senior marketing manager for
a global consumer packaged goods company. Grace had a tendency to overthink and
under-communicate. Her thinking was highly valued, but Grace was often reluctant to
actively participate in meetings for fear of saying the wrong thing.
Outcome
Grace
Working with her ICF-credentialed coach, Grace became fully aware of a number of self-limiting
beliefs that were holding her back and preventing her from actively participating in meetings.
Through coaching, Grace obtained new tools and experiential learning to help her show up in a fully
present way in meetings. Her supervisor noticed she appeared less anxious and more comfortable
in her skin. At the conclusion of the coaching engagement, her sup ervisor indicated a remarkable
improvement in Grace’s performance. Grace was rewarded for her growth by being asked to lead a
high-profile campaign.
Age 38, served three tours as a medical officer in Afghanistan, now manager of innovation
for a small health care company recently acquired by a Fortune 500 company. Bright, quick
and impatient, Nathan tended to lose his colleagues and team because he was always 10
steps ahead of them, leaving everyone confused. He also used a lot of military jargon that
left colleagues scratching their heads as they tried to understand what he meant. Nathan
had embraced technology to his detriment, preferring email communication to face-to-face
meetings (which he deemed inefficient). Sensing he had some opportunities to improve his
performance, Nathan requested a coach from his HR manager.
Nathan
Outcome
Beginning with a 360-degree feedback process that served as a mirror to the impact his
performance was having on others, Nathan made the choice to begin turning around his
performance. Working with his coach, Nathan established goals, directly confronted unhelpful
stories he had created in his mind that were not serving him, and transitioned from largely
passive to a more balanced and active way of communicating with others. Following the coaching
engagement, he’s reported he feels more at ease and less stressed at work than ever before.
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