[sample translations]hong eui sook, the five secrets of coaching eng by LTI Korea Library

Sample Translations

Eui Sook Hong

The Five Secrets of Coaching E ng l i s h

Book Information

The Five Secrets of Coaching (코칭의 5가지 비밀) Dasan Books Publishing corp. / 2012 / 27 p. / ISBN 9788963701134 03320 For further information, please visit: http://library.klti.or.kr/node/772 This sample translation was produced with support from LTI Korea. Please contact the LTI Korea Library for further information. library@klti.or.kr

The Five Secrets of Coaching Written by Hong Eui Sook

No Signs of Improvement

In the company lobby, Kang Chi-won came across a group of employees. CEO of GA International, Kang was hurrying back to his office after a tour of company shops with his sales director. “Where are you guys heading in such a hurry?” he asked. “Oh, we are leaving the office, sir,” they replied in unison. Glancing at the wall clock he sighed – it was 6 o’clock sharp. Suddenly he felt as if he would collapse. He didn’t notice the time while visiting customers, but his underlings were hurrying to get out of the office, barely even saying goodbye to him. “I heard that the new yoga class is great.” “Really? Maybe I’ll quit what I’m doing and start going to that class.” The sound of their chatting echoed painfully in his ears as they passed by. Standing behind him, Kang’s sales director was unaware that his boss was frowning at the departing employees. “I can see that our younger staff are really enjoying the company’s new clubs.” Of course, Kang knew all about the kind of lifestyle the younger generation was living. Kang was also witnessing many companies achieving great success, despite the global economic crisis, by taking advantage of Korea’s `well-being trend.’ Kang felt frustrated watching his sales director passively accept the trend rather than identifying it as an established form of consumption and trying to make full use of it as a business opportunity.

“Our firm is facing numerous challenges, but no one is coming up with an idea to save it…’ Kang deplored. Kang Chi-won’s company, GA International, was one of the top three jewelry manufacturers in the country. There were over 100 workers at its headquarters and more than 300 when you included the various company stores and local branches.

Thanks to the distribution of

jewelry from overseas across Korea, as well as its own independent brands, GA International had been growing year after year. But it hit a dead-end last year. The company survived the financial crisis and the IMF bailout years ago, but, recently, sales growth had stalled. Kang tossed and turned for hours in bed at night, worrying about the third quarter revenue which had reached only 80% of the original target. Given the nature of the jewelry business, Christmas and New Year shopping in the fourth quarter would provide it with an opportunity to increase sales. But there were no signs of improving. It was true that domestic demand was very weak. “People are struggling to put food on the table. Jewelry is a luxury that they just can’t afford.” some in the company were saying. Kang admitted that the worsening market conditions had contributed to their lackluster business results. But if everyone in the company would just come together to seek a solution, surely they could find a breakthrough. In fact, Company S, one of his competitors, was making a big splash in the market with its titanium jewelry collection that was perfectly harmless to the human body. It was in line with the modern preference for a healthy lifestyle. Despite the recent success of company S, his employees were complaining that Kang was ignoring market conditions and said that achieving 80% of their sales target was not a bad result, which disappointed him even more. It was clear that the unsatisfactory business would not have been possible unless Kang visited the company stores every day to check them out.

‘The company is in danger, but no one cares about it. This is driving me crazy. Everyone in the company is focused on having a fun time without wanting to work. What is their problem?’ Kang kept thinking. But he could not find a solution. He considered himself a good example, but the workers did not follow suit. 3 Being patient “Well, they are just taking seats” Standing at the bathroom basin, Kang Chi-won let out a long sigh while cooling his burning red face with cold water. He had been in marathon talks with the company team leaders for four hours. Kang checked his face in the mirror. He looked visibly weak, with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t slept well for days. That morning Kang had developed a fever, indicating that he might catch a cold, but he was hanging in there. “Tut, tut you should care more about your health than the company. Do your workers know their boss is in such bad shape? You must go on sick leave for one or two months. Please, listen to me.” His doctor had said a couple of days ago. Kang, who was always suffering from stress-induced gastritis and colitis, allowed himself a wry smile, remembering how the doctor complained that he didn’t listen. What the doctor was talking about was exactly the same thing that Kang felt when he talked to his workers. “I’ve never heard of a company whose boss took sick leave…” Kang said, holding the prescription in his hand. He knew he needed a break from work. He was eager to have a long vacation – one that lasted years, not months. But it was impossible for a ship to sail without its captain, or for the captain to be seen as ill or weak. Looking at his tired face in the mirror, Kang Chi-won suddenly felt anger rising. The entire company of 300 workers depends on me! No! It’s more than 1,200 people if you

