In Session
Learn more about The TAI Group through the stories from our coaches.
Gary Lyons - Senior Coach
Janice O'Rourke - Senior Coach
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People often ask me what I do as a coach at The TAI Group. It's not an easy question to answer. It's like asking a mother or a father what they do - there are many things involved in raising a child. Likewise with coaching clients - there are many aspects involved in getting them to be authentic in front of an audience of one or one hundred. And, as I've heard many parents say if they have more than one child, what worked with bringing up Rosencrantz does not necessarily work with Guildenstern! With clients it's the same thing. What worked for the CFO of Rogers Corporation does not necessarily work for the CFO of Deloitte. So my answer now, when people ask me what I do, is "I coach my clients to 'be'." It takes time to get people to "be." Having been a theatre director, I find it's very similar to working with actors on a play inasmuch as actors each work differently and at a different pace. As a director you have to know how to get the best out of each actor without stifling or getting in the way of their creative journey. It's also about asking the right questions and that's what I do when I'm working with a client.
Coaching sessions can be 4 to 5 hours long so that clients have time to leave their “world” and enter our “world.” If you were a fly on the wall you might think that the first hour of the session was just chatting and bemoaning the various ‘issues’ the client is having at work. But in fact, a lot of information gathering is going on which is stored in the computer in my head and is accessed when looking at their “philosophy of leadership” or the “declaration of their values” or their “personal vision” for themselves and their company or discovering what their “essential drivers” are.
Most of the programs we do with our clients usually start with some basic tools regarding communicating. But, like actors, if the "character" work has not been done and the audience is not convinced that they are "grieving because their father the King has been murdered", all the basic tools in the world will not help. So clients need to learn to be authentic in their communication as well.
So that's what I do. I ask clients the right questions. I give clients tools. But most importantly I work with my clients on the 'character' work.
What are their values? What is their point of view? What is their philosophy of leadership? What is their language, their way of expressing themselves? What makes them get out of bed every day?
Once they get clear on these, the "magic" starts to happen.
They speak with and from their "authentic voice".
They have presence.
They have composure.
They have relevant, poignant stories to tell.
They have a rapport with their "audience".
We sense we are in the company of someone who is real.
We are watching someone "being".
 | Janice O'Rourke - Senior Coach Janice is a highly valued and trusted consultant who works with executives in many international organizations. She combines broad entrepreneurial experience with a performing arts background, resulting in powerful engagements for her clients. |
The VP of an international consulting firm came to work on his leadership style and communication skills. In our initial sessions, we explored the essential drivers - the core values that fuel his work and his life. We engaged in exercises where he used these drivers to introduce himself in a more personal and impactful way in different scenarios: an internal team, a client team and a potential new client. Going beyond his “resume” and creating more revealing introductions sets the stage and invites the audience to connect, fostering an environment of understanding and trust.
Soon after one of these sessions he was in a situation which highlighted the shift in leadership he was experiencing as a result of our work. A client meeting was underway when he walked in – a new face to the clients. He sat to the side of the room, as he usually does when he is not leading a project but rather overseeing his managers. Within a few minutes, he sensed the meeting was not going well. Energy was extremely low and the client team looked distracted and disengaged. The faces of his colleagues displayed anxiety, and one manager gave him a “save us” glance. At this point, the VP stood up and began speaking; launching straight into what he was hearing and what he was recommending as a next step. However, the recent work we had done enabled him to be sensitive to the mood in the room. He stopped in his tracks. Instead of reciting his usual process-oriented speech, he introduced himself in a personal way – not just giving his title, but sharing his perspective, his reason for being there, his role and why this project was important to him. He continued, going further by asking each member of the client team to introduce him or herself to him briefly, and tell him their roles, their goals and desired outcomes. As they did this the VP experienced a shift in the energy of the room, a change in engagement, and a growing trust in the consulting team. They all immediately set to task, collaborating on a list of next steps to solve the current problems in the project.
As my client recounted this story, he said: ”Before this work, I don’t think I would have been so bold as to have stepped in at all, and certainly not bold enough to stop in my flow and reach out to the room for relationship, personal exchange and energized engagement.”
