Leadership Laboratory 6

Level 5 leadership
Leadership through Coaching

Amitabha Sengupta
 About Jim Collins

Author of ‘Built to Last’

Wrote the sequel ‘Good to Great’

– Study of 1435 Good Companies

– Examined their performance over 40
years
– Companies that outpaced the rest of
the industry (exceeded the stock
market by at least 3X over 15 years!)
(independent of industry!)

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 Characteristics of Level 5 Leaders

Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away

from themselves and into the larger goal of
building a great company. It’s not that Level 5
leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed,
they are incredibly ambitious—but their ambition
is first and foremost for the institution, not
themselves.

Amitabha Sengupta
 What is “Level 5”?

Level 5 Level 5 Humility +

Executive Will

Level 4 Effective
Leader

Level 3
Competent
Manager
Level 2 Contributing Team
Member
Level 1
Highly Capable
Individual
Amitabha Sengupta
In over three quarters of the comparison
companies, Collins found executives who
set their successors up for failure or chose
weak successors, or both.

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Level 5 leaders look out the window to
apportion credit to factors outside themselves
when things go well (and if they cannot find a
specific person or event to give credit to, they
credit good luck). At the same time, they look in
the mirror to apportion responsibility, never
blaming bad luck when things go poorly.

Amitabha Sengupta
 Characteristics of Level 5 Leaders

Professional Will

– Creates superb results, a clear catalyst in the

transition from good to great
– Demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do
whatever must be done to produce the best long-
term results, no matter how difficult.
– Sets the standard of building an enduring great
company; will settle for nothing less.
– Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to
apportion responsibility for poor results.

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 Characteristics of Level 5 Leaders

Personal Humility

Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning

public adulation; never boastful.
Acts with quiet, calm determination; relies
principally on inspired standards, not inspiring
charisma, to motivate
Channels ambition into the company, not the self;
sets up successors for even greater success in the
next generation.
Looks out the window, not the mirror, to apportion
credit for the success of the company.

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 Can One Learn to Become a Level 5
leader?

• The great irony is that the animus and personal

ambition that often drive people to positions of
power stand at odds with the humility required for
Level 5 leadership.
• Combine that irony with the fact that boards of
directors frequently operate under the false belief
that they need to hire a larger-than-life egocentric
leader.

Amitabha Sengupta
 Can One Learn to Become a Level 5
leader?

One can see why Level 5 leaders rarely appear

at the top of our institutions.

The problem is not with the availability of Level 5

leaders. The problem is recognizing that what
they have is important.

Amitabha Sengupta
Jim Collins’ Prescription for Becoming Level 5 Leaders…

No prescription. Except to practice the other

findings that lead a company from Good to
Great.

 Disciplined People
 Disciplined Thought
 Disciplined Action

Amitabha Sengupta
Performance Coaching: three levels of consultation

• Expert Model: Client buys expertise

• Medical Model: Doctor-Patient .Limited
responsibility for client.
• Process Consultation Model: Client has full
responsibility .
• The creation of a learning partnership, in which
the coach helps the client go the direction he
wants to go.

amitabha Sengupta
Different Coaching situations
Coaching Used for Examples
Style
Directive Developing skills 1. Instructing a new employee who needs to develop
expertise in your line.
2. Acting as a model for the coachee by showing her the
most effective method of performing
Providing answers 1. Explaining the company’s business strategy to a new
employee.
2. Clarifying departmental protocol for the new employee.
GROW- Facilitating problem Helping others to find their own answers to problems.
Performance solving
Coaching
Building self 1. Expressing confidence that the individual can find her
confidence own solution.
2. Providing positive feedback for a job well done
Encouraging Challenging employees by assigning new
employee to responsibilities, even if risky,.
learn on their
own
Serving as a resource 1. Providing information about new situation.
for others 2. Sharing experiences.
3. Introducing a new contact.
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 What is Performance Coaching?

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential

to maximise his own performance. It is
helping him to learn rather than teaching
him”. Gallwey

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 Perspectives on Coaching

• Art: because it deals with people.

• Science : because it follows a methodology.
• It is about helping people evaluate their lives in
terms of their intentions, what they want to do.
• A Coach is a ‘freedom fighter on behalf of the
client’s best self’. Coaching explores places in our
minds ,where we never go.
• Coaching is also about changing habits and
making new habits.

amitabha Sengupta
 John Whitmore: Awareness & Responsibility

Awareness is:
‘Self generated high quality relevant input’

Responsibility:
‘Performer’s choice to own a task’

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 Traditional Management

Boss feels in Performer is

control obliged

Dictates Persuades Debates Abdicates

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 Coaching:
a new way of Leading

Coaching
Both are
Responsible

Performer
Boss has has control
control

   
Tells Sells Discusses Leaves alone

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Grow Model

Goals

Will Reality

Options

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 Performance Coaching

• G - GOAL What do you want ?

• R - REALITY What is happening now ?
• O - OPTIONS What could you do?
• W- WILL What will you do ?

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Goals Reality Options Will

• Awareness is perceiving things as they really are. Self

Awareness is recognising internal factors that distort our
perception of reality

• Problems must be addressed at the level beneath that at

which they show themselves to be permanently eliminated

• Compel the coachee to think

• Reality answers sought should be descriptive not

judgemental

amitabha Sengupta
 Effective Questioning

?
Purpose :

• To compel attention
• To focus for precision and detail
• To create feedback loop

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 Effective Questioning

Construction :
• Ask open Questions, “what, when, where, who” etc.
(facts)
• Ask probing questions “how much, how often, how
many” etc. (detailed facts, divergence analysis)
• Caution:
– “Why” (can result in defensiveness, convergent
analysis, assumptions, rationalisations,)
– “How” (when unqualified causes vague responses)
• Start broad and then narrow to increase focus
• Follow their interest and use their words

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 Effective Questioning (in detail)
Process

Ask - Effective Questions

Active Listening

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Effective Mentoring Technique:

Questions are of three kinds:

Ambrose

Investigation:
What have you achieved on this Project so far?

Discovery
What have you learnt from this experience?
What choices are available to you?

Empowerment
What do you want to happen?
How will you put this plan into action?

amitabha Sengupta
 What does a Coach do?

1. Listen Effectively
2. Set Expectations
3. Set Goals
4. Give Feedback
5. Explore Options/Solutions

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 Goal Setting Exercise

 
Think about what helps you set goals as you answer the following questions.
 
Think of one positive change you need to make in order to be an effective
Mentor. Focus on the positive and write what your goal would be:
 
Goal:
__________________________________________________________________
 
__________________________________________________________________
 
__________________________________________________________________
 
What would make you feel like you are making progress toward reaching this
goal?
 
__________________________________________________________________
 
__________________________________________________________________
 
__________________________________________________________________
 

amitabha Sengupta
Conducting a Coaching session

1. Make sure you have a shared understanding of the

session goals.
2. Keep the tone positive and helpful.
3. Exchange perspectives on the situation.
4. Listen actively to his thoughts and explanations.
5. Discuss the pros and cons of the desired outcomes.
6. Gain the individual’s commitment to an action plan
and set up a follow up date to review.

amitabha Sengupta