include their families! Kang left the restroom with a big sigh. At the end of the corridor, a shaft of light came though the open door of the conference room. “A boss needs to listen to his workers. If we nag the workers until they produce a quick result or burn out, who is going to work for us?” The sales director was complaining with a wry expression on his face and yawning in Kang’s absence. It was way past 11 o’clock, and the meeting was showing no sign of ending. The heads of departments were supposed to keep talking until they found a solution. The clock was ticking, but they were failing to produce an alternative to satisfy Kang. The purpose of the meeting was to come up with a measure to provide a breakthrough to the current difficulties or we won’t survive!” After a long silence, the marketing team leader offered a suggestion – advancing into the Chinese market. He had been thinking about this a lot lately. “A lot of many companies are having success in the Chinese market, so it’s time for us to turn our eyes to the world rather than focusing only on the domestic market. I believe we need to move to China.” Even before he finished speaking, Kang barked at him loudly. “Do I look like a philanthropist? Did you check the sales figures for this month? There’s been no improvement at all! The current status quo is no less than a failure. The domestic market is in disarray, so how about the foreign markets you say? The Chinese market has recently started growing, so let’s move into it – is that your point? Speaking of China, look at the Chinese jewelry brands. In the past, they were more like street peddlers selling cheesy hair bands. But now, I can’t tell the difference between their designs and ours. Do you think pursuing the Chinese market is a good idea? If so, how? Do we have lower production costs? Or much better designs? Are you talking about selling on the streets? I told you to suggest a

viable option, not a wild dream. Without innovation, we will soon be ruined!” Shot down without having an opportunity to make his point, the marketing team leader’s head drooped. The management director in her mid to late forties was looking at some data. But it was clear that she was only pretending, hoping not be the next target of the CEO’s anger. They were all discouraged by the nagging of their boss day after day, but again Kang gave a long speech, spit flying from his mouth. Only moments earlier the sales director had tried to defend himself, because his position was directly linked to the disappointing business results. “You know that sales will not increase whatever we do now. You need to consider the tough market conditions. People are saying that the market is even worse now than it was during the IMF era. We hit 80% of the target, which is not that bad. We are much better than our competitors. Fulfilling the target is impossible.” “I am the boss. When I set the target, you must follow.” Kang Chi-won spit it out in a rage at the excuses. Then, he stormed out of the conference room and rushed to the restroom. He washed his face with cold water to control himself. I didn’t call the meeting to nag them, but I ended up getting upset again. It was too hasty for me to yell at the marketing team leader. He might have a good idea. Kang Chi-won found himself saying “quickly” all the time. He knew he was being rash and hasty, but couldn’t control himself. The sales director made a face, thinking about what Kang had said moments ago. “Things were not as bad then as they are now…” he said to himself bitterly. As one of the founding members of the company, he missed the good old days. Back then, they had empty hands but he was happy with hope. Out of all of them, Kang and he were like brothers. But they had drifted apart, particularly after the big mistake he made 4 years ago. It was when the sales director was lost in thought that Kang threw open the door and came

back into the room. Water drops were still falling from his face. “We’re not likely to find a viable alternative, no matter how long we sit here and talk about it. I think there is only one way, and that is an extensive sales campaign. All employees will be mobilized to support the promotion in the stores, even their families. The sales target will be…” As expected, Kang himself came up with the plan. Finally, the meeting was over and all the participants including the CEO himself looked exhausted. The air was chilly between them as they left the room without giving each other any pep talk. That was a typical meeting for Kang Chi-won and his team leaders. A good leader can wait until the team members can find a good solution. He should not jump to a solution or reach a conclusion for others. However, with his hot temper it was unclear whether Kang Chi-won would learn that skill.

A companion for efficiency Kang Chi-won, was busy analyzing the cause of the disappointing sales figures, which were on the verge of dropping even more, and had no time to find out how to solve his estranged relationship with the workers. It was when he was at the monthly peer group forum that he would find a solution. Kang tried not to miss the forum despite his busy schedule, because it provided an opportunity to find out what was going on in the market. In the past, people used to say you should be focused on one area rather than being drawn into all the others. But things had changed, and now, if someone looked only at one area, they might easily become a big fish in a little pond. The theme of the forum on that day was 21st century leadership. It was subtitled Coaching Management, and the word coaching was unfamiliar to most of the participants. “What does coaching mean here? Is it different from consulting or counseling?”

