Are you solving the right problem?

When we coach our team, we want our employees (or coachee let's call them) to leave the coaching conversation feeling inspired and purposeful.

What is inspired and purposeful?

Inspired - our coachee leaves the conversation feeling like they've learnt something, they've challenged the way they think and are walking away with a new way of doing things - even if it's as small as changing the way they ask someone for something.

Purposeful - our coachee leaves the conversation feeling filled with purpose, they know what needs to be done and how they are going to do it. They had a challenge and felt stuck, but now they're able to move forward.

How do we create inspiration and purpose in a coaching conversation?

We create those outcomes by helping our coachee to solve their own problem, by guiding them towards the answers themselves and having them think through the options to get to the answer.

The trick to this is making sure that we're solving the RIGHT problem...

In a coaching conversation, there's often two problems - the surface problem, and the real, core problem. 

Surface problem: The obvious challenge that the coachee is faced with. Solve this to help the coachee feel purposeful.

Core problem: The underlying issue that's causing the surface problem. Solve this problem to help the coachee feel inspired.

Surface problems vs. Core problems

Here's some examples:

Surface problem: I can't move ahead with my social media plan because I don't have all the content. The surface problem is missing content.

Core problem: the coachee doesn't know how to get the content they need,  whether that's because they don't know who to ask, they don't know how to ask, or they haven't thought to ask yet. The core problem could be any one of these issues - lack of understanding of the flow of information, lack of confidence in asking for something, lack of proactive ownership. What other issues could you see?

Surface problem: I'm not ready for my meeting with this customer.

Core problem: Why aren't they ready? Maybe they are ready but lack confidence? Maybe they aren't ready because they didn't manage their time properly, or don't know how to prepare and never thought to ask for help? The core problem could be many things.

As coaches, you can solve the surface problem, but it won't solve the core problem - BUT if you solve the core problem, it will solve the surface problem.

Let's take that first example, if you went ahead and gathered the content your employee needs and then just give it to them - sure you've solved their surface problem but haven't really touched the core problem. What this means is that the next time your employee has this issue, they'll come to you expecting you to solve the problem again, they haven't learnt how to autonomously solve things and won't be growing in their role.

If we take the second example, if you solve the first problem by either taking their customer meeting for them or doing the preparation with them - that means that you won't know your employee very well. You won't know if they struggle with confidence, or time management, or planning or proactive behaviour. How can you develop and level up your team if you don't know these things about them?

How to identify the CORE problem.

You need to use deep thinking - don't just listen to what's being said, look beyond that. Use your experience to identify the root cause of the issue.

Ask questions - this may seem obvious, but questions are your archaeology tools as you dig through the dirt for clues and treasures. Ask questions that help you understand the situation (what, who questions) and the surface problem, and then ask questions that help you get to the core problem (why, what else questions).

Anyway - final thought for you here, make sure you're solving the right problem.

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