What is it that You Do?

Posted on April 03, 2018 by Parvez Khan, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

What I do has a lot of names. For companies, it’s Organization Development, Action Research, Appreciative Inquiry, Process Consulting, Business Improvement, Process Improvement, or still something else. For individuals, it’s Coaching, Life Coaching, Process Coaching, Executive Coaching, Peer Coaching, non-therapy therapy, non-clinical counseling, or still something other than.
What it boils down to is this: you want your organization or you yourself to succeed, so you want to turn to an outside “expert,” for whatever reason(s), and have this “expert” help you attain a new level of success.
I would reframe this desire as so: in order to get better at what you do or want to do, it helps tremendously to have an objective observer, facilitator, and teammate help uncover dormant realities to empower you to move forward.

The Need

By the time you call an outside consultant, it may be that your situation has become dire. Of course, we consultants and coaches cost money, and the justification for spending that money is avoiding failure. So when a person or company feels they are skirting with possible failure, however they are defining that, they turn to an outsider for help. This is a logical decision, and a commendable one. Of course, the question then becomes how one is to sort through the weeds of the innumerable morass of “consultants” and “coaches” in the universe, and what criteria one should have when selecting the “right” person. (By the way, there is absolutely no standard for either of these professions– anybody in the world can be a consultant or coach– without any qualifications.)
When I receive a request, my protocol is not to give immediate answers. How can I? I don’t know you, and don’t know your situation.
Rather, I like to listen and ask questions. You talk. Tell me what keeps you up at night. What is your real concern? No, I mean your real, real concern– the one underlying your superficial issue? Why are you calling me right now? Why didn’t you call a few months ago? What do you hope to get out of a possible relationship?
It’s amazing what a little listening can uncover.
I hear different stories all the time– and the same themes. “We’re losing money.” “I have a different opinion than everyone else on where we should go.” “So-and-so doesn’t get along with so-and-so.” “What I’ve been doing for so long isn’t working anymore.” I hear the frustration, the “stuckness,” It’s perfectly normal. We all get stuck every so often. What can help immensely here is someone to shed light on the process of what is going on, to help you make a better decision for the future. This is not “fixing” what is wrong– this is understanding what is fundamentally happening to keep the wheels grinding instead of moving forward. When the dynamics of that process are uncovered, it’s much easier to make clear decisions.

The Process for Organizations

Kicking up the dust of routine to uncover the possibility of change requires energy. There are several time-tested scientific methods for creating this energy. I employ two of them regularly, Action Research and Appreciative Inquiry.

Action Research
AR is a seven-step process of problem solving that, when used iteratively, becomes extremely powerful in its capability to address the bottom line by making organizations more resilient in their abilities to address their problems. In reality, I am not “doing” anything to the organization, I am teaching this process. We both, as consultant and client, go through the AR cycle once or twice or more, and then…the light bulb turns on. The client understands the process and how to imbed AR into the life of the organization. When that happens, I’ve essentially put myself out of business– they no longer need me; they can address their issues themselves through confidently applying AR.

So what are the steps? How does it work?
As I enter the organization as consultant, we contract our services with one another and set expectations for our engagement together. We define the parties to be involved and the outcome(s) to be achieved, in a stated time period. The wonderful thing about contracts is they can be re-negotiated throughout the life of the consult as needed.
After we understand where we want to begin, I set out to collect data relevant to the stated outcome(s). This data collection is agreed upon in methodology and scope by both client and consultant.
I analyze the data retrieved using one or more methods, usually comparative/thematic.
Perhaps the most important step along the way, you and I make collective meaning of the data retrieved. At this point, having the data fed back, seeing the organization reflected back to us, should spur us to move in a direction.
When we are motivated to move, we release the creative juices in planning our intervention in the organization.
We create the intervention and the circumstances for its successful implementation.
We both evaluate the effectiveness of our action (along with relevant stakeholders), debrief the consultation process, and decide on necessary further action. If needed, we reiterate the entire cycle. If the client can manage the process for themselves, my work is done.