“Oh, isn’t it obvious? It must be another scheme to extort money from us. They say that they can make all problems go away. I’ve wasted good money on that more than a couple of times.” “Mr. Shin, I heard you recently paid a lot to CM Consulting.” “Don’t get me started. I even wanted to sue them for fraud.” Complaints were coming from participants all around the conference table. They were all CEOs from companies small or large. Accordingly, there was no one who had never tried business consulting or some such thing. “By the way, aren’t you going to start restructuring at your company Mr. Kang?” That was Choi, who was quite familiar. Kang Chi-won was covering his stomach with his hand. Sharp stinging needle-like pain continued around his solar plexus. He could barely answer through the pain. “Well, I don’t know. I am not sure if that will make a difference.” “What are you talking about? Freeloaders who are doing nothing but drawing a paycheck must go!” There was a burst of laughter as soon as Choi finished speaking. It was like a catharsis for everyone in the room. Long gone was the time when a CEO could do whatever he or she wanted with a company. “These days, because of my workers I don’t really want to be in the office.” “I heard a rumor that your workers will go on strike again for a pay raise.” “Yes, I hope they move on quietly just this one time.” “By the way, I don’t see Mr. Min. Where is he?” asked Kang, looking around. Mr. Min was one of the regulars at the forum, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Oh, you mustn’t have heard the news. He’s in hospital. I heard that he has some kind of cancer…” “He’s been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. To make matters worse, I heard that his

firm is in bad shape too.” Kang was shocked by the unexpected news. ”I can’t believe that Mr. Min has cancer! He looked perfectly healthy last month.” He could not believe what he had just heard. Kang admired Min, who was always more upbeat and enthusiastic about his company than anyone else. Kang was quiet for a long time, and struck with an ominous feeling. “Overwork might lead to serious health problems.” Suddenly, the doctor’s warning hit him. “Workers think we are just eating gourmet food and playing golf with our buddies every weekend. But in the office, I have never relaxed, even when I was having lunch. What’s more, I try to avoid any conversation with female workers because someone may gossip about it. Anyway, Mr. Min’s family will lose everything if his company goes bankrupt, because he is that kind of person, someone who never keeps anything for himself. We need a safety net at least for our family and kids.” Someone tut-tutted in frustration. Kang was listening without a word, thinking that he might end up in the same boat as Min. He knew everyone in the room was having the same thoughts. Leading a company of dozens or hundreds of workers was easier said than done. The CEOs looked successful but, in fact they were stressed out all the time. After the news about Min, the group remained stuck in a sad mood for quite a while. Time dragged on until the presentation began. On the podium was a lady in her forties wearing a neat suit. According to her CV printed on the pamphlet, she had studied abroad for quite a while. ‘I hope she isn’t going to ramble on about stories set in a distant fantasy world.’ Kang was having a difficult time listening to what the speaker was saying because of the sad news. Besides, he was one of many who had spent quite a lot on business consulting with no

concrete results whatsoever. He had every reason to be negative about it. The lecturer introduced herself. Her name was Kim Jae-eun from I& Coaching. She launched right into her topic without much introduction. “You’ve probably all heard the age jokes at least once. People say that those in their 20s are mostly unemployed, while those in their 50s or 60s who still work in a company are thieves. So what about people in their 40s and 50s? They’re ready for retirement. But that’s not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is a problem all ages face, namely the inability to understand what others say.” Her start was a bit unusual. And maybe because of that, she succeeded in drawing the attention of the audience. “How well do you think internal communication works in your company? I assume many of you here often say that your workers don’t listen to you!” The entire room laughed because she had hit the nail right on the head. A single day never went by without those words being spoken. They felt frustrated and bemoaned the fact that their workers didn’t understand them, often three or four times a day. “It may be because of differing expectations, but misunderstandings are a serious issue in many companies, even though they have a clear distinction for positions. Even you, who are the centers of your companies, have experienced quite a few times when your business decisions failed to impact the bottom of the company structure correctly. You have a proper chain of paperwork in place, but communication does not take place seamlessly. However, this problem is far more serious for the workers than for you, because they are not in a position to express themselves freely. So why can you not understand each other?” Kang found himself engrossed with the presentation and wondered what the solution could be. He knew she had a point, but didn’t know what to do about it. “That is the purpose of coaching. Seamless communication is integral to all companies.”

