A few years ago Ian was coaching a senior leader who found himself in a new role and a very challenging situation. The leader, Jim, had fallen into an unhelpful mindset and needed interrupting

Jim brought a great sense of hope and ambition and there was an opportunity for him to make a big impact. But after several months his leadership mindset had changed. Instead of talking about what he wanted to achieve Jim began to speak about the obstacles he was facing and what he had come to believe wasn’t possible. His frustration was obvious; he couldn’t see any way forward.

At moments like this interruption is essential. But that doesn’t make it easy. Ian waited for the right moment and, looking directly into Jim’s eyes, said ‘it sounds like they’ve got you’.

Arguing for your limitations…

Jim came straight back at Ian. He argued his case vehemently, told Ian exactly what his problems were and the reasons why he hadn’t made progress. He was clearly cross with Ian’s intervention and detailed all the organisational realities that justified his behaviour.

‘Wow,’ Ian said with a glint of humour when he’d run through his list, ‘they’ve really got you’.

Jim had quite a reaction to this and looked like he was going to explode. Then something shifted. And with a huge release of breath Jim said ‘Damn it! You’re right. They really got me’, and they both laughed long and loud.

Interruptions free us up…

After this wake-up call Jim and Ian talked about the weight of culture and how easy it is to lose perspective. As well as his own needs Jim was facing other people’s doubts and lack of enthusiasm. He recognised that he had lost energy and had started to tolerate other people’s poor behaviour and attitudes.

In Jim’s case he had to get back in touch with what he really cared about. He wanted to make a difference and he was prepared to be relentless about improving performance. If that meant a few people getting upset then he was more than ready for that to lead to a bolder conversation.