Appreciative Inquiry
This new “dialogic” methodology has been used for about twenty years now. It’s a fascinating redesign of the entire consultation process. With AR, unlike with other traditional methodologies, we are not looking to fix a problem. That’s right– we don’t focus on what’s wrong. I know what you’re thinking: “What if you just “ignore” the problem? Would it simply go away? Or get worse?”
If you ignore the problems and do nothing else, they certainly stay, and usually exacerbate. However, with Appreciative Inquiry (AI), you don’t simply “ignore” the problems– you just don’t focus on them. Instead, the focus is totally upon what is right with the organizational system. Client and consultant take a strengths-based approach and find what truly shines. From there, we polish those gems, making them shine more brilliantly than ever. In the process, the light of the gems dissuades the darkness of the problematic issues. They may not totally go away– but they will be muted in their impact. Sound too good to be true? It works, and it’s proven.

Discovery– we determine the focus of the engagement.
Dream– we create the container for everyone’s vision for the organization and uncover its foremost strengths.
Design– we collaboratively create the organization’s future.
Deliver– we implement the agreed upon design and evaluate the entire process for reiteration or termination.

This process might sound too good to be true– achieving results without ever truly looking directly at faults. Think of it this way: if you begin on a journey to discover the problems in your organization, how long will it take you to get through them all? Yes…a long time. If you simply re-focused on what’s right and strong, how long would that take? Where do you really want to spend your time and energy?

The Process for Individuals

We sometimes forget that individuals are systems, according to Systems Theory. We are systems of one, interacting with other systems regularly. We communicate with those other systems, interact with them verbally and non-verbally, brush up against them, and rely upon them. In order to meet our personal goals in this world of systems, it behooves us to understand ourselves first, and then our next-level engagement, and so on. Personal coaching is an excellent method for helping us along our path to achieve our goals, as a support system egging us in the right direction and keeping us focused on the prize.
The analogy of Personal Coaching is that of removing obstacles. As a coach, I seek to empower you to remove the obstacles in your path to success, however you are defining that. Sometimes this means having to do simple things, like reach out for support and call on some people whom you normally wouldn’t. And sometimes, it’s a difficult process of reformulating one’s outlook on life and the world. Everyone will have a different challenge; with hard personal work, you have the opportunity to make a lasting ontological change in your life from which you will never renege.

So, Does it Work?
Yes, it works, and only to the extent you want it to. So if you tell yourself that your coach is full of it and will never help you, you can guess what your outcome will be. And if you humbly engage in the process, the series of exercises, if you look deep within to summon the power to change, then you will do nothing short of shock yourself with your planned change.
I leave you with the story of Japanese master swordsman Matajura, adapted from Tracy Goss’s book The Last Word on Power:
Matajura went to the famous dueler Banzo and asked to become his pupil. “How long will it take me to become a master?” he asked. “”Suppose I become your servant, to be with you every minute, how long?”
“Ten years,” said Banzo.
“My father is getting old,” pleaded Matajura. “Suppose I work twice as hard. How long will it take me?”
“Thirty years,” said Banzo.
“How is that?” asked matajura. “When I offer to work twice as hard, you say it will take three times as long. Let me take myself clear. I will work unceasingly. No hardship will be too much. How long will it take?”
“Seventy years,” said Banzo. “A pupil in such a hurry learns slowly.”
Matajura understood. Without asking for any promises in terms of time, he became Banzo’s servant. Three years passed. Matajura cleaned, cooked, washed, and gardened. He was ordered never to speak of fencing or to touch a sword. He was very sad at this, but but he had given his promise to the master and resolved to keep his word.
One day, while Matajura was gardening, Banzo came up quietly behind him and gave him a terrible whack with a wooden sword. The next day in the kitchen, the same blow fell again. Thereafter, day in and day out, from every corner and at any moment, Matajura was attacked by Banzo’s wooden sword. He learned to live on the balls of his feet, ready to dodge at any moment. He became a body with no desires, no thought, only external readiness and quickness. Banzo smiled and started lessons. Soon, Matajura was the greatest swordsman in Japan.