Two weekends ago, Ethan Evans and I worked with 40 Directors/VPs in “Cracking the C-Suite.” We tackled 4 focus areas to master as an executive and the roles associated:
- Strategic Influencing > Steward
- Scale Culture > Conductor
- Develop Talent > Coach
- Executive Presence > Energizer
Our favorite part was the Q&A; there were so many incredible, thoughtful questions. Here’s one we weren’t able to get to:
“How do I establish an environment of psychological safety (when we’re under such business pressure) so that my directs will proactively surface their issues or “stuckness” to me?”
There is no other way to put this: creating a safe space for coaching takes time you must allow for. And it gets harder as you go up the ladder. If you find yourself not having the time to coach as an exec — even though you value its importance — here are some ideas:
- Consistency is key, so having 1-1s either weekly or bi-weekly — and STICKING to them — creates trust and, therefore, improves the environment for safety and coaching. I favor making these meetings more low-tech and relaxed, which up the chances that they will happen. For example, do walk-and-talks (IRL or phone) with your directs. Yep, there might be a few distractions along your route; it’s better to have rustling trees, blinding sun, or school kids screaming in the background rather than people slacking you on your phone while you’re on Zoom. Plus, you both get the exercise benefit.
- It’s also important to have a consistent “check-in” process in your team meetings, which also gets folks present. Do it quickly with a 3 to -3 scale: what’s your energy number and what’s contributing to it? (“Am a 2: Just had a great meeting with a customer,” or “Am a -1: Didn’t sleep much, kid was sick all night.”) If you’re really pressed, you can ask folks to do this in the chat function. This “energy” check allows you to keep tabs on your team; what’s their mood, what are they up against, what’s making them happy?
- Safety for coaching is also created informally, not just in weekly 1-1s or group check-ins. There are ways to “sneak” coaching in-the-moment to build trust and help solve issues your directs are having. Try the artful practice of “lingering” after group Zoom meetings. One of my clients simulates hanging out in IRL by picking up the phone and calling one of their directs right after a group Zoom. He rotates this each week to a different person. It gives him a chance to be open-ended or ask questions based on the previous meeting. This works great, especially if you sense there is some “stuckness” that wasn’t resolved in the group meeting.
In all three cases above, you’re stealing time when you might not think you have it. Goes a long way to showing your dedication to coaching and your accessibility.
What ways do YOU create psychological safety and “sneak” in coaching?