Seamless communication. The phrase made a big impression on him, and sounded very alluring. “Coaching has a simple principle, which is that everyone has potential for growth and coaching is the means for him or her to realize it. Many of you have had the experience of finding a solution in random advice from a friend, or some phrase in a book you happened to encounter. All we need is a partner. A partner who will listen to us, open our eyes with appropriate questions, and offer a more creative perspective to help us search for and implement a solution to problems.” Communication and partnership. Moment by moment, Kang became more interested in what she was saying. Finally the presentation ended and refreshments followed. He noticed that the speaker was having a conversation with HDT’s CEO Mr. Lee. Lee had recently been attracting attention in the industry due to much improved business results. “Mr. Lee, do you know her well?” Kang asked cautiously when he returned to the table. “Oh, of course I know Ms. Kim very well. You know, she saved our company.” “What do you mean?” Kang asked, feeling curious. Lee answered with a smile on his face. “Between you and me, we can say that the recent improvements in our business results were possible thanks to her coaching. The process was really helpful.” Kang was startled to hear that. He suddenly felt a newfound interest interested in coaching now he knew it was the secret to Mr. Lee’s recent success. “So how did the coaching work? Can you please elaborate a little?” “Mr. Kang, I recommend you just try it. You won’t regret it.” Lee was telling Kang to just give it a shot without any explanation. Kang examined Ms. Kim from a distance. She was listening to others and smiling, which gave him a good impression. How did she address the issues at Mr. Lee’s firm, Kang wondered?

Whenever GA International engaged a consulting service, no particular problem was found. They often handed over a stack of papers called suggestion reports, as evidence of their hard work. But the reports simply were not compatible with local companies.

Line after line,

they were full of suggestions taken from various business books, and real world practices were ignored as an outmoded tradition to be eradicated, frustrating Kang even more. He found no solution at all to the weak sales and worsening atmosphere at his firm. He was always struck with a feeling of uneasiness, which made his stomach even more uncomfortable. Can I find a solution through coaching, he wondered as he approached the speaker. At that moment, he never imagined what his action would mean to him and his company.

Decision to self-innovate Kang Chi-won contemplated the business card in his hand for a long time. It read Kim Jaeeun, I& Coaching. The business card had been given to him by the speaker at the forum. “I& Coaching is more focused on the human side than any company system or strategy. In other words, coaching is a process for each person in a company to develop his or her capabilities and aptitudes,” she explained. “Human side it is!” For days after the forum, the words were never out of his mind. It might be possible that what we have here is a human issue like she mentioned, and consulting simply failed to find that. Thinking carefully, Kang found that he was more disappointed by his workers than he was worried about his firm’s systems. Because of their passive attitude and lack of effort, the future of the company seemed bleak. Maybe coaching would pinpoint the cause of the problems at GA International. “I still can’t understand. It’s not like I didn’t try hard enough, nor did I hire the wrong

people. But why do they refuse to follow me? Well, whatever the causes, the coaching thing might work.” Kang made a fist, having made up his mind. Moments later, he introduced his plan to proceed with coaching at the company’s morning meeting. “I would like the management director to contact I& Coaching right after this meeting and develop a plan to begin the process ASAP. Once again, the result will be reflected in the salary negotiations for next year.” “We are at the end of the year, so wouldn’t it be better to close this year before planning a new project?” the sales director said cautiously. Kang Chi-won didn’t budge. “How come you never understand me? You are not listening to me. That is exactly what I am talking about. I mean this will be the way we close the year.” At last the team leaders in the room realized why their boss had come up with this so called coaching out of nowhere. He was starting the process to improve the weak business results and fix the disruptive communication, and he was interested in it because the process was focused on personal evaluation. Kang planned to divide the workers into 4 grades, A, B, C and D and would lay off those in the bottom grade. The directors’ shoulders slumped, looking at their boss, who was wrapping up the morning meeting at lightning speed with the declaration that a strange process called ‘coaching’ would start soon. “How much worse can it be? It will be just one of the many fancy consulting services we’ve been through before and we will survive. Still, it will make a bit of trouble because our hands are already full.” The sarcastic remarks came out of the mouth of the sales director, who had been embarrassed at Kang’s reaction to his opinion. “When a storm is brewing, you should take caution. Hey, Cho! How about having lunch together this afternoon?”

He headed to his office talking with the marketing team leader. Behind his back, the management director looked at him with the thought that if layoffs really did take place after coaching, then the sales director should be one of the first out the door. But she shared his skepticism about coaching. Looking at the business card she had been given, the management director let out a big sigh. It would be another useless process like they had experienced a number of times before. “Why on earth should we waste our time and energy on this nonsense?” she grumbled. The management director was a shrewd businesswoman, just right for her job. She was busy completing minuses in the financial report, and every last dime was valuable. She couldn’t understand why the boss was pushing ahead with an unclear process called coaching at this time of the year. On top of that, the process itself had a high chance of becoming a headache for everyone in the company. She was frustrated and her head had already started throbbing. She had only one question in mind while pressing the buttons on her phone, “Can coaching be translated into a number?”

The Purpose of Coaching It had already been 30 minutes. The management director had looked indifferent from the beginning and this was too much.

