In the last column, we examined the merits of executive coaching. This time around we look at the positive contribution that coaching, mentoring and other leadership attributes can play in pulling an organisation and an individual ‘back from the brink'.
If an organisation is rocked by a major incident – say a sudden shortfall in performance, or an issue of financial overspend, how should we react?
More often than not, those involved are likely to feel down, angry and victimised and whereas these feelings are natural, they are, more often than not, less than helpful. Whereas what we need the organisation to do, particularly when it confronts a crisis, is to harness everyone's energy in as positive a way as possible – in short, turning a negative experience into a productive one.
Joshua Margolis, writing in the Harvard Business Review, outlines four key steps which can be taken to address this turnaround in how we deal with a crisis:
