Brian Duggan: Coaching in a time of ‘Business as Unusual’
2020 has been the most unusual year that many of us can recall. My coaching practice has taught me lessons that will live with me for many ‘unusual years to come’.
The truism ‘change is constant’ has become real for almost everyone to whom I have spoken. I hope that the shift of 2020 will keep us as coaches, leaders and a people engaged in change focused on making our lives together better. (By better I mean community oriented, kinder, supportive, generous, barrierless and compassionate.)
Here are some commitments that clients have embraced in these unusual times. There is real evidence of this shift:
A deeper intent and action to do the right thing to keep employees, clients, and families safe. There has been a new acceptance and openness to flex time, work at home, supporting others (especially women), to meet conflicting demands on their time at home. Leaders explored the change and discovered immediate actions to sustain the long-term.
An acceptance of social contact restrictions with COVID-19 and openness to new conversations about racism and workplace diversity are responsive, future-oriented commitments to leading us to a better world.
A curious shift in mindset followed the changes in our way of being together. Many leaders expressed reluctance, a lack of trust in employees and fear that if change were allowed everything would end! As time went on and employee productivity was on par or improved, employees were engaged and the work did not cease, leaders began to believe that shifting their mindset was not a bad thing.
There was also a time of re-focusing leadership on what is important. Leaders engaged in conversations around what their organizations are about: ‘Why are we here, who do we serve?’ This re-focusing cleared a path for simplifying vision and mission and to work with greater purpose.
For many clients, this was a time to pause and reflect: what is important to me; we are confined together as a family, how do we support each other, what connections are most important and how can we creatively engage with others?
Underlying all these conversations, the importance of self-care and compassion emerged. We like to think that we do a rather good job at looking after our health and emotional wellbeing. What we found out is that unusual times calls for unusual approaches to self-care. ‘Zoom fatigue’, sitting for lengthy periods of time, focusing on a screen and a lack of social contact while at work challenged us to find new ways for emotional, social, and physical care.
To summarize, focus on the immediate needs to sustain us into the long term; new conversations about social responsibility and systemic issues; shifting mental models of how we work together; a renewed focus on vision, mission and purpose; creative approaches to connecting with others; and upping our attention to self-care and self-compassion were emerging themes from my coaching in this year of business as unusual.
Implied in all of this is a call to action for the future of leadership, engagement, and our planet.
Having experienced the changes of 2020 what will change in our leadership that can make our world a better place to live?
Let’s talk about this and any other leadership challenge that could benefit from coaching.
brian.duggan@marathonhrcg.com
Accredited Coach Supervisor
Mentor Coach
Associate Faculty, Royal Roads University
Author of Coaching From the Inside Out: A personal approach to coaching for change
Available in paperback and ebook on amazon, indigo and at
Coaching from the Inside Out | mysite (brianduggancoach.com)