By Dave Bushy, PCC & David “Sully” Sullivan, CSSMBB
Individuals seeking coaching come from every background. Helping them appreciate the process we employ as coaches is the first step in the professional growth for any client.
For a coach, the professional training of a client can help provide a lens to the coaching process that is more readily understandable to the individual. Essentially, it allows use of a frame that meets the client where they are and kick-starts the engagement.
For those who have spent their professional lives in the world of “Six Sigma,” a way of thinking and working in the world, we felt it would be useful to overlay the methodologies of Six Sigma onto those of professional coaching.
Clients familiar with Six Sigma quickly pick up on the steps in a developmental journey. They learn about the data collection we employ, like 360’s, interviews of colleagues, personal discovery questions and even personality assessments, and seem to intuitively understand how to use these to create an action plan and measure how well they are incorporating their goals into daily life.
Six Sigma methods aimed at quality improvement are indeed similar to the way coaches work.
There are five distinct steps in the Six Sigma Process: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control, also called the DMAIC (duh-may-ik) method. These steps create a quality cycle that supports continual improvement in manufacturing and service. The concept of this cycle coincides well with the techniques coaches use to help people grow as professionals.
Define – The first step is “Define.” As in Six Sigma, clarity is essential in coaching, where the client, with the help of a coach using inquiry, defines their objectives, scope, and boundaries. Understanding what the client aims to achieve sets the foundation for growth.
Measure – The second step “Measure,” entails compiling a comprehensive list of skills, attributes, and abilities. Among these, some may be well-developed, while others necessitate further refinement. It is essential to gather this data from individuals who closely collaborate with the subject. Consider this information as raw data. When collected from a sufficiently large sample group, there should be noticeable overlap between responses. This overlapping data signifies correlated information and provides an accurate assessment of the subject’s attributes or skills, free from personal bias.
This exactly coincides with our data-collection method in coaching, where in-depth interviews of the client, colleagues and their boss provide a data set that can facilitate understanding of how others experience them.
Analyze – The subsequent step is to “Analyze” these attributes in detail and appreciate their significance to the client. Recognizing the attributes that contribute to their success (and those that might hinder them) is critical. Additionally, fleshing out capabilities that, if further developed, will enhance their range and effectiveness is essential. A common pitfall at this stage is for the client to fail to recognize that “developed” and “developing” are not inherently positive or negative. These skills and attributes simply exist, and it’s up to the individual to utilize them appropriately based on the situation.
In coaching, the client builds critical awareness of the meaning they derive from the data.
Improve – Moving on to the fourth step, “Improve,” we create an action list—a subgroup of skills identified as critical for development. This list should remain fluid. As certain skills become more crucial, it’s acceptable to revisit the grouping and adjust. Improvement occurs through controlling variation and actively working on enhancing these skills.
A coach supports the reflection that occurs in each session throughout the engagement. “You had intentions in trying this,” a coach might ask. “I’m curious how it worked and what you might do differently?”
Control – Finally, the last step is “Control.” Here, we celebrate the skills that have been developed. Simultaneously, we select a new subgroup of skills to focus on. This cyclical process ensures that we remain open to learning and continually improving ourselves.
Here is where the coach observes continued growth and an expansion of range in the client as a leader and invites them into the world of self-coaching, using the new skills they have learned – which can now include Six Sigma!
Dave Bushy of Boston Executive Coaches – bostonexecutivecoaches.com – is a an ICF-certified coach who was trained at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC). Dave is a former U.S. Army officer and senior airline executive who works with leaders throughout the world.
David “Sully” Sullivan is a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt with 30 Years experience in Quality Assurance. Currently Sully is employed as the Senior Quality Manager for High Purity New England in Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay