Problem-Solving

Coaching the Person, Not the Problem [Marcia Reynolds]

Coaching the Person, Not the Problem | Library of Professional Coaching

“Coaches and leaders spend more time trying to remember the questions they’re supposed to ask than paying attention to the person they are coaching. They end up “checklist coaching” to ensure their questions follow the model they were taught in coaching school or a leadership workshop, which is more frustrating for the client than helpful. Not only do coaches spend more time in their own heads than listening, they make coaching more complex than it should be. They don’t realize that being present and using reflective statements such as summarizing, paraphrasing, and drawing distinctions can be more powerful—and easier—than seeking the magical question. When a coach asks a question after providing a reflection, the question is more likely to arise out of curiosity, not memory. At this point, even a closed question can lead to a breakthrough in thinking. Coaching should be a process of inquiry, not a series of questions. The intent of inquiry is not to find solutions but to provoke critical thinking about our own thoughts. Inquiry helps the people being coached discern gaps in their logic, evaluate their beliefs, and clarify fears and desires affecting their choices. Solutions emerge when thoughts are rearranged and expanded.”

Thinking Whole: The How To [John Krubski]

Thinking Whole: The How To | Library of Professional Coaching

“ When two people talk, their minds can re-program every microsecond. I reprogram based on things you say, or do, or exude. You do the same. It’s like “dueling banjos” on steroids. All of this happens so rapidly we don’t even know it’s happening. But it is… and with the right process, which we have, there are opportunities aplenty to channel all this mind energy into productive articulations and manifestations. Thinking Whole not only provides a safe space where all of the multiple minds can play nice together, it also provides a platform through which they can be expressed, articulated, and refine in astonishingly short time.”

Problem-Solving: Domains, Causes and Actions [William Bergquist]

Problem-Solving: Domains, Causes and Actions | Library of Professional Coaching

“We make use of the analyses already engaged regarding the domains of intentions, information and ideas. While we enter these domains frequently when we are navigating our daily life, they come to the fore in particular when we are confronting a problem that is not easily solved. It is at these challenging moments that we are most likely to be attracted to readily accessible information and intentions that have been manufactured by other people. Misinformation and lies are abundantly available to lead us in the wrong direction. Given our vulnerability to misinformation and lies at these problem-solving points in our life, we will focus on processes that can be effectively deployed when facing a problem.”

Reframing as an Essential Coaching Strategy and Tool [William Bergquist]

Reframing as an Essential Coaching Strategy and Tool | Library of Professional Coaching

“Reframing encourages a shift from first to second order conceptualizations of a problem, yielding valuable insights (second-order learning), creative solutions or even recognition that a problem does not in fact exist. The problem can be viewed from a different angle or from the viewpoint of a person who comes from a very different context (the proverbial “person from Mars”).   Second-order thinking is encouraged, following by second-order learning, when a professional coach challenges their client to re-think and potentially reframe their goals and when they invite their client to re-think and potentially reframe the way they are viewing their current context. Ultimately, the coach can support and work with their client in re-thinking and re-framing the strategies and tactics they will engage in moving from their current state (context) to their desired state (goals).”

Decision-Making

Decision-Making in Complex Systems [John Bush]

Decision Theory in Complex Systems | Library of Professional Coaching

“Organizations are complex systems. A system can be considered complex if its agents meet four qualifications: diversity, connection, interdependence, and adaptation. In an organization the agents are all the people who work within the organization. These agents are diverse in that they are individuals with their own unique personalities, experiences, intelligence, emotions, preferences, etc. They are connected with each other by affiliation within the organization for the purpose of achieving the goals of the organization. They are interdependent since the work of each depends upon the other members of the organization. They adapt because each member of the organization is learning, changing, and evolving as a result of his interactions with the other members of the organization.”

Using a Coaching Approach for Effective Decision-Making [Krasimir Kashinov]

Using a Coaching Approach for Effective Decision-making | Library of Professional Coaching

“A define-analyze-decide approach can be used to start the analytical process. In the “define” stage, describe the problem that the decision will solve, include metrics and specify the desired goals and impact. List the stakeholders who will be involved and affected by the decision. In the “analyze” stage, gather and examine information to reach the root cause of the problem and to consider interrelated factors. Cause-and-effect diagrams and visual maps can be useful tools for this phase. The “decide” stage is about generating alternatives and listing the best options. Brainstorming and affinity diagrams can help jumpstart this stage.”

The Empowerment Pyramid: Building the Capacity for Effective Decision-Making [Willilam Bergquist]

The Empowerment Pyramid: Building the Capacity for Effective Decision-Making | Library of Professional Coaching

“We have to make a decision. All of the relevant documents are laying on the table in front of us. We have spent several, often-tense, hours trying to get the facts straight and trying to get some alignment regarding our goals and desired outcomes regarding the initiative that sits on the table with the relevant documents. Will we be successful in arriving at a decision upon which we can all agree and that is likely to lead us to a successful outcome? I would suggest that many factors go into determining whether or not we will be successful; furthermore, a considerable number of these factors reside outside of our control—and we must take into account these external factors. However, some of the factors reside here in the meeting room.”

Ethics in a Historical View and a Framework for Ethical Decision Making [Patrick Williams]

Ethics in a Historical View & A Framework for Ethical Decision Making | Library of Professional Coaching

“We can look back to the early theories of ethics from Socrates and later Kant and others having to do with general moral and ethical behaviours for humans.  And then as business and professions began to evolve there was reference to ethic practice of trades, and of professional societies as they developed (accountants, lawyers, etc).  Indeed, much of coaching today has borrowed from the concept of Socratic dialogue, but remember, he was sentenced to death by poison essentially for upsetting the community by teaching young persons to ask a lot of questions of themselves and their parents.  You can imagine how that went over in early Greek society.”

I hope that these many (and diverse) strategies and tools for problem-solving and decision-making prove to be of value for you personally and in your role as professional coach.

William Bergquist, Ph.D.

Editor