Cathy Liska Share your thoughts in a comment on this blog post.
Soft-spoken and task-focused, Sam values quiet and the time to properly research plans.
Sam provided excellent information and was completely reliable. He was also the nay-sayer and resistant to change. Several co-workers complained to their boss about Sam being negative and slow to follow-through. Sam’s boss recommended coaching and Sam was resistant to the idea, participating only because it was made a requirement.
Tips for Recognizing the Investigator:
* Detail-oriented
* Focus on one thing at a time
* Accurate
* Organized
* Plan
Tips for Coaching the Investigator:
* Anticipate their need to have time to think, research, and plan
* Ask their timeline for research, action, and completion
* Allow them to explore barriers and then ask for solutions to each
* Offer perspective in a factual manner
* Ask their balance between accuracy and progress
The coach asked Sam to research coaching to learn about possible results and choose what would work given the requirement. In the next coaching session, Sam was more open to coaching because of the statistics on value.
The coach asked what Sam did want to accomplish through coaching and Sam stated an interest in dealing with others complaining when they were simply unaware of the risks, and the best process. The coach asked Sam to brainstorm reasons for the different thinking of others. The coach also asked Sam to research different approaches to team meetings.
Based on the brainstorming and research, Sam worked with the coach to focus on what could be controlled and developed a plan for how focus on positive potential first, then state concerns with solutions for addressing each. The coach asked Sam to brainstorm what worked to develop a timeline that was acceptable to everyone involved. Sam continues to make progress and is now finding a balance between a problem focus and a solution focus.
