Who's in the Hot Seat?
Coaching Client: Maya, Direct of Talent Development for a record label
Coaching Challenge:
Maya loves her job but is thinking about quitting. Why? She doesn't like working for her manager. They have poor communication and she doesn't feel supported by him.
Strategies She Used to Improve Her Relationship with Her Manager
Maya started her first session saying "I don't think my manager values me. It's stressing me out and makes me question if I want to leave this job."
During Maya's four months of coaching, she identified the root causes of her negative feelings toward her manager and worked on her personal biases or assumptions. She then developed a strategy to effectively communicate and work with her manager, even while they did not have a personal connection.
How Did Coaching Help Her?
Maya developed her emotional intelligence and resilience, allowing her to handle difficult situations while maintaining her professional demeanor. This helped her to also improve how she navigates office politics and manages conflicts.
Through a combination of self-reflection, communication skills development, and action planning, Maya learned to build a strong, positive relationship with her manager.
Maya identified her strengths and weaknesses and how she can use them to benefit this relationship. She deepened her understanding of her manager's perspective, communication style, and motivations.
She set clear, achievable goals for this relationship, and then created an action plan to reach those goals. This included steps for scheduling regular one-on-one meetings with her manager, seeking feedback, and finding opportunities for collaboration.
Maya learned tools and strategies for managing her own emotions that included mindfulness practices, stress management techniques, and assertiveness training. This helped Maya stay calm and professional in difficult situations and to respond in a constructive manner.
What changed for Maya? Her relationship with her manager has greatly improved, to the point that Maya counts him as an advocate for her career. Maya feels more resilient and able to handle any conflicts or challenges with her manager now.
Did Your Know?
The Health Benefits of a Positive Work Environment
Research supports that a positive relationship with your manager is the cornerstone to a positive work environment.
There are several health benefits, including: Reduced Stress, Improved Mental Health, Better Immune System Function.
Having a positive work environment can have a lasting impact on your health and well-being, leading to a happier and more fulfilling life both inside and outside of work.