In my experience, Stakeholder Centering Coaching® (SCC) created by Marshall Goldsmith and developed by Frank Wagner and the late Chris Coffey remains the most effective and efficient coaching system extant for developing organization leaders. Yet I believe there are two additional ways our coaches can add value: what I call “Cross-pollination” and the “Solomon Paradox.”
SCC’s Essential Elements
In a nutshell, SCC possesses these elements:
- The process begins with a 360° assessment. People who know the leader confidentially share with the coach what they think his/her greatest strengths are and where change or improvement would be most valuable. (You can learn more about this process here.)
- After the assessment, the leader, the leader’s sponsor (if there is one) and the coach define a goal.
- “Stakeholders” are then enrolled. These are people who will have an ongoing role in the leader’s development and are asked for suggestions that will help the leader achieve the goal. These suggestions help form an Action Plan designed to help the leader achieve the goal.
- In addition to providing real-time feedback and feedforward, during 30-day check-ins, Stakeholders respond to the leader’s questions: “How have I done in the past 30 days on my goal? What practical suggestions do you have for me going forward?”
- At certain intervals and at the end of the coaching engagement, Stakeholders receive a third-party administered confidential survey in which they’re asked how the leader has done on his or her goal, using a plus three to minus three scale. (“Zero” means you didn’t get better, and you didn’t get worse.) You can learn more about this process here.
- At the end of the coaching engagement, an After-Action Review is done. It helps the leader maintain momentum and continue to grow.
The SCC method has had great success in helping make and sustain meaningful, positive change for both the leader and the people with whom he or she interacts. Yet there is still more value the coach can provide.
Cross-pollination
In addition to sharing SCC’s benefits, we coaches can provide additional value thanks to the leaders we already work with. These leaders come from all sorts of organizations that involve all sorts of challenges, trials, tribulations, successes and failures. If we become curious and ask questions about the particular world our leaders occupy, we’ll acquire insights, examples, experiences and cautionary tales that we can potentially share with other leaders. I’ve even directly connected leaders I coached when I thought they could learn from each other.
As a journalist, I’ve learned insights from organization leaders that I’ve shared with other leaders. An example is this interview of Marshall Goldsmith’s famous client, Alan Mulally. You don’t have to be a journalist, however. Simply get curious and ask questions about your leader’s greatest challenges, successes, failures, stories and experiences, and share with others the learning lessons.
Frank Wagner adds a cautionary note: “I would suggest ensuring proper confidentiality where the leader whose story is being told either agrees to being named, or is protected by not sharing the name/organization. For instance, when Marshall first wrote about Alan Mulally, he used a fictitious name. It was later that Alan was named.”
Solomon Paradox
University of Chicago researchers coined this term. They discovered that when presented with serious challenges we don’t do as well on our own as we would if we were advising someone we care about.
One group of research subjects was asked questions such as “What would you do if you suspected your spouse/significant other was cheating on you?” Another question: “What would you do if you suspected your boss is out to get you fired?”
A second group of research subjects was asked a variation of these questions: “If a close friend calls you for advice and says he or she suspects infidelity, how will you respond?” “If a close friend calls you for advice and says he or she suspects his/her boss is greasing the wheels for termination, how will you respond?”
Researchers learned that there were significant differences in responses from the two groups. Compared to the second group, the first group gathered less information, identified fewer options and was more rigid or inflexible about courses of action to take.
The researchers call this the “Solomon Paradox.” King Solomon was renowned for his wisdom (recall the two alleged mothers contesting custody of the same baby.) Yet Solomon’s personal decisions were disastrous for him and the kingdom of Israel.
Coaches can help leaders avoid the Solomon Paradox by listening to their clients’ issues, challenges, and dilemmas – whether or not they’re connected to the specific coaching goal and whether or not you have applicable knowledge or experience. I tell my leaders I may have no substantive knowledge to apply yet as my grandmother used to say, “A stopped clock is right twice a day.” Or, more likely, the discussion will kickstart the leader’s thinking and lead to a fresh idea, insight or plan that proves valuable.
Frank Wagner adds, “I suggest including a version of the researcher’s question. Ask the leader you are coaching: ‘If a close friend called you for advice on … what would you advise him/her to do?’”
Conclusion
The SCC methodology is the coaching baseline. It sets the stage and provides the path for the leader’s improvement. Yet you can do even more for your leaders. Add cross-pollination and the Solomon Paradox to your coaching toolbox. Your clients will grateful.
