Leading in a Solution Focused way

Welcome

Facilitator: Annette Gray

Who am I?

Coaching since 2001

Passionate about Solution Focus practice

7,500 leaders1,500 coaching hrs

Past

My paycheck

My satisfaction

My bossMy annual review

My weaknesses

My job

Future

My purpose

My development

My coachMy ongoing conversation

My strengths

My life

Source: Gallup – It’s the Manager

Changing demands of the workforce

• In pairs - Warm up – What are you most please about with your mentoring relationship? And best hopes for today’s session?

• Debrief in full group- what are your best hopes from today’s session?

• Check in - In groups of 4 – What has worked so far? List 20 things! All the detail!

• Debrief in full group

• New groups of 4 - What questions do you have?

• Full group – your questions – things to clarify

• Being solution fcused – Where do you focus the conversation

Agenda

Before we begin…..

• How will we know that today’s session has been useful?

• What are you curious about?

Where do you focus your conversations?

Let’s See It in Action!

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What did you notice happen in this conversation?

Are you helpingto fill the balloonup or to deflate it?

PAST FUTURE

Timeline axis

Where do you focus your conversations?

Where do you focus your conversations?

Good Stuff orWhat’s wanted

Not so good stuff or What is not wanted

Content axis

POSITIVE CONTENT

NEGATIVE CONTENT

PAST FUTURE

2 1

3 4

Dialogic orientation quadrant (DOQ) (Moon, 2017)

What works well already Resourceful past

2 1

3 4

Preferred Future

Causes of unwanted –Problem past

The unwanted continues

Dialogic orientation quadrant (DOQ) (Moon, 2017)

What do Solution-Focused questions do?

“Change is happeningall the time…The simple way to change is to notice the useful change and amplify it.”

Gregory Bateson

Solution Focus

• What’s wrong?

• What needs fixing?

• Blame and control

• Causes in the past

• The expert knows best

• Deficits and weaknesses

• Complication

• Definitions

Problem Focus

• What’s wanted

• What’s working

• Progress

• Influence

• Collaboration

• Resources and strengths

• Simplicity

• Actions

Solution Focus

Problem Focus or Solution Focus?

• Focus attention on the problem

• Analysis

• Urge to understand(and might be useful)

• Academic impulse

• Focus attention on the solution

• Progress

• Urge to be useful(and might understand)

• Pragmatic impulse

Problem Focus or Solution Focus?

• In pairs - Warm up – What are you most please about with your mentoring relationship? And best hopes for today’s session?

• Debrief in full group- what are your best hopes from today’s session?

• Check in - In groups of 4 – What has worked so far? List 20 things! All the detail!

• Debrief in full group

• New groups of 4 - What questions do you have?

• Full group – your questions – things to clarify

• Being solution fcused – Where do you focus the conversation

AgendaSolution Focused conversations

Problem talk creates problems, solution talk creates solutions.

Steve de Shazer

1. The Solution does not care where the problem came from.

2. It is the faster route to change.

3. Creates better working relationships!

Why should you consider leading in a Solution Focused way?

Your questions?

• Listen - they have a problem

• Listen - they are a problem

• Listen for their brilliance – listening for the superhero!

How do you listen?

• Facial gestures

• Hand gestures

• Gaze

What matters the most in Conversations?

• Activity: Listening for the brilliance• With someone you know – interview them about What makes them great at their job?• All you need to do is to listen for their superhero or listen for their brilliance • The aim is to listen for the strengths behind the story.• Listen (in your core – that they are the best person at that, listen for their brilliance and

respond enthusiastically!)

➢ Ask… What else makes you great at your job? (4 times)➢ Have pen ready to record all the wonderful things!

• Watch what happens!

A challenge for you!

FrogForever

Recognise

Other’s

Greatness

Brenda Zalter Minden

What is one thing you have taken from our conversation today?

Jot down in chat area

Your Takeaways?

Annette Gray Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Speaker

* annette@annettegray.com.au

0410 615 889Annette Gray Consulting

www.annettegray.com.au

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