Creatively responding to challenges

​Often people respond to challenges with anxiety and fear. Responding defensively may feel appropriate in the short term yet frequently doesn’t address the root causes of problems. My clients learn to be proactive and creative rather than reacting based on their negative emotions.

​Samantha (not her real name), a client of mine, owns a mid-sized manufacturing firm that supplies precision parts to the Army and Airforce. In the last two months, many of their parts have been returned because they have not met quality standards. This has slowed customer fulfillment and reduced margins. 
                  Samantha’s initial impulse was to call an all hands meeting and express her disappointment and frustration. After we discussed the situation, she agreed to calmly engage team leaders in conversations asking each of them to suggest ways of implementing sustainable solutions to the root causes of the issue. This resulted in refinements to the manufacturing process and improved quality inspections before parts were shipped.
                  Another client of mine, Martin (not his real name), is a project manager in a commercial architectural firm. He is in the middle of a two-year long project to complete a shopping center. Due to supply chain issues, the project is now four months behind schedule and the client is unhappy. 
                  We had a coaching session to prepare for a meeting with his client. Martin’s first instinct was to blame the suppliers and share the owner’s frustrations that nothing could be done. Instead, Martin was coached to engage in his creativity. He came up with a plan to accelerate the project by purchasing similar supplies locally at a slightly higher price; he found cost cutting opportunities elsewhere to make up for this. The client and Martin’s boss were both impressed, agreed to his plan, and decided to give Martin a bonus when the project got back on schedule. 
                  Coaching can help people at every level of an organization to avoid anxiety-based decisions and instead to harness their strengths and creativity to design win-win solutions for themselves, their customers, and the organizations they work for. I invite you to book complimentary confidential calls to chat about exploring ways I may be of service.