Case Study – from caution to confidence

Context

Andy was hired by a global company, bringing breadth of experience from his previous consultancy work. A job was created for him in procurement, although he was not a procurement specialist. Frustration was clear. The business did not know what to do with him, and Andy felt stuck in the midst of great ambiguity about his role.

 

Solution

Andy first completed his VoicePrint Self-Perception profile as part of a team coaching exercise. His initial profile indicates a lot of sense making (Diganose) and attempting to explain (Articulate) things. The group profile showed a team that avoided difficult, but necessary, conversations. Very few team members, Andy included, were utilising Challenge, and low use of Direct was resulting in a collective inability to bring things to action.

 

Through coaching on his VoicePrint tendencies and how these played out in his new working context, Andy set an intention to externalise his thinking more, by spending less time in Diagnose, and increasing his use of Probe. He sought to get more comfortable using Challenge and Direct, to increase his own presence, and for the benefit of the team. His context and role needed him to be more proactive than reactive.

 

A year later Andy’s profile showed some big shifts. Andy was using Inquire to reach out to others, and Challenge to refocus the team. He was more confident, had more presence, and a greater outward focus. Andy set new intentions to serve a team that didn’t naturally conclude discussions and land them in action. A year on, Andy’s starting point is in Advocate and Challenge, voices that demonstrate his growing confidence and serve to inject a much-needed sense of urgency into the team.  

 

Impact

Over the course of his coaching, Andy evolved an initial profile that was driven by his natural tendencies of curiosity and sense making but that wasn’t fully serving him in his current context. As a leader, he moved from caution to confidence, from back foot to front foot, from inside his head to powerful externalised communication, and from ambiguity to a clear sense of purpose.   

 

Key takeaway

How using the VoicePrint self-perception can facilitate development, by first clarifying natural tendencies and comparing them with role requirements, then supporting the evolution of conscious intent, to produce improved personal confidence and professional performance.

 

Contributed by Dr. Clare Anderson, Bold Leap Ltd, and VoicePrint Master Practitioner