Kim Jae-eun from I& Coaching, was sitting on the sofa

in the management director’s office waiting for her. Busy with her own work, she had been ignoring Kim. Kim had said a quick hello to Kang Chi-won, the CEO, before moving to the management office about 30 minutes ago. “Please wait for a moment because my hands are full, as you can see”, the management director had explained before starting to call here and there while looking over a bunch of papers given to her by her staff. She seemed to be around Kim’s age and was a typical business woman. Her appearance was neat and perfect from head to toe. Kim wondered what

type of person might be hidden behind her cold-blooded and well-manicured image. “My company has a big problem. We need to make a leap forward but we have been at a standstill for a long time. I am really frustrated with it and don’t know what to do. If you can pinpoint our problem, it will be liberating.” What Kang Chi-won said in the corner office went through Kim Jae-eun’s mind again. But she had studied the company before the visit and it was her conclusion that GA International was not in bad shape at all. The company was one of the top three jewelry distributors in the country and well recognized in the market for its strong brands. On top of that, she had heard about Kang from Mr. Lee, CEO of HDT, where she had just finished a successful course of coaching sessions. According to him, it was the general opinion that Kang was a capable and enthusiastic leader. Some pointed out that he tended to become dogmatic, but, more or less, this was typical for all CEOs. So an aggressive atmosphere in the company was not what she expected. “Sorry for making you wait so long,” said the management director, taking her seat in front of Kim after finally finishing her work. But there was no apologetic tone in her voice. Kim shook her head, smiling. “On what date will we have the presentation?” asked the management director, superficially glancing over the document. “Your company’s schedule comes first, but…” Kim deliberately didn’t finish the sentence in order to draw the attention of the director. Setting up the schedule was important but they had more critical issues to discuss. “We can facilitate coaching only when we know the overall mood and status of the company. I hope you can explain its overall conditions to me briefly.” When Kim made this request, the management director frowned a little and gave an abrupt and unfriendly answer. “Just like my boss said, we are experiencing disappointing business results. At a time when we need to advance into overseas markets, incompetent workers are dragging us down. That’s

why we are doing this coaching thing, whatever that is.” The sarcastic remark of the director hinted at an overall sentiment in the company. It was clear that her unwelcoming attitude towards an outsider reflected the negative attitudes of the workers. Kim was wondering how come the management director had a misconception about coaching, when suddenly a thought occurred to her. “A moment ago, Mr. Kang mentioned some kind of grade. What is that?” Kim asked. “Based on the results of the coaching, we will divide the workers into various grades. And the grades will be reflected in the salary negotiations with the workers,” the management director said with a sneering tone. Kim was startled by the answer, and felt embarrassed by Kang’s absurd plan. While talking with the director, Kim could clearly feel her doubts about the effectiveness of coaching. But her reaction was typical. Almost all workers in firms where Kim conducted Coaching didn’t believe in it when the process first started.

At work, most just did their work according to

their boss’s instructions no matter what. Was it possible that we just don’t know how to find a solution in ourselves? But seeking all solutions from the outside was stupid. Kim returned to the office of I& Coaching and did some hard thinking until late into the night. The purpose of coaching is never to evaluate employees, it is rather to help them reach their potential and find a solution by themselves. Besides, not only the workers but also the CEOs and leaders themselves were subject to the process. Actually, they are the main target of coaching. It was nonsense that the boss would not be involved in it and would use the evaluation report for salary negotiations. It was no wonder the management director was hostile because her job was dependent on the coaching results. “Maybe I shouldn’t go ahead with coaching here?” Kim couldn’t press on with the process along the line of Kang’s intentions. However, she didn’t want to avoid the challenge. GA

International desperately needed coaching. From her short contact with the firm, Kim could tell that communication between management and employees was not working properly. After much thought, Kim finally made a decision and sent an email to the CEO of GA International.

Dear Mr. Kang Chi-won, After my visit to GA International, I had an uneasy feeling all the way back to my office. That was because I realized your expectations about coaching are a lot different from its true purpose. I have pondered how I can address it, and concluded that the best way is to be open about it with you. Coaching is aimed at changing and developing individuals. At I& Coaching, we design the process for all the participants in the process to go through the same process. In particular, it is focused on the management of a firm. When the CEO is involved in the process, the impact of coaching increases greatly. I firmly believe in this principle. However, I heard that you want to be briefed about the interim results during the process and use them for salary negotiations. I want to inform you that your intended way of using the results is not appropriate. You will be provided with the results in a different way. Besides, the evaluation report for each individual worker will not be disclosed to you. Please think again about what this coaching means to you and let me know the result. Thank you, Best regards, Kim Jae-eun.

Reading Ms. Kimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s email the next morning, Kang of GA International was upset. Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it natural to want a clear result for a service Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m paying for? What is wrong with her?

