Coaching Case Studies
Case Study: Sarah
Issue: Sarah wanted to prepare for a difficult conversation with her boss.
What we did in the session: We began with Sarah talking through the context and what she wanted the conversation to address. We then moved into an “empty chair” exercise: first, Sarah spoke to a chair in which she imagined her boss was sitting, and rehearsed her opening to the meeting. Next, she moved into the empty chair, put herself in her boss’s shoes, and said out loud what she thought he would say in response. Sarah then alternated between playing herself and her boss, as the imagined conversation went back and forth. The final step in the exercise was for Sarah to take herself to the side of the space containing the two chairs, imagine herself stepping into the shoes of a good friend who had been observing the dialogue, then voicing what her friend had observed about the “meeting”, and what advice her friend had for her. We spent the final part of the session with Sarah reviewing what she had learned, and identifying some specific steps she would now take to further prepare for the meeting with her boss.
Outcome: Sarah felt clearer about the reasonableness of what she wanted to ask for, had identified some possible objections and evasions which her boss might deploy, and practiced how she would keep the meeting on track to meet her objectives. As a result, Sarah felt less anxious and more confident about the meeting.
Case Study: Ravi
Issue: Ravi is 30 and in a job that pays well but is not fulfilling. He is also aware that he alternates between periods of being highly organized and productive, and times when he feels overwhelmed by his responsibilities and to-do list and falls into periods of lassitude and unhealthy living.
Prior to the session: Ravi completed the “wheel of life” exercise and found that this offered a structure for grappling with the range of issues he was confronting.
What we did in the session: Using the 8 life-domains from the wheel of life, Ravi spent most of the session talking through the range of issues that have been swirling round his head for a long time. We identified some underlying themes, including his lack of confidence in some relationships and associated anxiety. He decided not to focus on any single issue and specific actions to take, preferring to stay with the wider set of interlinked issues and explore further some of the underlying issues.
Outcome: At the end of the session, Ravi was clearer about how much had been going on for him in recent months, but also felt he had gained more perspective about how much in his life was going well. He decided to further use the wheel of life framework to clarify where he wanted to be in 5 years time in each life-domain, and the main steps which he would need to take in each area. He felt that this would give him a way of “naming the beast”, getting down on paper all the things he could be doing, and then more consciously priortise where to focus his energies in the near- and medium-term.
Case Study: Jan
Issue: Jan is in her late 40s, currently working part-time as a management consultant, following 4 years heading up a major public sector body. She wanted some help thinking through his choices.
What we did in the session: We spent some time pinning down the specific questions Jan wanted to address, which were: 1. “Am I content with my current career position?” 2. “If not, what do I want to do instead?” 3. “Am I a plausible candidate for Board roles with major financial sector companies?”. We took each question in turn. I used a version Nancy Klein’s “Time to Think” framework to provide a combination of space, structure and challenge to Nathan’s thoughts.
Outcome: By the end of the session, Jan was clear (“9 on a 10 scale”) that she her aim was to become Chair of a major financial sector institution. She also clarified the gaps in her CV she should fill over the next 1-2 years to maximise her chances of getting the sort of position she most wanted. She identified several concrete next step to move forward, and ways to keep hold herself to account.