‘Khun Sarawut, what outcome do you expect from our discussion today?” I ask one of my clients.
“Coach Kriengsak, I want to come up with a couple of practical actions that I can use to enable my 10 direct report to think better.”
“How long have you been thinking about this issue?”
“For a month now. I’ve been thinking about how to improve people’s thinking every day. Usually a couple of times a day I spend 10 or 15 minutes thinking about what we could do better or differently.”
“How important is this to you?”
“It’s become my number one priority.”
“Why is that, and why now?” I ask.
“Because my team is still thinking like in the ‘old normal’ way but the competitive environment is not the same. We’re now living in the ‘new normal’,” says Sarawut, recalling a book I had recommended to him, Leadership from the Inside Out by Kevin Cashman, a senior partner with Korn Ferry, the leadership and talent consulting firm: “He wrote, ‘CEOs today live in a VUCA world: Volatile, Unpredictable, Complex and Ambiguous.’ ”
“And your team also is living in the same world.”
He nods.
I recap what Sarawut has told me so far and he asks me what he should do now. “Before we jump into solutions, let’s identify some criteria first,” I say. “What are the criteria for the solutions?”
“I’m looking for actions that are easy to implement, practical for my team, have a low cost, and are under my control.”
“That’s good, Khun Sarawut. Based on the criteria you’ve listed, what are some possible options?”
“Here are my quick thoughts. One, I come up with solutions and tell them to do. Two, I ask them to come up with their own, or I combine the two approaches.”
“Khun Sarawut, which one do you think will help them think better?”
“Option 2: asking them to think for themselves.”
“Have you thought of an effective way to ask them in this context?”
“Coach, I think I’ll start by invite everyone to a Thinking Workshop’.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a three-hour working session. The objective is for them to come up with practical actions for them to think better in the ‘new normal’ environment. In the first 30 minutes, I explain how I view the ‘new normal’ and what it means for us. For the next 90 minutes, I ask them to brainstorm and come up with ideas that will enable them to think better. In the final 60 minutes, we work on practical actions with specific action plans.”
“That’s a good plan, Khun Sarawut. What could go wrong?”
“Coach, they might not brainstorm effectively.”
“How will you prevent that?”
“Coach, last year you gave me a book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, by Marilee Adams,” he tells me, and summarises the approach the author has devised.
Ms Adams coined concept of Q-Storming®, which asks people to brainstorm questions first, rather than seeking new answers and solutions. The goal is to generate as many new questions as possible and thus empower collaborative, creative and strategic thinking. “Q-Storming,” she writes, “is based on three premises:
Great results begin with great questions.
Almost any problem can be solved with enough of the right questions.
The questions we ask ourselves often provide the most fruitful openings for new thinking and possibilities.”
The author sees the approach as a tool for moving beyond limitations in perception and thinking. Once you have enough good questions, you prioritise them and answer them as a team.
“Khun Sarawut, that’s a good idea. It’s a new way of looking at things that’s consistent with the ‘new normal’ environment. It also meets your criteria.”
“Coach, I’m afraid that their egos might prevent them from unleashing their wisdom.”
“How will you help them to have a healthy ego?”
“What do you mean by a healthy ego?”
“If you have an ego higher than your capability, you won’t listen to others. If you have an ego lower than your capability you listen to and believe everyone. However, if you have the right level of ego matching your capability, you use your judgement properly. That right level is a healthy ego. Khun Sarawut, you have a healthy ego. How do you approach these situations?”
“I always try to be at present,” he tells me. “I try to have better self-awareness when dealing with people. If any of the following thoughts come into my mind, I know they’re signs of an unhealthy ego:
’I know this already.’
’This isn’t working for me.’
’I know better than you.’
’This is a waste of time.’
Then, I consciously force myself to listen to learn instead, and I also suspend my judgement while listening to the other person.”
He reflects for a moment and says, “Coach, this has been really helpful. I think I’ll share my tips with my team for the first 30 minutes of our meeting.”
“That’s good. Let’s follow up in the next session.”
Kriengsak Niratpattanasai provides executive coaching in leadership and diversity management under the brand TheCoach. He can be reached at coachkriengsak@yahoo.com. Daily inspirational quotations can be found on his Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/TheCoachinth. Previous articles are archived at http://thecoach.in.th