Personal Reflections from the Coaching Kata · 2017-11-16 · What I have learned upon reflection: • Implementing each level of technical change surfaced organizational obstacles

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Personal Reflections from the Coaching Kata

A personal journey of learning and growth.


Background: Before Kata

Transformative Experiences:

• Feb 2003: Started work as “KOS Director” at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY.

• I started the job as a seasoned technical expert with 15 years of experience.

• I understood the technical connections

• how the tools interact to drive continuous improvement…

• what the people are supposed to do.

But this knowledge was more about the end state than helping people learn to get there.


Background: Before Kata (2003-04)

Story of Long-Term Culture Change First – Established a daily routine for practicing problem solving.

Then – Systematically confronted organizational issues that got in the way.

Finally – Systematically expanded the depth and scope.

Result: Still going strong 14 years later.



What I have learned upon reflection: • Implementing each level of technical change

surfaced organizational obstacles.

• In this case, the organization’s leadership saw those obstacles and systematically addressed them.

• The willingness of leadership to reflect and self-engage made it easier than it usually is.

• My technical skills and knowledge got me through because the leadership stepped up to their part.



Hypothesis about what was happening:

Attempted Technical Change

Surfaces Organizational

Issues

Organizational Issues

Addressed

Technical Change Incorporated into Routine

Identify Next Level Technical

Change



Hypothesis of the primary failure mode: Attempted

Technical Change


Issues


Addressed



Change

New




Technical Change


Issues

Identify New Technical Change

Whack-a-mole (Creative Commons) Flickr user “Tiger Girl”


Background: Before Kata

My pre-Kata Paradigm about “Lean”

• It isn’t about implementing tools.

• It is about developing a scientific / problem-solving culture.

• Leaders coach problem solving by asking questions.

• I was pretty good at coaching, most of the time.

• We had a hard time trying to teach others to be good coaches – we just did it.


Summer 2009: The Kata Epiphany

Read the book.

• “Tools” as target conditions or challenges validated and clarified my understanding.

• Revelation: The 5 Questions. I was very ready because I had been searching for this.


Summer 2010: The Kata Epiphany (II)

Met Mike Rother at a conference.

• Concept of “Deep Practice.” Ordered The Talent Code before Mike’s talk was finished.

• 4 Hour Workshop w/ about 12 participants.

• Of course… I didn’t have to practice, because I already knew this stuff… right?


Novice Coach: Asking the Questions

Obstacle: • The Curse of

Knowledge

• I knew about the “5 Questions” and understood their purpose. • I knew how to answer the “5 Questions.” • I didn’t know how to teach the learner to answer the “5 Questions.”


Where I Was – A Novice: Asking the Questions

Page 247 The book makes sense, just do what it says.

It would be obvious to everybody that this makes sense.. Right?

So I dropped the questions over a traditional kaizen event.


Novice Coach: Asking the Questions


Knowledge

What Really Happened: • Not much different.

• Technical implementation of takt, flow, pull. (that lasted a couple

of months.)

What I learned: • At the time, not much. I was in “doing mode,” not “learning

mode.”

• Much, much later I can reflect.

What’s obvious to me isn’t automatically obvious to everybody else.

Even if I point it out!


Novice: Asking the Questions

Key Lessons:

• Novice coaches, especially knowledgeable ones (like me), ask leading questions, not coaching questions.

Objection! Leading the witness!

• The classic 5 Day Event Structure creates time pressure to just tell them what to do.

• (In retrospect): The andon worked to reveal obstacles, and the team did work to dial in the flow as their “target condition” even if not stated.

• But… the depth and sophistication was too much, too fast.


Novice: Dealing with executives.

Obstacle in the way of my learning:

“They don’t get it.”

I will point out the errors in their approach and thinking.

They will stop arguing and adopt my solution.

I’d rather not go into that. Let’s just say it didn’t go well.

Not much at the time.

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”



Obstacle in the way of my learning:

“They don’t get it.”

I will point out the errors in their approach and thinking.

They will stop arguing and adopt my solution.

I’d rather not go into that. Let’s just say it didn’t end well.

Not much at the time.

I was expecting senior leaders to immediately explore and adopt a new line of reasoning.

Ain’t gonna happen.




Technical Change


Issues

Identify New Technical Change

I did not yet have the skills to deal with “avoiding organizational issues.”

I could see them and name them, but not in constructive ways.



Lessons / Learning (much later): • Senior leaders are learners too.

• Though they might not know, and might not want to know.

• Interventions must be framed as my target conditions. • Obstacles. Experiments. • Work to learn what works in the

organization. • Work to build allies. Recognize

constituencies. • Don’t confuse “allies” with

“confidants.” • Camouflage: Make what should

be done look like what is expected to be done.

“Slow down, you move too fast…”

More about this later.


Next Level: Strict - Make Sure They Get it Right

Current Condition: • I came to understand

well how all of the pieces fit to tell the story.

• I learned how to ask follow-on questions that drew out these connections.


Knowledge – Part II More knowledge.


Strict: Make Sure They Get it Right

• I had a lot of success using this logical sequence with most learners.

Flying along pretty well at this point…

Current Condition: • I came to understand

well how all of the pieces fit to tell the story.