Kang grabbed his phone and called Mr. Lee, CEO of HDT. He must know something about this as he said his firm had improved a lot after the coaching. But Kang received an underwhelming answer from him. “You have no reason to worry. Just leave it to her. You will get what you wanted,” Lee said. “How can I not be worried? She told me that she would not submit an evaluation report for each worker. In that case how will the evaluation be conducted?” “Once, I was just like you. Don’t worry –you will get a concrete result from coaching,” Lee insisted. Kang had to believe Lee, because he sounded so sure about coaching. Lee might be a little insensitive, but he was trustworthy. After the phone call with Lee and much thought, Kang decided to follow his recommendation. Also, he couldn’t undo what he had said to the workers. More than that, he had a hunch that he could trust Kim based on her candid email telling a client company what it was doing wrong.

Who has the solution? It was Thursday, 5 o’clock in the evening. Kim Jae-eun was watching the workers of GA International entering the conference room in groups of twos and threes, feeing refreshed. Watching them, she conjured up the image of a university campus filled with energetic college kids. It was almost November, but they were clothed like it was spring, ranging from dresses with plunging necklines showing a little cleavage, to floral blouses with hip-hop jeans. Their look clearly indicated that they were young. And their faces showed the confidence that was typical of youth. Well, these workers are the young generation with individual personalities and their boss is strict and demanding.

The contrast made Kim smile as she walked to the podium. “The CEO is not going to join us, is he?” Kim was surprised to hear the question from the sales director. “Of course, he will. There he is,” Kim said, noting Kang Chi-won, who happened to be entering at that moment. The participants had been talking with each other even when the speaker was standing at the podium, but they became silent at the appearance of their boss. “Ok, let’s get started,” Kang said to the speaker while taking his seat. Kim looked around the room that had suddenly fallen quiet, and started her presentation with a brief introduction. “We, human beings, have unlimited potential. We know the solutions to our problems better than anyone else. Coaching is a partner on your journey to find the solution. So…” For about 50 minutes Kim explained how the process of coaching would work and what effects they could expect from it, utilizing computer images projected on the wall. But she felt frustration watching the audience, most of whom were dozing off in the dimly lit room. Only those few around the CEO were sitting upright, but they had sleep in their eyes. It was understandable after working all day in the office, and so the workers were expected to have little interest in the presentation. Besides, they must have a negative feeling about it seeing as it was related to salary negotiations. Of the few who were not asleep, almost none were listening to the speaker. Instead they were whispering to each other, and sometimes giggling. Kim thought the response was natural, but still felt disappointed. “An organization can have various problems. But overcoming them is not impossible when members of the organization put in the required effort to rise to the challenge positively, rather than seeing it from a negative perspective.” Before ending her presentation she mentioned successful examples of coaching course in other firms.

Her final words to end the presentation were, “Coaching will start for individual staff members on Monday. Have a good weekend and see you next week, hopefully in a good mood.” “Thank you, Ms. Kim. That was a really good presentation,” the CEO encouraged her as she came off the stage after the presentation. But Kim was not happy at all: the workers had showed little attention, even far lower than her expectations. Looking at their faces when they were coming out of the room, she could tell that they were only too happy to be freed from the boring presentation. She heard what some of them were saying to each other. “Why do they want to waste money on that useless process? They’d be better off giving it to me, then at least I could pay my credit card bill this month.” “Oh, you will never get to use the company money for your own sake, but I just wish the boss would use the money to benefit the employees.” “Nonsense! Our hands are already full with all the work we already have, you know!” Listening to them, Kim reaffirmed her commitment to coaching them. Secret #1. “The members of the organization must understand and share why coaching is being introduced.” Coaching is the approach to bring about positive changes in individuals and their organization. The person intended to introduce the process should know how to tell the distinct benefits coaching can provide from those it cannot. And the process should be redefined according to the characteristics of each organization. As for the members of a company, individual and organizational benefits should be identified by the members with a view to building a consensus among them.

Chapter 2. Identifying the Coordinates “Why can’t we hold the event at hotel L? How about we offer to pay more?” Kang asked. “This is the end of the year, so they are already booked out. I think we’ll have to use hotel P as usual…” Kang Chi-won barely suppressed his desire to yell at the worker for not preparing early enough. It was then that he noticed an envelope sitting on his desk. It was just a white standard envelope. But there were clear letters on it reading “Dear Mr. Kang Chi-won, CEO of GA International.” “What’s that envelope?” Kang asked, flopping into his chair. “It’s from I& Coaching. Everyone in the company found one on their desk this morning. I have one too,” the Sales director answered. Kang opened the envelope, thinking about meaning of the sales director’s answer.

