Many professional coaches across the world use the TGROW model of coaching. This is because many coach training institutions find it simple and easy to teach coaching with that model.
However, did you know there are over 20 coaching models that you can still adopt and are simple and builds into your flexibility based on your coach-client engagements?
Do not be a boring coach who only uses one coaching approach for all your clients. The model becomes monotonous, and your clients can even know what questions or steps you will ask them before the sessions. This then creates an inauthentic coach-client process.
Coaching is dynamic. Try to learn many other approaches to make your coach-client engagement fun, engaging and authentic for maximum success and impact. I give a brief review of the ARROW coaching model with the hope that it will give you a different outlook and additional tools for your coaching practice.
ARROW MODEL was developed by Matt Somers and is a five-step coaching model. It is also known as the Coaching ARROW. The five steps of the ARROW model, together with possible questions, are highlighted in the table below:
Stage
Possible questions
Aims
What do you wish to talk about in this session? Why is this important to you? How does this fit into your big picture goal? What do you aim to achieve out of our session today?
Reality
What is your current status on the issue? What is currently happening?
Reflections
What hinders the change/shift? Can you take a deep breath of air inside and then out? Okay, could is there another cause of the challenge? Is that the only contributor to the issue at hand? What else?
Options
How can you unblock the challenges? What alternatives do you have? How would you prioritize the alternatives? Which is the most impactful? Why so? What about ……?
Way forward
Could I RECAP what we have discussed for you? Do you feel your aim has been achieved for this session? What do you hope to achieve before the next session? What will we celebrate in the next session? What accountability do you need to ensure the implementation of your actions? Who can provide accountability to your commitment? Do you need any support from my end as a coach?
There you go, try it out. I have tried this simple Coaching ARROW many times, alternating different coaching models based on my clients, and it has been a fantastic experience. All coaching models have some resemblance. Only the aesthetics is what also brings out more engagement with your clients and builds your authenticity than the rigidity of the coaching process.
Follow me. I will be sharing more coaching models and tools that I have used that may be of help to you.
About the Author
Gilbert Ang’ana (PhD Cand.)
CEO at Accent Leadership Group
Certified Leadership Coach and Teacher by Maxwell Leadership Team (MLT)
Certified Engagement & Productivity Coach by International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Global Accolades for Gilbert Ang’ana
African Leader of the Year 2022 by abcccp.com
Coach Consultant of the Year 2022 by abcccp.com
Top 50 thought leaders and influencers by Thinkers360.com
Top 40 Global Change management Gurus 2022 by leadersHum.com
Unleashing the New Competitive Edge – A Transformadaptive Leader!
Many Scholars, experts, technocrats, and innovators have over the last few years shared their insightful thoughts about technology, innovations as what will sustain organizations, businesses and even countries and give them a competitive edge. According to research data by The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), technology has become the new normal, it’s everywhere around us. ITU shared that over 50% of the world’s population uses the internet, over 4 billion daily searches in major search engines, we are just at the start of a revolution that is already touching every business, organization and life, over 90% of the world’s data has actually been created in the last few years only.
The future is for sure, uncertain and semi-predictable, many of the scientists and even technocrats and techno enthusiast don’t have 100% clarity, if there will be solutions for a number of issues facing humanity and organizations today; will we find the cure for cancer for example; how will the economy behave with COVID-19 now as part of us; will we be living in an algorithmic world, will majority of the workforce roles be replaced by machines, robotics? There is actually no 100% clarity of the future facts on these and many other aspects of technology and science. Critical though for individuals, businesses and organizations to understand is that there is for sure need to look at this aspects as opportunity presented. Many organizations and businesses have already embraced digital disruption and are reaping the potential that advances in new technologies, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
The pressure to keep up with the innovations amid technological progress however need not to make us obsessed, and keep thinking that innovations and technological advancement alone will drive our organizations, businesses and countries competitive edge now and in the future – NO! Whereas these advancements poses an opportunity for individuals, businesses and organizations to rethink the work they do and the way they do it, this will not entirely provide the competitive edge anymore; this is the new normal as we progress, you cannot survive as an organization, a business, without the basic foundational aspects of technological advancements, this is not and will not be a competitive edge.
