Organizational coaches will often find that their high potential and high performance clients like to linger in the domains of intentions and ideas. These clients are often high-stake dreamers who readily translate their dreams (domain of intentions) into action (domain of ideas). Conversely, troubled clients are likely to be stuck in the domain of information. They are struggling to understand and appreciate the situation in which they now find themselves or to accept the reality of their troubling conditions. This, in turn, means that the coaching of high potential and high performance clients may require that the coach encourages the client to focus on the third domain—information. High potential and high performance clients are often not very realistic. They are workaholics in part because they ignore or seek to overcome the limitations inherent in their current situation. Conversely, the troubled employee must move beyond the domain of information by identifying personal aspirations and the action steps necessary to move out of the current situation. These troubled employees need a motivating vision and energizing action plan, whereas the high potential and high performance clients already have enough motivation and enough energy. They need to find a way in which this motivation and energy can be sustained – and this usually requires greater attention to the reality of their current situation and the need to better sustain themselves in concrete ways.

Puzzles, Problems, and Mysteries

A third fundamental perspective concerns the nature of the issues being addressed. In some instances, the coaching engagement focuses on issues that can be labeled “puzzles.” These issues are uni-dimensional, with clear outcomes. Clients will typically discover that they have considerable control over the context in which the issue exists (an internal locus of control), and the primary role of the coach is to assist in building a tactical solution to this puzzle.

A second kind of issue can be labeled a “problem.” These coaching issues are “messy.” They are multi-dimensional and embrace outcomes that may be contradictory. There are times when clients need to be assisted in harnessing their capacity to hold conflicting possibilities.

“Mysteries” comprise a third kind of coaching issue. Coaching issues that are filled with mystery will inevitably be profound and encompass many large, elusive, and unmeasurable challenges.  A coaching mystery is usually outside the control of the client (external locus of control). The coach can assist clients by helping them recognize that the issue is in fact a mystery (and not either a puzzle or a problem), and that it is to be appreciated but not necessarily addressed in any direct manner.  Rather than having a solution, a mystery, paradoxically, is an enigma to be managed.  Perspective, tolerance, and acceptance of paradox are part of managing the enigma.