Dear Mr. Kang Chi-won,

I& Coaching is conducting a survey of your company. The survey results will never be made public. Please answer the questions honestly. 

What is your role in the organization?



Do you think you are utilizing your full capacity in the organization? If not, what prevents you from doing so?



Please share your best experience in the organization.



What do you think your organization needs in order to become a good company?



Please describe what is going well in your firm and what needs to be improved.



If you are the CEO of the company, what is your priority?

Please put this paper in the box located in the lobby after you finish.

In addition to the questionnaire, he found an attached document titled “organization diagnosis chart.” This was divided into five parts such as trust of company colleagues, leadership style, structure and system, and mission and strategy. For each section the participant was supposed to give a score out of five to evaluate the overall structure of the organization. The survey was the first phase of the coaching process and was designed to understand how the workers actually felt about their work. But, what was more important was that the questions provided an opportunity for the workers to think about themselves. They easily forgot about themselves due to the hassles of everyday life, such as getting to work on time every day and their heavy workload and daily routines. Suddenly, they came to the realization that they had drifted into a strange place and felt overwhelmed. Those questions in the paper would help them deal with that situation. While writing down the answers, they would think about what their roles were and whether or not their capabilities were being fully utilized in the company. Besides, it offered them the chance to seriously consider the future of the company along with their own futures. The questions would enable the participants to feel ownership. In other words, the survey was designed to make the participants examine their problems and their own status. ‘Do I have to do this, too?’ But his thinking hinted at the fact that he had no intention of finishing the survey. He even pushed the papers away to the corner of his desk, showing he did not at all care about them. “Then, make a reservation at hotel P. Also, how are invitations and newspaper

advertisements going?” he asked. “Yes, Sir. We have already sent out as many as we can. But I am not sure that we can crack open the buyers’ wallets due to the weak economy, even though it is the year-end shopping season,” said the sales director with concern. “That’s what I am talking about! Just find a way to do it!” Kang was angry at what his sales director said. Meanwhile, the sales director was frowning. He was upset about his boss being displeased with whatever he said. But Kang took it one step further. “What’s more, are you selling the jade jewelry sets as I ordered you to last time?” “Well, I think it is possible to sell them to suppliers but, well…as for the others, we are trying,” the sales director looked down when answering. In the company warehouse, there was a mountain of jade necklace and bracelet sets. GA International had produced them to tap into the ‘well-being’ trend but had failed to sell them. Now the products had become a nuisance, inventory that needed to be moved. Kang had given the order to sell them to business customers who were looking for holiday giveaways for their workers in order to shift them in bulk. It might be possible to pressure the suppliers, but it would be a limited amount. What they needed to do was persuade large corporations, but that would not be easy. The sales director assumed that even begging would not be enough to convince large business customers to purchase the items. “What have you been doing lately? You’re not making any progress even with the easy task of selling some products with a healthy concept to the elderly. I want a substantial result from that. Do you understand me?” The sales director went out of the office red in the face as if he had been drinking a lot. He had tons of things he wanted to say but suppressed them. His boss would never listen to whatever he said. Being so depressed, he complained aloud

on his way back to his office as if he were talking to someone. “Damn, it was him who was so sure that they would sell like hot cakes…”

Beyond Expectation “Do you think these are correct?” “On, yeah. We double checked them.” The survey results were a surprise for Kim Jae-eun because they were quite different to those expected. She thought she would see a negative evaluation report based on her view of the CEO and the sentiment of the workers gained during the presentation. But instead it was quite positive. More than at other companies, the workers at GA International were found to be confident. They were very proud of their work and loved their company. She began wondering what the cause of this drastic contrast between the perspectives of the CEO and the workers was. The CEO was sure that the workers were incapable and indifferent. Kim looked through the evaluation report. The participants had honestly shared their stories. For instance, to the question about best experience at work, most participants of other firms answered that they had none, or offered other half-hearted responses. But the workers of GA International gave specific examples. Someone wrote that when his design was adopted by the company with almost no revision, he was able to regain confidence in himself. Another explained that she felt like she was walking on cloud nine when she spotted someone wearing one of her designs on the street. Yet another said that he was impressed by his boss patting him on the shoulder when he made a big mistake and felt sad. Organizational structure was also found to be positive according to the perspective of the workers. Evaluation of five categories including colleagues, leadership style, structure and

system, and mission and strategy received a 3.5 average out of 5. Overall, employees gave all of them relatively good scores, except for the company structure and system categories. A few questions especially received low marks, and among them the following five were the worst: 

Our team has active communication. (1.3 points)



The company provides a proper program for newly recruited workers. (1.8 points)



I receive continuous education to raise my work skills. (1.9 points)



A clear process is in place for workers to express their concerns and interests. (2.0 points)



The CEO, the management, and my boss are trustworthy. (1.2 points)

The initial report indicated weak communication and haphazard training, even for capable workers. In addition, their concerns or interests were generally being ignored and they had no channel through which to express themselves. Among other things, they had low trust for the CEO, the management, and their bosses. Kim examined the report and was encouraged by the results, which were more positive than expected. But it sparked a new curiosity in her mind as to why Kang Chi-won was so anxious about the firm, saying they were on the brink of a crisis. Well, maybe he was misjudging his company.

