The conversation between Susan and her coach, Alicia, might go something like this:
“Susan: I can’t seem to find an effective way of getting Ralph to meet the goals I have set for him. He keeps offering excuses rather than solutions and frequently pushes his problems up to me or down to his own subordinates. Yet I know Ralph is trying hard and that he has hired great people who work hard. He is particularly effective in motivating new employees. I wonder what I can do to make these goals a reality.
Alicia: It sounds like you have tried several different strategies. [Susan had already identified three different approaches she has taken in working with Ralph, ranging from incentive plans to suggesting a reorganization of his department.] Why is it important that you achieve these production goals?
Susan: Because we established these goals in our five-year plan for Ralph’s department.
Alicia: Why is it important for you to accomplish the goals set in your five-year plan?
Susan: If I don’t accomplish these goals, it will look bad for my division and—frankly—for me and my own future in this organization.
Alicia: How do you know that other people in this organization expect you and your division to meet these goals?
Susan: Well, the five-year plan says that we should . . . but actually I don’t really know how important these goals are for our CEO or the other division directors. We rarely seem to talk about our five-year plan during our Executive Council meetings. It’s often frustrating for me. I seem to be the only one who is interested in that crazy plan!
Alicia: So why are you so interested in that “crazy plan”?
Susan: You know, that’s a good question. Sometimes I worry that I might be using the five-year plan as an excuse. Maybe I rely on these goals because I’m ambitious and look for any argument to get my managers motivated.
Alicia: So, you’re a very ambitious person and this leads to increased productivity on the part of other members of your division—including Ralph. They want to help you achieve your ambitious goals. I wouldn’t even be surprised to learn that they want to achieve these goals because of their loyalty to you, rather than because they are interested in the five-year plan. Is this possible?
Susan: Interesting. You know, I’m not sure.
Alicia: Maybe this is something you could find out.
Susan: Yeah. Let’s talk a bit about how I could find this out.
Alicia: And you might also want to reflect on what your goals would really be if you didn’t have to rely on the five-year plan. Or perhaps you might verify how relevant the 5-year plan really is to the CEO and the company’s future. If it’s critical, you might want to reflect on ways in which you could influence the other managers and your CEO to either take the five-year plan more seriously… or maybe replace or adjust it.
Susan: I would like to discuss this five-year plan issue at some time in the future. But right now . . . I would like to re-examine my own goals for this division in this new light and, in particular, the goals that have been identified for Ralph’s department.”
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