• I learned how to ask follow-on questions that drew out these connections.


Knowledge – Part II More knowledge.



When it works: • The coach and

learner are naturally working through each step one-by-one.

Failure Mode: • The learner feels

pressure to move fast, and the coach (me) tries to correct everything at once.

And the learner experiences something like this.



When it works: • The coach and

learner are naturally working through each step one-by-one.

Failure Mode: • The learner moves

too fast, and the coach (me) tries to correct everything.

And the learner experiences something like this.


Obstacle: • Inappropriate

challenge from management.

• “Coaching” the learner instead of the leadership.

Mistake: Coaching the Learner vs. the Leaders

Empathy Lesson: What is the learner’s experience if the challenge comes apart?


“High Stakes” = Shutdown of Learning

“High Stakes” = “Fear of Failing”

What does “failing” look like to a novice learner?

• A frustrating experience in front of the boss.

• Hard work negated as an inappropriate direction.

• Not knowing what to say.

• “Getting everything wrong.”

In other words: What might create fear for the learner?



My Obstacles • The Curse of

Knowledge – Just more knowledge.

• Still focused on the process, not the learner.

• My own fear of the learner “not doing well.”

• Intellectually, I understood the “Peak-End” rule.

• In reality, I pushed for “perfect practice” vs. “experiencing perfection.”

• It was still about me “showing what I know.”

• If the learner fears being wrong, he won’t try.

• If “not trying” = “wrong” he will quit. The coach’s fear will transfer to the

learner.



My Obstacles • The Curse of

Knowledge – Just more knowledge.

• Still focused on the process, not the learner.

• My own fear of the learner “not doing well.”

• Intellectually, I understood the “Peak-End” rule.

• In reality, I pushed for “perfect practice” vs. “experiencing perfection.”

• It was still about me “showing what I know.”

As a coach, I slammed into my personal limitations.


Transition: Flexibility: Learning with the Learner

“How quickly can we go and see what we have learned…”

• Follow the structure… but let go of dogma.

• The coach’s job is to grasp the threshold of knowledge, and pull the learner back from the edge.

Not like this…

Kn

ow

led

ge T

hre

sho

ld


Flexibility: Learning with the Learner

2nd Coach: It’s about developing the leaders!

• It isn’t about me being the primary coach.

• Ask the coach the 5 questions about the coaching.


One Successful Countermeasure:

2nd Coach Check Sheet (don’t copy this, it’s about the intent!)*

This example developed by Alex Delgado.

Provides structure to help the coach focus on his next step and expected outcome.

*If you really really want it, there is a copy available at TheLeanThinker.com under “Resources”


Flexibility: Beyond Technical Problems

• This is the very definition of culture change.

• Culture change brings up unexpected issues.

• Sometimes they are uncomfortable.

Obstacles

are often

“elephants in

the room.”

• 2nd Coach: Be on the lookout for elephants. • Elephants are very shy and become

frightened if they are noticed. • They must be dealt with carefully or they

can do a lot of damage.



Detecting Elephants: Attempted Technical Change

You might be here if you detect fear. Takes many forms.

• Deflection. • Confusion. • Anger. • Paralysis of action. • Sudden defense of the status-quo.

Obstacles

are often

“elephants in

the room.”


Issues



If you run into these issues: Attempted Technical Change


Issues

Unless the learner is the responsible authority: • This is not an obstacle the learner can address. • You have reached her threshold of influence.

• STOP!

(Especially as a 2nd coach)



Common Problems: Attempted Technical Change


Issues


Addressed



Change


Common Problems:

Challenge and Direction Not Appropriate: • Work with the leaders setting the challenge before involving

a novice learner. • “Important, but not urgent.”

• Not fixing something in a different organization.

Learner already invested in inappropriate direction: • If possible, don’t let it get there. Make sure there is

alignment on appropriate Challenge and Direction first.

• If too much invested already, step back and coach the leaders.

• Don’t correct the learner. She did what was expected by her boss(es).


Common Problems:

“Kata” is new and alien. • Different than existing

improvement paradigm.

• Don’t frighten the elephants!

Principle of Camouflage • “Make what you are doing look

like what is expected.”

• Don’t be dogmatic. Nobody is “doing it wrong.”

• Apply the principles to the existing framework.


Overall Thoughts for Coaches

Based on common mistakes I have seen, and I have made. Be predictable! • Surprising or blind-siding the learner

just adds stress.

This is CRITICAL. • It took a long time for me to “get”

what my own advice really meant.

Don’t just blindly drive on. • Are you at the learner’s threshold of

knowledge? • About the process OR about

improvement?

What are you trying to teach? • If you aren’t clear, it isn’t likely the

learner will be either.


What I’m Personally Working On:

Late night FM DJ voice.

Slower to respond - slower to ask, don’t interrupt unless they are off on a wild tangent.

Listen for the threshold of knowledge vs. “doing it right.”

If they struggle with the structure, let the learner explain in their own words.

The answers are more important than the questions.

Focus on correcting one thing. Positive acknowledgement of a good try.

It’s about the learner’s train of thought, not mine.

Calm, reassuring.

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Personal Reflections from the Coaching Kata · 2017-11-16 · What I have learned upon reflection: • Implementing each level of technical change surfaced organizational obstacles