The question that I pose to you as an individual, business or organization is – Are you ready for the new competitive edge that will enable your organization have a sustainable future growth beyond technological advancement?
Our research shows that the ability to transform & adapt is one of the single most important competitive edge that will separate progressive sustainable organizations from average ones. While there are plenty of admirable and great organizations out there, there are only a handful of organizations that have shown so far the last couple of years and even couple of months in 2020 that they are able to pervade vigor, rigor, connection and intensity into their daily actions, behaviors and culture for them to have sustainable greatness in the future.
Step-Afrique Transformadaptive Leadership Loop
This therefore, gives rise to the new competitive edge, which is – The Re-Invention of Leadership – The Transformadaptive leaders in organizations. These are leaders who are both Transformational, which means according to businessdictionary.com that these leaders identify the needed change, creates a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and executes the change with the commitment of the members of the group; and Adaptive, which means according to Cambridgeleadership.com these leaders help individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in challenging environments, they are able, both individually and collectively, to take on the gradual but meaningful process of change, diagnose the essential from the expendable and bring about a real challenge to the status quo.
From our research where we engaged with a number of key leaders in Kenya, we found that, more that 75% of respondents shared they agree or strongly agree that many leaders are not transformadaptive or are not executing their organization vision with full commitment from them; many leaders are not fully able to diagnose the expendable and bring about real challenge of the status quo in their organizations; and more profound is that many leaders are not fostering engagements and not modeling the progressive champions mindset of their organizations.
75% of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that many leaders are not transformadaptive
It’s important to realize that transformadaptive leadership in the new competitive edge 2021 and beyond for many organizations and businesses that will support them integrate the uncertain future of technological advancements and innovations with the human innovations and provide sustainable environment for their teams, within the organizations to perform at optimal levels that will ensure their organizations survival beyond the chaos, disruption and environmental changes both economical, physical, and human as we progress.
Transformadaptive Leadership in the new competitive edge 2021 and beyond
Gilbert Angana
To understand what makes a leader transformadaptive, Accent Leadership Group (Step-Afrique) from its launched research, found out that leaders self-drive, or vision or interrelationships alone are not enough; the leaders, who have clarity of vision, are self-drive and relate well with colleagues and teams may find that they are driving performance yes, they are hitting the targets yes, they relate well with teams and colleagues for purposes of driving performance only but their performance may not be sustainable for the long term, their team relationship may not be sustainable for the long term, and may be the leaders who come in bring results short term then leave the organization is a much worse state as a result of the short term damage they have done and they move to other organizations to do the same.
Instead Transformadaptive leaders are those who use their unique combination of strengths like being self-aware, self-led, and have clarity of their esteem to drive strategic thoughts in their teams, instigate strategic actions and create strategic influence in their organizations and business; they then move to a higher scale of driving inspirational connections with their teams, mindful of their environment and nurture the culture of self-care in their teams to avoid stress and burnout in their teams and are have clarity of their ability and efficacy; this is their pinnacle of consciousness as leaders and this is what makes leaders transformadaptive.
Dr. John C. Maxwell said that: “leaders get the culture they create, and the nature of the culture affects what they can or cannot do in their organization”. And am emphasizing from an organization point of view that organizations get the leaders they create, and the level of their leaders affects what they can achieve now and into the future and what they will fail to achieve. Their organization level is determined by the level of their leaders.
“leaders get the culture they create, and the nature of the culture affects what they can or cannot do in their organization”
Dr.John C. Maxwell
How can organizations ensure they have the leaders that will definitely drive and champion their sustainable future based on all the uncertainty and unpredictability of our environment?
The answer is short, they need to Build a Transformadaptive Leadership Culture in their organizations.
This will only be possible when the organization systematically SHARPEN their leaders IN – their leaders’ capability to Self-Leadership; BUILD their leaders – OUT, their capability to drive Strategic Leadership; finally DEVELOP their leaders UP – their aspects to be Conscious Leaders. This is how organizations can kick off, creating Transformadaptive Leadership Culture in their organization that will give them a competitive edge.
