System Strategy #1
There are many people out there looking for Leaders. Real Leaders. Ones who care about the Individual as much as they care about the Bottom Line. Sadly, anyone who’s ever been fired or laid off due to an indiscretion or otherwise knows that Companies don’t accept failure, and it’s easier to cut ties then try and help redeem said employee.
But what if I told you we could create this type of environment anywhere, wherever you are? It’s possible, but it’s going to take some work, luckily, one of my Favorite Authors, Michael Bungay Stanier, came up with a System I’ll share with you now that makes it way easier.
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When trying to Mentor or Coach someone, there’s only 3 questions you need to ask them. Nuance is expected in “How” and “When” you ask these questions, but for the most part, it’s fairly straightforward:
- The Kickstart Question: What’s on your Mind
- The AWE Question: And What else?
- The Focus Question: What’s the real challenge here for you?
No Matter what the problem or situation is, this conversation will get to the bottom of the problem. As Abraham Lincoln said: “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” He meant he’d spend 80% of his time understanding and defining the problem before taking action to solve it.
Sometimes the Mentee just wants someone to listen to them, sometimes they want advice, sometimes they want to just not feel like they are worthless and that they have ideas worth listening too.
Coaching has everything to do with understanding the heart of the problem and little to do with just giving them a solution to their problem. In fact, if you were to just tell them the solution, they probably wouldn’t take action necessary since they didn’t come up with the solution themselves.
It’s a both motivational and psychological thing, if we come up with the answers for ourselves, we become infinitely more interested in using our own solutions. That’s the theory behind asking these 3 questions. Getting them to realize the action they need to take and getting them to take it.
Mentoring and Coaching is not for everyone. There’s a pretty big stigma towards any sort of formal type coaching in the Tech World. But when you look at it as a series mutually beneficial conversations, it becomes more natural to think about and way less of a burden to experience.
So if you are looking for such a relationship because you can’t find it within your current circle of influence or place of employment, I’d be happy to talk with you and help you find what you’re looking for.
Until Tomorrow,
Jason Ziebarth (Founder Club255)
JZ#370