This is our second article examining what organisational coaching is and how it can help your business (read part one).
We’ve previously discussed how an organisational coach sees your business like a river – it needs to flow freely, calmly and clearly, so any issues can be easily identified and dealt with. In this article we look in more detail at the steps we take to help your organisational river run smoothly.
A sense of purpose
“The most effective people are those who can “hold” their vision while remaining committed to seeing current reality clearly.”
Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice Of The Learning Organization
At Claris Coaching we work with companies of any size. We start with understanding who they are, what they are setting out to do and what values drive them.
All companies should have a clear sense of purpose. There’s no point in having a free flowing river if it’s going in the wrong direction!
As an organisational coach it’s essential to establish these objectives at the outset so that we can put processes and key performance indicators in place to disseminate a clarified sense of purpose throughout the organisation and deal effectively with change as this continues to evolve.
“Proclamations and policy changes on paper will not create the fundamental changes to DNA that organizations need to catalyze change.”
Judith E. Glaser, Conversational Intelligence®: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results
Through careful planning, meaningful conversations, building trust and engagement we can ensure harmony and balance between the organisation’s purpose and the desires of their teams, to create a powerful driving force behind the business. Empowering the business’s people in this way can both increase performance and reduce resistance to change.
Organisational support at all business stages
“A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people.”
Jim Collins, Good to Great
Organisational coaches add great value at the start and growth stages of a business to ensure that all the necessary systems and processes are in place and that the teams are growing well. In a mature business cycle organisational coaching can help to manage all the human dynamics within the company, supporting productivity and performance, to ensure that the waters ahead are clear and smooth.
As you expand your business and hire new staff an organisational coach will support you through ensuring the recruitment process not only identifies whether the candidate has the skills and experience you need, but also how well they will adapt to the culture and values of your organisation. This means not only will your new recruit be able to do their job, they will be able to do their job well and be a good ‘fit’ for your workplace.
Family businesses and business partnerships can gain tremendously from an organisational coach as we can see things from a different perspective and can encourage conversations that might otherwise seem difficult – with the aim of enhancing growth while maintaining good family relationships.
“The only true voyage of discovery […] would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another…”
Marcel Proust, Remembrance Of Things Past
Our experience, your growth
So what does it take to be an organisational coach? A true understanding of human behaviour and human resources; a desire to constantly learn, keep up with the current best practices and tools, and continually invest in personal development.
We take inspiration and learning from many experts in the art of the organisation, including Jim Collins, Peter Senge, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Judith Glaser. We also look to organisational leaders such as Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Jack Welsh and the Aga Khan, who truly is an inspirational leader on a global stage, while underpinning his work with strong humanistic values.
“Leadership is not domination, but the art of persuading people to work toward a common goal.”
Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence.
We pride ourselves in using a wide range of tools and techniques to find the right answers for your business. There is no magic wand, but through a good understanding of personality using the Birkman Method, neuroscience and how to use and develop emotional and conversational intelligence effectively, we can start healthy conversations within your organisation to bring about the right changes. We are professional mediators and look for common ground in all discussions. The key is to listen from the heart.
How is your organisation’s flow?
At Claris Coaching we excel at supporting organisations to develop their people and their productivity through organisational coaching.
If you feel that your organisational waters are a little murky, or if there is too much turbulence to navigate clearly, then we can help.
Please contact me so we can discuss your organisation’s purpose and how Claris Coaching can help you to achieve it.
Tasneem Virani, founder of Claris Coaching.