Step-afrique desire is to take you through the entire process of creating a transformadaptive leadership culture in your organization step-by-step. If you desire to improve your organization, your leaders, your team and be sustainable and have competitive edge moving forward, you will definitely need to learn each of the steps that enable your leadership be transformadaptive.
I help leaders sharpen their Self-Leadership, build their Strategic Leadership, and develop their Conscious Leadership, so that they can be transformadaptive.
Coaching concept is not as new as it is perceived today. Its traditional roots are traced in the 1960s, through the research study of two scholars Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard and silently practiced over time to today’s widely acceptance by contemporary organizations embracing and embedding it as part of their organization culture especially across Europe, US and now African coming out strongly with many organizations now embedding coaching in their own way.
Today, I cannot count the number of organizations here in Kenya for example that have embraced coaching as their leadership culture: from financial institutions like Co-operative Bank of Kenya, telecoms like Safaricom, insurance companies like ICEA lions, government and quasi government institutions like Longhorn publishers, educational institutions like Strathmore University, religious institutions like ICC church, other businesses and start-ups, to name but a few.
Coaching is now a recognized approach to leadership and recent studies have proved especially here in Kenya and East Africa as a region that using coaching as a leadership style impacts organizations positively due to its focus on people thanks to a number of individuals whose organizations have been at the forefront of championing coaching in Kenya and the region and representing the continent at large like Eileen Laskar-MCC, Founder and President of CDI-Africa Group, George Nuthu- PCC a coaching consultant and practitioner, Emily Kamunde-ACC, Micheal Oyier-ACC, Director Serenity Group Ltd among other individuals not to mention myself championing this agenda of advancing coaching as a way of life.
So what’s this Coaching Leadership?
This is a leadership style where a leader creates an intentional focus on developing their team member’s personal, & career or professional aspects. The leader not only acknowledges their staff’s strong areas and support them solidify and channel their strengths in further developing themselves, but, more importantly recognizes their weak areas and develop an intentional plan together with the staff to turn them into strengths.
In short, coaching leadership involves nurturing, genuine professional care and love whose end result is positive impact and progress towards staff’s personal goals and professional aspirations.
Why Embrace Coaching Leadership as a Leader or as an Organization?
1. Coaching involves investments in effort and time both on the part of the leader and the staff and conversations there-in are thought provoking and actionable. This then means that there is improved connection between the staff and the leader which then is likely to enhance better engagement in the team but more importantly is the staff gains a better understanding of themselves (self-aware) their self-efficacy, their contribution to the overall strategic direction of their organization and thus improved productivity.
2. As shared above coaching is an ongoing conversation, with actionable outcomes geared on the progress of the staff in various identified areas, both cognitive -critical thinking and strategic thinking and behavioral- improved traits in leadership, actionable planning and tracking of progress. This makes coaching a tool to better equip teams for challenging leadership tasks.
3. Coaching enhances locus of control and thus motivation for levels for team members since it involves continuous conversations between the leader and staff looking at areas that require development and working together to enhance those areas into strengths. This then enables the staff to feel genuine care and trust from their leadership and therefore, boosts their ability and confidence but also motivation levels.
How can you develop a coaching leadership in your organization?
1. Your leaders need to have reasonable knowledge and experience, in coaching, to provide guidance to their staff – various credible organizations in Kenya are today providing such accredited coach training or more so link up with us for referrals of organizations we have worked with.
2. Your staff need to be willing to learn, focus on their improvement areas and work on themselves. We (Step-Afrique)provide other self-leadership programs that will help staff develop these skills and traits ahead of embedding a coaching leadership culture in your organizations.
Coaching Leadership from my personal experience is the best approach to managing and leading people as it supports in building productive relationships and also cultivates leadership pool within the organization.
Don’t be left out, get in touch if you wish to create a culture of coaching leadership within your organization.
About Coach Gilbert.
Gilbert Ang’ana (Coach Gilbert) is Founder & Leadership Advocate at Step-Afrique and also a PhD Scholar in the area of Organization Leadership Development.
Step-Afrique are experts in delivering Leadership development programs, & Coaching. With specialist expertise in Self-Leadership, Engagement & Productivity & Organization Culture.
