How to Conduct a World Class One Hour Winslow Debrief - Winslow University [INTERNAL USE]

0:02 The second type of coaching is a 1-hour private debriefing of the profile with the individual we assessed. Its purpose is to validate the traits which are contributing to the participants professional success and well-being. The other purpose is to identify any potential liabilities which may unfortunately derail the drive to succeed and the opportunity to live a contented life. We realize that all progress begins by telling the truth. The Winsow profile contributes mightily to that goal. Here's the profile of a fellow I personally debriefed. Looking at his strong dedication scores, it's obvious that he is highly motivated. He has high ambition endurance assertiveness boldness, and leadership. He also has

0:49 high scores in sociability, recognition, and exhibition, making him very warm, friendly, and demonstrative. He wants to please people around him. However, he seems to be remarkably cynical. Notice the two in trust and the three in nurturance. Also, take note of his very low score in control. After examining these details, I said to him, "You're certainly very friendly and highly driven to succeed, but these trust and nurturing scores tell me that you've become cold and cynical." I went on to say, "You've also got a low score in tough-mindedness, so you're wearing your heart on your sleeve." Note that not a single score in the self-control quadrant is above six. I continued by saying, "I realize you really don't know

1:35 me, but if you'll allow me to speak openly, I'm getting a sense that you've been wounded and that somebody has lied to you. Somebody has misrepresented something. Somebody made you a promise and didn't keep it. You're going to want to be careful because if you don't get a solution to this, you're going to start self-medicating to ease your emotional pain." He said to me, "I'm a recovering alcoholic. My sons had an intervention with me saying, "Dad, we don't even know you anymore." Unlike other coaching systems, we're willing to point out the risks a person faces well in advance of any public notice. The sooner we catch these things, our clients can put the solutions in place. If we don't notice and speak to these deep emotional

2:21 issues, participants may begin medicating their pain and trying to hide it. More expressive clients may take it out on others using hostile words or violent actions. Later on, we'll wonder, why did we lose that guy? Or why is she not functional and productive on the job like she used to be? Why is this person getting in conflict with co-workers? Remember, the profile can predict future behavior to a great degree of statistical accuracy. The first step in preparing for the debriefing is to ask your participant to fill in our online pre- coaching worksheet. Asking for this document in advance accomplishes two primary purposes. First, it ensures that the participant actually reads their 45page

3:07 report. Secondly, the worksheet identifies the traits that this participant relies on and those that may be hampering personal progress. Here's a portion of our online pre- coaching worksheet. We're asking the participant to identify the three traits most contributing to personal success and contentment and to identify those three traits which are most detracting from their well-being. We recommend that you ask the participant to fill in and submit this form in advance of booking your debriefing conversation. We usually begin the 1-hour conversation by edifying the strong, favorable traits in order to build trust and confidence. Then we pivot to describing the traits

3:53 that are at risk of inhibiting our participants professional success and personal happiness. To achieve that goal, begin by pulling descriptive adjectives from the manager report. Also, you'll benefit from reviewing the influential trait section of the participants report. It contains valuable recommendations for modifying behavior as necessary. If you're preparing to talk to a newly hired individual, you can also gain insights from the hiring manager. Be sure to clarify the behaviors expected from this individual. In a larger organization, it might also be wise to talk to the line supervisor and the manager, asking for the specific desirable qualities they're looking for.

4:40 Mention any idiosyncrasies you're noticing in the profile to see which of them, if any, could derail the new employees success. Let them know you're about to debrief this person's profile, and you want to be sure he's on board with the culture he's entering. A lot of leaders take great pride in their ability to understand their people and to coach them properly. Conducting a profile debriefing will be an encouraging process if you're hoping to become a manager or a leader who gets the best out of your team. Here's a page from the influential trait section of the participants report. The behavior associated with low nurturance is described in thorough detail. Please read this section of the report when preparing for your debriefing. You'll

5:26 notice that it's full of great information and recommendations. Here's the opening paragraph from the full page on nurturance, which I just showed you. It provides defining adjectives and indicates how other traits can impact this one favorably or unfavorably. Notice the language beginning with the end of the third line which reads, "This trait is a potential concern because others may refrain from interacting with you because of your unsympathetic attitude. This could limit your opportunities for career and personal growth." Now, imagine reading this paragraph during the debriefing. You've already described the individual's many favorable traits, but now it's time to question those that are at risk.

