Magnify Diversity and Coaching
June 16, 2008
Because of our unique lifes experiences everyone has certain prejudices and biases, both good and bad, that we content with. The question is not whether a great leader-coach has prejudices and biases, but how they manage their biases. These biases can pose an enormous obstacle for a leader-coach when they are asked to coach someone who for whatever reason fits into a category that the particular coach has a potential negative bias against. As the workforce has become more diverse, and as companies become more international in nature, leaders may be more challenged in handling diversity related issues effectively. More and more leaders will be needed to coach those who have backgrounds and experiences drastically different from their own. When coaching those of different cultural backgrounds coaches may be totally unaware of the emotional reactions that may occur subconsciously because of the cultural differences and the different visions of life that result from those different cultural experiences (Goldsmith & Lyons 2006, p. 133). The potential downside of not being able to recognize and deal with resulting biases can have huge negative consequences to organizations.
I have spent a large portion of my career working overseas several large corporations. During that time I have witnessed many talented managers fail because of their inability to adjust their styles and be more accepting and understanding of those who are different from themselves. I worked particularly closely with one executive who had a commanding style of leadership. His approach conflicted drastically with the multi-national team which he was assigned to lead in Spain. Because of his inability to recognize and accept the diversity of thoughts and approaches that the multi-cultural team contained, he was unable to successfully manage the project and eventually was demoted. Although this manager had been very successful in the organization in the US, he was unable to accept that a different leadership style was needed to be successful in an international and culturally diverse team environment. His bias was to manage the team from a directive leadership style. He complained about how the team wanted to take long lunches; about discussions taking too long; and about dissent among team members. Rather than attempt to understand the cultural nuances, he relied on what had proven successful to him in the past and he pushed the team harder move quickly to accept his solutions. Eventually, the project was reassigned to another leader and he was demoted to another position back in the US. Despite having a very talented team assigned to his group, he was unable to manage this diverse group, leading to negative consequences for him, the team and the organization. His inability to adjust kept him from seeing the huge opportunity that existed in leading this diverse team. Because he failed to appreciate the uniqueness of each individual and the value they bring to the team and the potential benefits they brought to him and the organization, he was unsuccessful in achieving any meaningful results.
The leader-coach can improve outcomes when dealing with diverse teams by questioning their own assumptions about the individual and/or the cultural group they represent. Rather than taking actions based on past beliefs and conclusions which the leader-coach has made based on their own prior experiences, which are likely biased toward their own personal cultural background, the coach should question those assumptions, gather input and explore meanings with the coachee and not make assumptions nor draw conclusions until an understanding of differences are fully examined (Hargrove 2003, p. 187). This approach should lead to better understanding between coach and coachee and improved results when coaching those of diverse backgrounds.
References:
Goldsmith, M., and Lyons, L (2006). Coaching for leadership: The practice of leadership coaching from the worlds greatest coaches. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Hargrove, R.A., (2003). Masterful coaching: Inspire and impossible future while producing extraordinary leaders and extraordinary results. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.
Magnify Leadership and Development
6232 South Vinecrest Drive Murray, Utah 84121 Phone: 801-266-0849 Email: info@magnifyleadership.com Website: www.magnifyleadership.com
James Gehrke is the President of Magnify Leadership and Development.
After various promotions in Sales, Sales Operations, Training & Development, and Sales Management and Training, he headed Pfizers Learning & Development for all of Europe, Canada, Africa, & the Middle East where he was instrumental in the development of a global management curriculum and other training initiatives to enhance organizational effectiveness for over 30,000 employees. He has worked on many high levels, cross functional teams addressing issues such as Field Force Effectiveness, Change Leadership, Leader Behavior Development, Executive Coaching and many others.
Since starting his own training company, James has developed and trained both public and private leadership, coaching, targeting and territory management sessions for hundreds of participants in various industries. James is bilingual and can teach in both English and Spanish http://www.magnifyleadership.com
Magnify Leadership Development
Laurence Lyon stated that strategic coaching gets people, teams, and organizations from where they are today to where they want to be tomorrow (Goldsmith and Lyons, p. 92). Coaching is an essential strategy for leaders to use if they are to effectiv...
Does Coaching Involve Teaching?
Although coaching will result in the person being coached to learn something, that really is not the point of coaching. A coach is someone who deals with, helps and trains those who have already learned more than the basics of what they are involved...
Is Having A Life Coach Right For Me?
Life coaching is becoming more and more popular and has helped thousands of people around the world. However, the real question is knowing if having a life coach is right for you. There are many reasons why someone would want a life coach but I will ...
Supervision For Coaching
How do you ensure quality within an industry that is not regulated? This is a question that is facing many who use coaching within their organisations. There is within the coaching industry a debate on whether supervision is necessary, or can add b...
Simply Speaking, Business Coach Do You Resent Your Competitor & Does That Cost You Sales?
Simply speaking, business coaching along with executive coaching and corporate coaching is a high demand and growing business. With the influx of all these coaches, some coaches are potentially resenting or fearing this increased competition. Howev...
How To Select The Right Internet Coaching Program - The Easy Way!
What is the secret of the Big Dogs on the Internet? They had a mentor. Yes, its that simple. Having a mentor can really transform your business, as long you choose the right one for you. No matter your level of experience on the Internet, having a me...
Is There a Difference Between Coaching and Therapy?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive about Life Coaching. Yes there is a difference and by explaining what Coaching IS, I aim to help you understand what it is NOT and how it is different to Therapy.Coaching Focuses on:Where ...
Professional Confidence Coaching
Confidence in ones self is something that everyone in life must have so they can be, happy and hopefully quite successful. You must have confidence so that you can grow as a person and achieve something in your life. By receiving professional confide...
GAS Up Your Coaching
Are you or is your organization considering coaching? Or maybe you are like some organizations who are not happy or satisfied with their coaching results? Possibly, your coaching program needs more G.A.S.Many of the coaching programs in the current ...
The Role Of A Life Coach
Coaching is a modern and rapidly growing method for helping others to improve, develop, find personal success, achieve aims and manage life change and personal challenges. Life coaching is effective for all situations, whether in personal life, caree...