A large difference “It…well, it can’t be…” It was Monday morning. Kang Chi-won was reading the evaluation report he had just received. He even stuttered as he couldn’t believe what he was reading.

“This result was unexpected for me, too. But the objective figures do not lie. GA International has been evaluated as being an organization with great potential,” Kim explained. The CEO was dumbfounded and felt good at the same time. The workers only seemed to be incapable and complaining about the firm, but actually they loved it. On the other hand, he felt a certain uneasiness in his mind. If the results were positive, then what were the causes of the problems that he was facing? Kim continued speaking with a smile on her face as if she were reading his mind. “GA International posted a good result in terms of structural health, but it does not necessarily mean that you have no problems at all. Some questions received fairly low points. More than anything else, our concern is that they are suffering from a lack of communication and do not trust their managers.” “Hmmm, you are right,” Kang nodded, looking at the report. “Yes, sir.

The points are pretty low. In the case of the training issue, that can be easily

addressed with a well-planned training course. But, the issues of the workers’ interests, communication, and trusting their bosses are the tricky ones. When the workers are not listening to each other, we have more than a problem with systems,” Kim explained. “Well, I see… Nevertheless, I can’t find an individual evaluation for each employee’s performance in the report. Have you forgotten it?” Kang tried to sound her out again, checking her response which didn’t match with his huge body. He wasn’t willing to give up on it, despite his promise at the start of the coaching. But he was embarrassed when Kim examined his face without a word. Kang avoided her eyes and tried to make an excuse. “You know, it is a good thing for a boss to take care of his employees. For that, he needs to know why each worker is dissatisfied with the company…” Kim almost burst out laughing because his face showed clearly what he wanted.

“Still, I can’t show it to you. I don’t think we need to discuss it further. What I am curious about is that I couldn’t find your response in these papers. Did you forget to complete it?” Kim threw back at Kang the same question she had just heard, making him feel nervous. “I just thought that it was not necessary.” “Sir, you promised me before that you’d do it. If you have lost your copy, I just so happen to have one here. How about completing it now?” Kang sighed at her stubbornness and got it off his chest. “To be honest, I just pretended to agree to do it because it seemed you wouldn’t go ahead with the coaching unless I did so. But I still want to have those individual evaluation records.” He continued to say what he had been thinking. He said that whatever the survey result showed, the company was in disarray and it needed restructuring. He saw no hope for the company, unlike Kim, who was of the opinion that it had good potential. And he believed that the incapable workers should change, not him. Kang even noted that she was obliged to do whatever the client wanted. He ended with one of his typical remarks. “Please sort out the rotten apples. They are making the good ones rot.” But Kim shook her head adamantly. “You firmly believe that the incapability of your workers prevents your firm from producing a better result. But, I don’t think so. They are not producing better results because they think the company will never know their true value and does not trust them. What do you think is the cause behind this difference of opinions?” Kang couldn’t answer her question. That was the reason he had asked for her help in the first place. “The survey shows that GA International has both communication as well as trust issues. In detail, there are huge obstacles in vertical and horizontal communication. Your workers have excellent qualifications and love the company, but lack a way to communicate. Vertically, Sir,

you don’t know what the problems in your company are because you don’t understand what the workers are thinking. It is a communication issue that prevents you from understanding them. In addition, horizontal communication among the workers is not taking place appropriately either. Once again, I strongly recommend that you consider that your company’s problems might be different from what you have been thinking.” Kang thought things through again and again, listening to Kim, who had every confidence in what she was saying. For a long time, he couldn’t decide whether he could believe her or not. Also, it was frustrating as she wouldn’t budge at all. Finally, he decided to back down. He couldn’t stop the coaching in the middle of the process. “Whew, I knew you were single-minded, but you are just extraordinary. Okay. I will let you take the lead.” Kim let out a sigh of relief at him giving up on his goal. She felt that finally a foundation had been laid to initiate an appropriate process. “Now, it’s time for you to complete your survey, just as you promised to do. This is a must.” “Ha-ha, just as I said, you really are extraordinary.” Kang laughed louder and louder, seeing Kim taking the survey out of her bag.