6:11 Consider saying, "Listen, this is what these industrial psychologists are saying about your score in nurturance. Can you see where this could be a problem? I know that you also have high ambition. I know that you aspire to higher levels of leadership. It seems like you want to grow in this company, and I'd like to assist you in achieving that goal. But can you see where this one trait could put that all at risk? If other people refrain from interacting with you, it's obviously difficult to lead them. So, let me ask you, is there any truth to what I just read in the report? If so, what would you like to do about it? Many individuals will then say, "Funny," you should ask. Yes, there's a lot of truth to that. My wife tells me the same

6:58 thing or my colleagues or my parents or my neighbors. I'd appreciate any help you can provide. You can then reply, "Well, if you'd like to make any improvements in that trade or others, we can coach you to do so, but it's got to be a partnership. You've got to be willing to cooperate." Notice the suggested behaviors we've built into the influential trait section of the participants report. I sincerely recommend that you take time to read this section and create recommendations for the participant to follow. You'll also want to review certain traits to guide your communication style with this particular client. For example, look at the three traits in this table. If the participant scores

7:44 low in these three traits, there is one set of recommendations. However, if you see high scores in the report, there's a distinctly different set of recommendations. This guidance helps you prepare a communication style for each person you debrief. Step six in your preparation is to develop a strategic sense of the client's personality. You'll recall from the previous workshops that traits often cluster together to form ingrained behaviors and habit patterns. The Winssler report can be instrumental in identifying such patterns, allowing you to coach your client more effectively and more speedily. On this screen, you'll notice a coach's cluster analysis. This worksheet is especially useful when developing a

8:31 long-term coaching relationship. Take the time to become familiar with this remarkable document. Use it to sharpen your acuity and strengthen your confidence as you prepare for the debriefing session. The final step is to read the online pre- coaching worksheet. Examine it closely and use it as a launching pad into a very effective conversation with your client. One of my clients ran a local marketing firm here in Richmond, Virginia. He asked me to profile several of his leading managers. I conducted the debriefings in person since the company was nearby. One particular manager stands out in my mind. When I visited his office to debrief the profile, his first words

9:17 were, "This profile is a joke. You don't need to waste your time. Thanks for showing up, but there's no need to talk about this assessment. I have another meeting in a few minutes anyway. I replied, "Well, your boss paid me to do a debriefing with you, so if you don't mind, I'd like to review this profile like I'm supposed to." He said, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead." And then added, "My wife read the report and she thinks it's a joke as well." As you can imagine, my confidence was shaken by his sarcastic attitude. I began the debriefing by reviewing the first three traits. He then said, "Hold on, wait a minute. Stop. I was thinking to myself, "Oh my gosh, what's going on?" He said, "I'm really learning something here. Keep going." I said to him, "Well, there's a lot more."

10:04 I finished the six interpersonal traits and so help me. He raised his hand and slapped it down on the desk and loudly said "Stop." I looked at the window. I looked at the door and I began thinking, "Is there a faster way out of here than I came in?" He immediately said, "I owe you an apology. I really didn't read this report that thoroughly. You're telling me things that no one else knows about me. Take as much time as you need." By the time I was done with the debriefing, this tough guy, this master of the universe who thought he was in charge of the world, had tears in his eyes. He said, "I've been looking for 2 years for someone that I could trust to coach me." He said, "You're the only person that told me the truth about myself." He then

10:51 asked, "When do we get started?" That's the power of knowing and sharing the truth about an individual. It's one of the factors that distinguishes us as Winslow coaches. We are certainly eager to identify a participant's positive qualities, but we are also unafraid to share the predicted liabilities that could hamper their success. Now that we've discussed how to prepare for the debriefing, let's unpack how we actually conduct one. The 1-hour conversation has a simple goal. We want to clarify the participants understanding of the traits and how they affect personal behavior for better or for worse. We begin by identifying the more positive traits in the profile and explaining their implications. Next, you'll want to identify the traits that

11:37 appear to be liabilities, those qualities that you believe could be putting this person at risk. During the conversation, be sure to refer to the pre- coaching worksheet as the two of you come to agreement on which of the traits are either contributing to or detracting from your client's well-being. Some of the news which you deliver will be encouraging and some of it may be a little hard for your client to hear. Many times an individual is deeply moved by the specificity of our reports and our debriefing. Be prepared to express empathy and understanding. People have said to me, "This profile is incredibly accurate. I've been struggling with this issue for 20 years, and no one has put a name on it before now. What do you recommend that I do?" A

12:24 moment like that is what differentiates our system from all others. The precision with which we identify helpful and unhelpful behaviors actually builds trust between you and this total stranger. You'll often notice a sense of acquiescence and an eagerness to make reforms to their personality and their behavior. You may be wondering about the cynics, those who are deeply skeptical of reports like ours. Ironically, those cynics, the ones low in trust, are among the clients most motivated to institute changes right away. Something about this profile and your debriefing will provoke in them a desire to make beneficial changes. As you'll learn in the rest of this lesson, we are pressing toward agreement by first having the client acknowledge

13:10 the accuracy of the trade scores. It's hard to press forward in a coaching relationship without such consensus. In step one, you came to agreement on which traits were desirable and which were unfavorable. In this second step, feel free to suggest incremental behavioral changes so your client can see positive results very quickly. For example, a person low in sociability would immediately benefit from answering the phone in a more congenial manner. Furthermore, you can teach this person how to ask simple questions that express an authentic interest in another person. Slight behavioral modifications such as these are easily and quickly implemented by clients who are ready to make behavioral improvements immediately.

