The leader/coach has to work out, moment to moment, what kind of conversation to have.
CLEAR
There are lots of other models to choose from. Other models include ACHIEVE, PRACTICE, OUTCOMES, FUEL … One we have found increasingly drawn to, when working with leader/coaches, is CLEAR. This Peter Hawkins model stands for
Contract
Listen
Explore
Action
Review
CLEAR is similar to GROW in that it has an explicit call to Action. In other ways it is different.
Contracting
CLEAR starts with contracting. In a leader/coach scenario this is a really useful practical way to begin. As an external coach I will have some contracting to do too, but I don’t generally need to agree to have a coaching conversation – that’s what I’ve been hired for in the first place. Life as a leader/coach is very different. Leader/coaches are obliged to have lots of different kinds of conversation with the people they work with. Sometimes a direct report might want a quick piece of advice. Other times I may recognise the need to set clear expectations. Other times they may appreciate being coached. The leader/coach has to work out, moment to moment, what kind of conversation to have. A lot of leaders ask – how can I tell what my direct report wants from me? In many scenarios the simplest solution is simply to ask – to contract. This is such a useful insight for many leader/coaches. They are reluctant to try coaching, in case their direct reports think they’re being weird, or in case they resent being asked a load of questions. So, don’t just start coaching people – start by talking about coaching, and flag the possibility that this might be a useful kind of conversation to have sometimes.
Listening
The hardest things about coaching, for many leader/coaches, is the need to stop, slow down, tune-in, and just listen to what the other person has to say, parking all the inner voices saying things like ‘I know the answer to this already’, and ‘I’ve only got five minutes’, and ‘let me work the answer out for you.’ We spend a full half day in our programs, just considering how to listen. Listening isn’t necessarily a skill. It’s as much a mindset, a mindset that can get lost amidst the hurly-burly of demanding modern life in an organisation, in a world in which many leaders feel it is their job to know the answers. CLEAR is quite explicit about the need to adopt a listening mindset, in a way that GROW is not. If the leader/coach can shift into that listening mindset early in the conversation, much of the hard work is done.
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