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Improving Performance through Coaching

Existential dilemmas can arise if people are faced with choices that are incompatible with their own value system. The role of the coach is to help individuals think through such dilemmas, giving them insight into the impact of adhering, or not adhering, to the “rules of the game”. Sunny Stout Rostron shows us how this process can improve performance.

by Sunny Stout Rostron

Dr Sunny Stout Rostron is a Director with the Manthano Institute of Learning (Pty) Ltd. and a Founding Fellow for the Institute of Coaching affiliated to Harvard/McLean Medical Hospital. Dr. Sunny Stout Rostron, DProf, MA is an executive coach and consultant with a wide range of experience in leadership and management development, business strategy and executive coaching. The author of  seven books, including Business Coaching Wisdom and Practice: Unlocking the Secrets of Business Coaching (Knowledge Resources, 2009), Sunny is the Director of the Manthano Institute of Learning (Pty) Ltd. and founding president of COMENSA (Coaches and Mentors of South Africa).

There are many ways to define the “rules of the game”, and in business coaching some rules are implied and some are contracted. For example, if you sign a contract with your organistional client, you often contract to improve the performance and potential of that individual within the organisation. It is implied that you will not coach them into another position in a different company, and often implied is the development of leadership competence so that the executive lives organisational values with integrity.

Living with integrity
Integrity is an uncompromising adherence to a code of values. For a leader to act with integrity, it means intentionally acting from a personal vision that is values-based. This includes understanding what you, as a leader, want out of your life and work. It also means adhering to an agreed set of core organisational values aligned with your own personal values – no matter what challenging situations confront you from day to day.

Values-based actions
What are values-based actions? A value is a quality or principle considered desirable, meaningful or significant. Values-based leaders create a shared vision with their teams that provides a sense of meaning and purpose and inspires excellence; they remain open and receptive, encourage honest debate, and are sensitive to issues of diversity, culture and fairness. Values-based leaders are committed to telling the truth and to operating with transparency in thought, feeling and deed.

Courage
As a leader, it takes courage to act from integrity and to be continually aligned with your core values – even more so in times of stress. Apart from environmental factors, such as lack of resources, an important cause of stress is when a leader’s individual and organisational goals are not aligned with their personal and professional values. This can create anxiety, interfere with self-confidence, and prevent a leader from making decisions, managing relationships, or working effectively within the “politics” or implied rules of the system.

Existential themes to consider
A dilemma can potentially develop when the client feels that their underlying value system clashes with that of their organisation. People often have a strong sense of ethical, moral or faith-based values. When they voice their concerns inside a coaching assignment, they are often reflecting on where their value system is in conflict with the values of the organisation. The issues frustrating them may not be clear-cut, and more often than not, are complex. The issues raised could be related to performance ratings, recruitment procedures, or even whether the organisation’s actions are in alignment with its public claims.

The “rules of the game” imply that business coaching should be aligned strategically with the overall values and objectives of an organisation. Existential dilemmas can arise during the coaching process if the executive needs to make difficult choices which are incompatible with their own value system – and then whose rules are they in conflict with? The story of Jim illustrates a recognisable scenario.

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