13:58 In section two of this course, we provided a comprehensive list of self-management skills which produce remarkable benefits to those who implement them. In the final step of the debriefing, you'll want to offer encouragement and ideas to your client that promote this idea of authentic long-term transformation. Accomplishing this requires focusing on your client's self-management skills. As Abraham Lincoln said in the closing passage of his first inaugural address, "As coaches, we are appealing to the better angels of our client's nature. At Winsler Research, we maintain that certain clients are ready to make transformational changes leading to long-asting improvements. However, please don't leave the individual to go through a self-discovery process. If our clients

14:45 were that self-sufficient, they wouldn't need to talk to us in the first place. To prepare for this essential third step, search the participants report and the manager's report for clues. As already mentioned, be prepared to verbalize any simple, down-to-earth recommendations found in these reports. You may be saying to yourself, "Hey, wait a moment. This guy just read his report, so why do I need to repeat what he's already read?" As you likely know, people have a variety of learning styles. Certainly, there are some who need to privately and quietly read a written report for maximum impact. But would you believe me if I said that not everybody reads these reports that thoroughly? Remember my story about the master of the universe? That guy admitted he had not really read his participants report. He needed to hear

15:32 me express the details about his traits out loud. The conversation was deeply moving to him as I unpacked the implications of his results. Along with momentary behavioral improvements, be prepared to dig deeper. Certain clients have a backlog of memories and feelings that they're eager to express and to process effectively. Your debriefing may be exactly what they've been eagerly awaiting. Many of your clients will be deeply appreciative to learn about specific new recommended habits. Should your coaching relationship continue, you'll now have specific conversational points to discuss so you can discover if these behavioral changes are taking root. Please remember that many people lead lives of quiet desperation.

16:19 Despite their strong scores, they may be suffering in silence. Be prepared to hear stories that are contrary to the predictions of our profile. You'll recall the story of the very private gentleman whose daughter had tragically passed away. Despite his excellent profile scores, there were deep emotional wounds which eventually appeared in his work habits. In such cases, see if you can persuade the individual to open up about outside influences or life circumstances that may be demotivating or suppressing their predicted behaviors. These communication techniques will strengthen the impact of your debriefing process. Here's a story about a debriefing that I conducted a few years back. I had a

17:06 colleague who said, "I want you to profile the pastor of my church and meet with him to review his results." We met at a restaurant and I followed the procedures I just outlined for you. However, at the end of the conversation, I said to him, "I have to tell you something that may be hard to hear. If I were on a pastoral search committee, I would be unable to recommend you." He asked why is that? I said because you have no peace. You have a low score in composure and in contentment as well. You also have very little self-confidence. On paper, you seem like a very unhappy person, and I don't see where those qualities are in alignment with the role you have right now. The next day, this pastor who had been the

17:51 founder of this large church wrote a resignation letter to his board of elders saying, "I met a total stranger who had never laid eyes on me. He told me everything that was going on inside of my heart that I've not shared with any of you." He continued in his letter by saying, "Although I'm the senior pastor of this church, I have lost the desire to fill this role anymore. I'm writing to announce my resignation." He later went on to do other work of a spiritual nature that didn't involve direct contact with people. He had been drained by all the interaction with the members of his church. Challenging conversations like that where you need to deliver some hard truths will be wellreceived if you speak redemptively. Remember, you're not there to judge, but you are there to tell the

18:38 truth. You can have a serious positive impact on people if you're prepared to give them hope. This man wrote me a letter 3 months later describing how much it meant to him that I was willing to tell him the truth about what I saw in his report. So what happens if the profile results contradict the evidence before you? Some people have great success in the marketplace while our profile predicts otherwise. Please don't allow this to undermine your faith in the Winslow assessment. Be patient. Oftentimes, when you drill down and learn more about the person's background and lifestyle, you'll see a clear reason for the contradiction. You may remember the story from a previous course describing the auto salesman with a 11 and six concerns. He

19:26 was succeeding in spite of his wins profile. Given that he had three children, he was entirely motivated by the child support enforcement division of his state government. That kind of pressure can provoke some people to succeed in spite of having the odds stacked against them. Let me tell you another quick story that illustrates this point. We profiled a very successful real estate agent in a small town who scored poorly on our profile. On the surface, it looked like our assessment completely misread her personality. However, because of our trust in the integrity of our profile results, we looked deeper into the situation. It turned out that her daddy was the mayor of the small town where she worked. If you wanted the mayor's favor, you quickly learned to buy your properties

20:12 through his daughter. This doesn't just happened in movies and cheap TV shows. This was a real life situation. She was succeeding because of her father's position, not because of her wonderful talents and her great personality. Over and over, people will challenge us on discrepancies such as this, saying, "I can see that she scored poorly, but my gosh, her sales are incredible. Why is that?" Maintain your confidence and your trust in our system, and I promise you that you will uncover the real story behind any apparent contradictions.