In part one, Christine described her arrival at MRG and her slow realization that her motivations weren’t aligning with her job description – and it was draining her every day. Read on to find out how she sought to better sync her drivers with her task.
There I was failing for the first time in my career, and I was miserable (and my high Excelling and Gaining Stature drivers were miserable too). In the meantime, I was hearing about or speaking with several MRG-certified consultants who were doing this relatively new thing called “coaching” with their clients and having amazing results. They were using our IDI to fast-track their understanding of what motivated their clients and combining it with the LEA to help them develop the skills they needed to be great leaders. With the “secret” information of what motivated their clients, it was much easier to figure out which skills would be easier to develop, which would be more of a challenge, and to determine appropriate strategies for developing both. I wanted in.
Luckily, MRG was very supportive and thought it was a good idea to have a certified coach on staff. The plan was to move me out of my management role and into the role of an MRG practitioner and coach. I proceeded to get my Coach Certification from CTI and became an ICF Associate Certified Coach. Finally I was finally able to USE our assessments with our clients. I was able to meet with leaders one on one and connect with them (Giving/Receiving), make them comfortable and laugh (Entertaining), design my own coaching programs (Creating/Structuring), but I didn’t have to manage my clients, tell them what to do, convince them to go along with my program, discipline them, or follow up to make sure they had completed the tasks I assigned them. While every good coaching relationship includes accountability, the coach is not the authority to whom the client is responsible. Accountability in coaching includes gentle reminders, connection, encouragement (Giving/Receiving, Entertaining). While a coach sometimes has to draw a hard line with a client, it’s never to the point of utilizing power and authority.
And something funny happened while I was delving into my coaching career. Since I was using the assessments so much, I was becoming an “expert” in interpreting them and delivering feedback. It really made sense for me to start delivering certifications and training other practitioners in the proper and best utilization of our assessments! I was finally going to be able to deliver all of the cool training materials I had helped develop! I was going to be able to stand up in front of a class as the expert (Gaining Stature/Entertaining), keep them interested and entertained (Entertaining), and be appreciated for my work (Gaining Stature)! Things had come full circle.
Now I divide my time between coaching clients and delivering certifications while supporting the Education and Sales teams. I get to contribute my creative ideas but don’t have to worry so much about how they will be implemented. I get to work directly with people, creating relationships, and I get to inspire people to get the most that they can from our awesome assessments. I get to make training fun! It doesn’t feel like work, and I am so thankful for that. My high Excelling and Gaining Stature drivers still struggle sometimes with not having the perfect profile for a traditional “leader,” but I have mostly come to terms with the fact that there are many types of leaders, and my type will lead through inspiration instead of traditional power. And I’m so much happier (and more successful) for it.
The bottom line is this: success is more likely for you and for your organization when you understand who you are and USE it, rather than trying to fight against it. In the best case scenario, you have an organization that works with you to align your work with your motivations. Or it may mean changing jobs, or finding creative ways to delegate or collaborate to create an energy alignment that’s missing. Either way, clearly understanding who you are and what motivates you is the first step to an amazingly more satisfying and more successful career and life.
