Published in Kingstown College Coaching Magazine 2020/2021
As a business coach, I am often engaged to help solve a problem..[but]… I have found it to be rarely a problem in isolation. I often uncover a can of worms.
Like leaders who use a coaching style, business consultants can also benefit from the models and philosophies of coaching. Carey Ann Lordan of Red PR walks us through her process with client companies, and how models like GROWTH provide a framework for conversations with staff at all levels of the organisation.
As a recent graduate of the Advanced Diploma in Personal, Leadership and Executive Coaching at Kingstown College, I was keen to apply the knowledge learned in a real sense within my business. I own and run a communications company called Red PR and we specialise in business solutions with a particular focus on communications.
For the last 10 years, we have worked across a wide variety of sectors. COVID-19 has put many of those businesses in unchartered waters and, through no fault of their own, they have had to adapt and pivot quickly to save jobs and keep their business afloat.
Previous to the Kingstown College course I completed a Level 9 Advanced Diploma in Innovation and Enterprise in Trinity College Dublin. I have combined the learning from each to create a series of effective models and tools which are turning our client businesses around – even in these uncertain times.
I like to take a Lean Business approach to improve the businesses I work with and the framework I like best involves people, processes and technology/systems. Following an in-depth analysis of each of these key components, I then work with senior managers and their teams to innovate and move it forward. This includes looking at who does what, how they do it, how it is delivered to the consumer and how I can improve it.
I firmly believe that the people behind most businesses are the greatest resource of all but because of poor communication and management practices, people are usually the untapped resource with the most potential. So I start there.
As a business coach, I am often engaged to help solve a problem. The problem I am asked to address can vary from issues with poor performance to media skills, assertive selling to challenging work relationships. Regardless of the problem presented, it is important to note I have found it to be rarely a problem in isolation. I often uncover a can of worms.
The trick here is to strike the balance and focus on the problems which need to be addressed for your client to achieve their organisational goal. This is how you as a coach will be measured and your coaching engagement will be deemed to be successful.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to not lose sight of that, especially to those of you who are reading this and have a natural tendency to lean towards prescriptiveness and wound healing.
There is always a challenge faced by business coaches which I would like to address based on my own professional experience. I will also put forward a suggested model for how it can be overcome quickly for any of you embarking on a similar path.
Invariably, the initial brief I receive is from a senior management perspective, typically delivered by the business owner or CEO, which has obvious implications. Furthermore, the problem I have been asked to solve is usually presented like a jigsaw puzzle that is missing many of the pieces required to achieve the overall company goal.
I’ve decided to share some of my key tips for overcoming the challenges of the initial engagement based on my experience of what has worked best for my clients and I.
I treat the business like a coaching client and actively listen to everything I am hearing – and not hearing as the case may be. I try to efficiently establish the values and beliefs of the organisations and its workforce similar to how I would handle an individual coaching client. I endeavour to identify and hone in on ineffective patterns of behaviour which can be deeply rooted within its culture and often come from the top down.
The team dynamics and how people interact and communicate with one another is of vital importance. Unfortunately by the time I am called in, there is often a whiff of toxicity in the air. Some employees are unaffected by, it while others are completely consumed by it.
My job is to gather the information required to help coach the business and its people from their current reality to achieving an overall organisational goal. The challenge is to gather the information required to help them achieve the goal quickly and efficiently, and to decipher the evidence I gather along the way, what is important and what is not.
Naturally, my business solutions are bespoke and tailored to suit the unique requirements of each business however, here is the basic recipe I would like to share.
I am a big fan of the Lean Business Model Canvas! Much of what I refer to in the steps below act as tools for me to use as I backfill a company’s canvas, while coaching them towards an organisational goal.
The Organisational Analysis Tool is an effective framework to gain an overview or snapshot of the business. I find that combining it with desk research in advance of the initial consultation and briefing to be helpful when trying to establish the bigger picture before I focus in on key areas and goals for the company. It helps to uncover much of the current reality of an organisation.
The GROWTH Model is a helpful during those initial consultations with senior management to ensure the goal is clarified, SMART, and get a real sense of the current reality from a top-level perspective. Naturally, the ‘options’, ‘will or way forward’, ‘tactics’ and the ‘how to get there’, will also be unveiled efficiently with the help of this model.
When it comes to overcoming the challenges that are people-centric, it is crucial to establish ‘who’s who’ very quickly. Although I pull in many different models as appropriate to achieve this, I find the Lencioni’s theory on dysfunctional teams very helpful – especially where tension is obviously high.
I like to have a confidential discovery session with employees to understand what else is going on in the business. At this session I start by sharing their Lencioni assessment of the organisation/team and chatting it through. Then I show them a comparative of their assessment against the average assessments of the entire team. I find this insightful as a conversation starter and helpful when establishing their trust and confidence in me and my business know-how whilst encouraging bigger picture thinking and buy-in into the overall organisational goal.
I also find asking employees to complete the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and engaging in a little self-discovery to be useful in highlighting the benefits of having lots of different personality types involved in the business, and how it can be an asset to team and the overall business. It also promotes an environment for self-awareness as we introduce change which is fundamental to creating the path of least resistance and/or optimum buy-in.
Role suitability, individual capability and CPD opportunities/requirements often come up at this point as options for the business to consider as we move forward. Notably, this is where those that are performing poorly usually tell/show us why, and they can often leave the organisation. If that happens don’t panic! Business coaches come across this a lot!
Only then do I start to wear my business and communications hat and mentor somewhat to establish their value proposition, unique selling points, customer journey mapping and an understanding of the business model and profitability. As well as more formal business models and communications theories applied here, asking employees simple coaching questions can be helpful, like; What are you most proud of the company for? Why do you think your customers choose you?
When it comes to technology and systems a simple question like; Why do you do it that way? Often leads to ideation and design thinking while questions like; What frustrates you? Usually cuts to the chase and identifies process and technology inefficiencies eg. double jobbing, inadequate resources, procedures within the organisation. Many of these issues can easily be addressed, oftentimes saving costs and increasing productivity and well-being amongst the staff. This can only serve you positively in your coaching and in the company as it moves towards its overall goal.
My experience working with businesses has been vast, I grew up in a family business with both parents coming from family businesses too so I guess you could say it’s in my genes and much of what I do for businesses is innate however, the truth be told I have been working hard in recent years to upskill in different areas to ensure that I am at the top of my game for clients who chose to work with Red PR.
I hope you have found these experiences useful and if you are interested in getting in touch visit redpr.ie I’d love to hear from you!
By Carey Ann Lordan
Carey-Ann Lordan is one of Ireland’s leading communications specialists with a demonstrated history of success in the public relations, marketing, event management, coaching, training and communications industry. A force to be reckoned with, Carey-Ann is a business development professional with a highly regarded reputation in communications. Her forte is business coaching and working with corporate clients across a wide variety of sectors to get their businesses from their current reality to realising major organisational goals.
