The Book (read it)

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

Gist

• Coaching is a habit
• Habits are hard to change
• Good coaching requires deliberate practice
• These seven questions help coach effectively (a Socrates like method of asking questions that help individuals reach solutions on their own).

The Questions

1. What is on your mind? (The kickstart question)
2. And what else?
3. What is the real challenge here for you? (The focus question)
4. What do you want? (Foundation question)
5. What do you want from me? (Lazy question)
6. If you say yes to this, what must you say no to? (Strategic Question)
7. What was the most useful here for you? (Learning Question)

Take Aways

Rules of thumb

• The answers are within, we need to find them, and help other find them
• Do not take responsibility of others
• Focus is key
• To change a habit identify:
  • the trigger, (the hardest thing)
  • the behaviour that needs to be replaced with a new behaviour, and finally,
  • the reward

As a lead, help team members

• address their concerns
• dig deeper into the challenges they face, help see them for what they really are
• get to the point
• understand the desired outcome
• ask for help
• understand the tradeoffs
• get feedback

The Gist

• Focus is the most important requirement in achieving anything
• Only those things we focus on have a chance of getting done. The inverse is also true, whatever we don’t focus on has a lower chance of getting done

Why does this matter

If you want to achieve a goal, then deliberate and relentless attention is required.

Quotes

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”

Paulo Coelho

“If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.”, “To measure, is to know”

Lord Kelvin

Explains the relationship between challenges and skills.

The Book

Flow: The psychology of happiness by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Gist

When doing any task there are 2 factors involved:

• The challenge – how complex is the task itself
• The skill – how hard / easy is it for the person to do the task

These 2 factors intersect in a point called “Flow”.

The intersection can explain several emotions that arise within a person.

Frustration – When a task is too complex and the and the skill does not meet the challenge

Boredom – When a task is too simple and skill far exceeds the challenge

Flow – When the challenge and the skill are just right for each other.

In Flow a person enters a mental space where:

• there is loss of time
• in many cases there is a deep sense of joy
• there is a sense of meaning

Takeaways

• Helps understand what is happening when experiencing frustration, or boredom.
• To find Flow in any task, it is possible consider whether changing the complexity or whether the skill required can be changed.

Describes the evolution of uncertainty as a project or task moves forward

Gist

In the beginning of a complex project, it is very difficult to estimate the level of effort it will take to complete it.

At this point in the project there are many unknowns that will influence the amount of work needed to complete the project.

As the project progresses, the uncertainties become known, and therefore, more predictable, making it easier to estimate.

Takeaways

Break the complex project into smaller projects.

For example, break the complex project into two:

1. The known part of the project
2. The unknown part of the project

Then estimate the known part of the project.

It is likely that by the end of the known part of the project, the unknown part of the project will become apparent.

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion

Gist

Work is like a gas. A gas expands to fit the volume of its container. If there is no container, it keeps expanding.

In the same manner, work expands indefinitely.

Takeaway

There will never be enough time to complete any work. It can go on indefinitely.

Therefore, in order to have time for other things outside of work, it has to be time-boxed,

Time-boxing

1. Limit the time to do a task
2. Limit the scope
3. Or Both

Gist

The rule of nature that describes disproportionate relationships.

Officially, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

What is the minimum amount of effort that will bring the maximum results.

This applies to almost everything in nature.

Take aways

• First focus on the 20% of tasks that are going to bring 80% of the value. Also known as the the “low hanging fruits”.
• Don’t get hanged up on the numbers, ie. 80/20. They vary by case study.

Gist

Every team relationship between two or more individuals goes through these stages:

Forming

• Team Relationship is made, teams are formed
• People learn about each other
• Strengths and Weaknesses are understood
• Usually, individuals want to get along, and therefore, there are no dramas
• Productivity increases slowly, but improves over time

Storming

• Turbulent period and quite stressful
• Patience runs out
• Individuals start challenging each other
• Some relationships are ended, people get fired
• Productivity sometimes halts or reverses

Norming

• Relationships normalise
• Individuals start acting as a team
• Risky times, as individuals fall into routines
• Productivity improves again

Performing

• The holy grail of teams productivity
• Teams members are able to anticipate each other
• Productivity is highest

Take aways

• Be patient and steady during the Storming phase
• During the Norming phase, there is a big risk to revert back to Storming or even to Forming if new people need to join the team
• Not guaranteed teams will ever reach the Performing phase
• To get to the Performing level teams must apply a deliberate effort and hold a coherent dream

How People Learn

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

– Confucius

Gist

People generally remember:

• 10% of what they read
• 20% of what they hear
• 30% of what they see
• 50% of what they see and hear
• 70% of what they write and say
• 90% of what they say as they do

Take aways

• Embed as many senses as possible into the learning process
• Learn to Teach what is being learned

Sources

• Edgar Dale – Creator of the “Cone of Experience” concept
• The cone