Case Study: Transforming Results-Oriented Leaders Through Coaching
It is a common situation: We are asked to coach someone who is having an impact on the people around them, behaviour that may be mistaken for bullying. Think of a direct form of communication, potentially too direct, decisive, very task-focused with a desire to move fast and get outcomes. This can be a very valuable set of traits to get outcomes and achieve results, but can also come across as aggressive, impersonal and rude.
An example we have of this was a manager who had been promoted throughout his career showing just those results focused attributes. He had never been told there was a problem with his approach, quite the contrary, the promotions told him he was doing well. Let’s call this lovely client of ours Bob.
The Situation
Bob was quite surprised when members of his team filed a complaint with the HR department and an investigation followed. While the investigation found him not to be “bullying” there was a concern about his behaviour and its appropriateness in the team.
The Coaching Journey
The decided outcome was for him to do coaching with me, including using the TriMetrix report. It was not a surprise to me, that this person was a high Dominant with low EQ. A very typical combination we see in people who are accused of being bullies. They’re often not aware of the impact their behaviour is having, it has been rewarded, and it was previously suited the culture of the organisation, but now the world of work is changing, and they have not moved with it.
Let’s not forget that the high Dominants have very valuable attributes – they’re results oriented, competitive, fast to take action and keep work moving forward. It is the EQ that makes all the difference in how this style is received.
When I first met with Bob, he looked beaten. He hadn’t slept much. He had been shocked by the complaints, he had no idea he was being perceived in that way and wanted to change. We did the debrief of the report, he agreed with what was in there wholeheartedly and wanted to make changes to make sure his strengths were being seen, not the potential “overextensions” that were currently impacting those he worked with.
The Results
We completed 6 months of coaching together, focussed on his EQ, building those habits and using real-life examples to shape his response to one that allowed him to still be himself but without the downsides that had been rippling through his team previously. At the end of the coaching programme, we asked his team a series of questions about Bob’s behaviour and the change in their experience of him had been markedly different.
I asked Bob if he’d be OK with giving me a quote for this case study and he was happy to do so, this is what he wrote:
“The feedback session in relation to the disc results were no surprise in relation to my results. Although my results were centred around dominance which is not a particularly poor result, but it does ask the question, is that approach best suited to the environment, cultural diversity within the workplace.
Reflecting further on my DISC profiling results, together with Kirsty’s support and mentoring, I’ve managed to change my approach, by understanding the individual’s needs, capability, and their life challenges. I would like to give my thanks to you Kirsty, for your continued support by assisting me with my personal developments and to be able to focus on understanding the feeling and needs of others.”
The Conclusion
Many high Dominant people realise during our work that their behaviour, particularly when emotional intelligence is low, can come across as aggressive or forceful and impact their ability to get the results they’re looking for by not bringing others along for the journey. These traits may not meet the formal definition of bullying but can cause others to avoid interacting with them or withhold information out of fear of their response. Understanding and addressing this is a key element of our work with DISC and for someone like Bob, saw the feedback from his team significantly improve.
Do you have a Bob in your workplace? Are there dynamics in a team being impacted by someone like Bob who might need to become more aware of themselves to help them get the results they’re looking for, with others? It’s a surprisingly common situation and we help in this space often. Give us a call if you’d like to know more.