Presented by Simon Lee at Singapore's First Gathering of Organisational Happiness Community of Practice, 28 June 2013, an event organised by Align Group of Companies. Solution-focused Coaching - the Most Critical People Skill Simon Lee, with over 25 years of business management experience, is one of Asia’s pioneer executive coaches specializing in leadership development and strength-based change. He talked about solution-focused coaching that provided participants with a foundation to enhance their personal effectiveness as a leader.

2. As a Leader
 Listen Well
 Ask Questions
 Show Appreciation
 Employee is the Expert

3. Coaching Definitions
 “The perfect strokes are already within us
waiting to be discovered, and the role of the
coach is to give nudging encouragement.”
- Tim Gallwey
 “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to
maximize their own performance. It is helping
them to learn rather than teaching them.”
- Sir John Whitmore

4. The Solution-Focused Approach
The SIMPLE way to find
routes to success.

5. Problem and Solution Talk Exercise

6. Have a go
 Pair up with a neighbour
 One of you will be the Coach and the other will
be the Coachee. As the Coach, you are
supposed to check on the status of a project
that your Coachee is working on. Apparently,
the project has encountered some problems.
 Coach sits facing the screen, employee sits
facing the other way
 Pause…….

7. Have a go – ‘Problem Talk’
1. What’s not working?
2. What makes it difficult?
3. How long have you been experiencing this?
4. What does this problem prevent you from
doing?
5. What are the other things that make it so
difficult?
6. Who is responsible for this problem?
7. How do you feel when you can’t achieve this?
8. Why are you still doing this?

8. Have a go – ‘Solution Talk’
1. What do you want to achieve?
2. How will you know you’ve achieved it?
3. On a scale from 1 – 10, how well are you doing?
4. What’s helping you to get to this level?
5. What will take you one more point up the scale?
6. What will be the first tiny signs that will tell you that
you’re doing better?
7. How will other people notice this improvement?
8. When will you start?

9. From
REACTING
To
CREATING

10. Language Shift
 What I don’t want
 When things go wrong
 Forces beyond my control
 I’m stuck
 More troubles to come
 What I do want
 When things go right
 Forces within my control
 I’m progressing
 Positive possibilities
Being problem focused Being solutions focused

11.  NO ANALYTICAL QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE PAST
※ What’s wrong?
※ Why are things bad?
※ How did the problem arise?
※ Who caused the problem?
 …..BUT QUESTIONS ABOUT
SHAPING THE FUTURE
 What do you want?
 How would it be without the
problem?
 What do you need in order to solve
this problem successfully?
 Suppose the problem is resolved
satisfactorily, what exactly will be
different then?
The Solution-Focused Approach

12. How is Solution-Focused Different?
 Strength Based Approach
 Client is the Expert
 Solution-Building Process
 Illuminating Resources
 Finding New Perspectives
1 10X Y

13. Appreciative Leadership is the relational
capacity to mobilize creative potential and turn
it into positive power – to set in motion positive
ripples of confidence, energy, enthusiasm, and
performance – to make a positive difference in
the world.
- Whitney, Trosten-Bloom and Rader
Appreciative Leadership

14. Inquiry
Inclusion
IlluminationInspiration
Integrity
Appreciative
Leadership
Lets people know that you value them
and their contributions.
Gives people a sense of belonging.Lets people know that they are
expected to give their best for the
greater good, and that they can trust
others to do the same.
Helps people understand how they can best
contribute.
Provides people with a sense of direction.

15. Inquiry
Inclusion
IlluminationInspiration
Integrity
Appreciative
Leadership
Ask positively powerful questions.
Engage with people to co-create the
future.
Make choices for the good of the
whole.
Bring out the best of people and situations.Awaken the creative spirit.

16. Appreciative Leadership
5 Core Strategies
 Inquiry
 Inclusion
 Illumination
 Inspiration
 Integrity
Turn Creative Potential into Positive Power
Be the Change
- Cultivate Your
Character
- Liberate Other’s
Potential
- Foster Collaborations
- Design Innovative
Structures
- Facilitate Positive
Change
Make a + Difference
Getting Positive Results with
Appreciative Leadership

17. B R I E F Coaching
BUILD An Inspiring
Relationship
REVIEW What’s Important to
the Client
INQUIRE Into Client’s
Strengths and Resources
EXPAND on Strategies
and Small Steps
FACILITATE Progress to
Ensure Sustainability

18. With the best of leaders,
When the work is done,
The project completed,
The people all say,
“We did it ourselves.”
…..Lao Tzu