Enn (an HR professional in a large commercial organization) met with Susan, the vice president, to discuss an issue directly related to one of Swazen's reports. James's performance was quite impactful, but now he's in a new role and seems confused by it. Susan decides that James needs a competent coach and asks Erin to find outside help. Susan was in a new job and was not used to what she was doing and without leadership from the HR supervisor, so Erin complied with Susan's diagnosis and began the search for a qualified coach to help James, For those who provide performance and coaching advisory services, this is a very common case where we are called upon to diagnose the problem, intervene and hopefully improve the situation for all stakeholders involved. How can we respond to a request like this - when our customers ask to "fix" one of their employees? Difficult Choices In my first experience of doing business, I made very clear and decisive decisions about whether or not I would accept to deal with such a client. On the far left side of my brain (where the rational and logical judgment is) my brain was persuading me to participate in this cause as it is, because rejecting new business does not necessarily lead to the construction and design of successful exercises. Moreover, the voice within me tells me to "work with the customer wherever he is and whatever his condition." But the other side (which was my heart) was telling me to refuse to participate, because "fixing" the employee did not seem to me an honest option because I would not be able to identify the root cause of the problem. Remember that an individual's behavior is a byproduct of the system. This case clearly demonstrated the effect of the system and its relevance to individual behavior, specifically the reinforcement of repetitive behaviour. The CEO's need for authority, control, and accountability elicited a negative response to the employee as he distanced himself. The employee's behavior and isolation led to more control by the employer. As a performance and behavior coach and consultant, I've found my role to help identify these patterns and engage client stakeholders in this awareness. Decide what level of the system you are going to intervene with. In this case, I realize that there are multiple ways to intervene that were not initially clear as each case has advantages and disadvantages that must be explored. For example, one option is to work with a human resources manager to coach them to develop performance consulting skills and competencies. Avoid being too attached to customer problems or issues. This situation helped me realize how easy it is to embrace a client's problems - trying to limit and control the situation due to my discomfort with uncertainty and conflict. When I put myself in the client's shoes and embrace their problems, I could no longer intervene objectively because I would collude with the client to reduce his or her pain - the only pain they would need is to Cxpcricncc a fund to coach them to develop performance consulting skills and competencies. Avoid being too attached to customer problems or issues. This situation helped me realize how easy it is to embrace a client's problems - trying to limit and control the situation due to my discomfort with uncertainty and conflict. When I put myself in the client's shoes and embrace their problems, I could no longer intervene objectively because I would collude with the client to reduce his or her pain - the only pain they would need is to experience a fundamental change. Ensure that the client is seriously committed to "rescuing" the employee. I discovered that it was necessary to determine whether the organization was truly committed to investing additional time to help an employee improve his or her performance. This commitment can take the form of a willingness on the part of the executive to engage in regular performance and development meetings with the employee, as well as an acceptance of Coaching's work for itself. Without this commitment, the best alternative may be to simply walk away and fire the employee. Don't forget the human resource manager. In this case, I discovered the importance of informally educating and coaching an HR officer about what performance consulting and coaching entails. When I got into this project I assumed that the manager had internalized these concepts. However, it would have been better to make a more objective effort to educate her continuously at a later time. Back to Erin Given the initial scenario, I advised Erin, an HR professional that coaching an employee on their organizational competence and skills likely won't have the effect you're looking for. I explained to her about the various factors that affect work performance, including the relationship between an employee and his or her boss. I asked the following questions: What is your previous experience in performance coaching and consulting? What is the nature of the relationship between the CEO and the employee? How is the management of the rest of the employees through the performance of this executive authority? What has been attempted so far to improve James' performance? Has James' performance become so poor that he is likely to be fired? Irene was taking notes when we were talking. I suggested that I should have a conversation with James and Susan before making the proposal. Irene complied with what was agreed upon with the executive management and followed up how the matter proceeded as they wished. Eventually, Erin explained that they decided to hire another coach to work with James to improve his efficiency. Where you have been chosen as an administrative consultant to work with human resources and solve the James problem.... What are the steps that you will follow to address the situation 2and improve James' performance at work