Einstein quote

It seems whatever book I'm reading there is an Einstein quote that I know so today I am pleased that I've found one that's new to me !
"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant .We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift" Albert Einstein I totally agreee Albert! My Private equity coaching clients I believe are very well versed in using their rational minds and one of the things I do well in my coaching practice is help them accesss motre of their

Private Equity coaching -why it works

I recently read an article by Luke Johnson on why PE works and as I was reading it it made sense with regard to why coaching in Private Equity works.....
For example he talks about "changing the mindset" , interests between owners and managers are directly aligned . It's the same with Coaching in Private Equity, my interests are the goals and chlallenges of my Private equit coaching clients . Similarly he refers to "time horizons" where returns are typically over a 4-7 year period which gives Private Equity professionals the time to get controls and esssentials right . It's the same in Private equity coaching , I work in 90 day chunks so that my clients generally have certain goals , challenges and outcomes that can be progressed in such a time period and which contribute to the overall development of the potential of the professional. Also the power of processs means that the commitment to being world class in their field is supported by the process of regular sessions time to reflect on action and to act on reflection....
Another element he refers to as why PE outperforms is change , "someone needs to question and try things differently....business is about constant evolution".Again it's the same principle in Private Equity coaching, it's all about questioning and looking to do things differently so that change becomes the change my clients are after...
He also cites Privacy where "in private situations you can take rapid action to correct mistakes, even if there is admission of error"...I see this as very similar to having a "safe space" where mistakes are fine , where unless mistakes happen there is the danger of individuals believing that they know it all a great way to block leraning and progress. Lastly he refers to "a sense of urgency" where everyone knows where they stand getting monthly management accounts and again interests are aligned...
So similar to Private Equity coaching where there is an amount of time , generally between 2-3 hours where the individual wants to get the most out of the session and the Private Equity coach is there to ensure that the time is weell spent in focusing on key immediate challenges as well as keeping an eye on the gigger game particualrly in the context of the Private Equity professional's next step up ther corporate ladder

Positive deviance

In a number of coaching sessions I have done in the past I have referred my clients to the thinking around "Positive deviance" and the idea of spotting some one in your orgamisation who is performing so well with the same resources as others
Here's the quote from the original developer of this approach
"In every community, organisation or social group there are individuals whose exceptional behaviours or practices enable them to get better results than their neighbours from the same rsources" Jerry Sternin
A great way to help teams and groups benefit from this is to "coacH" an individual in order to extract the key distinctions that seem to make a difference, I say coach really being more exact "question" in order to fully extract these key elements. The other thing that's very powerful is asking the individual to get involved in training the others in both his/her Inner and Outer "actions"(Inner- What they say to themselves and believe, Outer what they sya to thers how they interact etc)
Positive deviance fits in nicely woth appreciative and other positive psychology approaches...

Tips on coaching your team

Listen, listen, listen and listen!

The relationship is about them not you so design with them how they want you to be when you are coaching them

Take time to establish their level of development and the coaching (true coaching) needs they may have

Understand your strenghts as a leader and also seperately as a coach (The 2 maybe very different)

The coaching relationship is about creating opportunities for progress , not about finding fault!

Always have clear and agreed goals in your sessions and to regularly review performance againgst those goals.

Lastly be aware of the need to be flexible. What works with one person may not work with another

Keep it as simple as possible
"Simplicity is the key to brilliance” Bruce Lee

Lastly get support/assistance if you require , you don't have to do it all yourself

The Inner game wise coach

I often go back to The Inner Game as a source of inspiration. As my first introduction to non directive coaching I originally trained with the first Inner game sport coaches. I remember my first attempts at "coaching" and in particular David Hemery and how for me he embodied the non directive coaching approach.He was, is also a very inspirational (and humble ) human being...Here's some of his coaching wisdom

"What goes on in our heads often interferes with getting the best out of ourselves. The key for me is single appropriate focus.We need to become responsible for our choices and one of these is where we place our focussed attention. This attention empowers our awareness on that focus and allows the sub-conscious mind to integrate related supportive actions in an awesome way.

It enables flow rather than forcing"

David Hemery MBE CBE