The first thing I did was to take the LCP* assessment. While I agreed with some of the assessment results, most results tended to be completely the opposite of what I had thought myself to be. I was surprised at how I was being perceived. Frankly stating my opinions for better or worse, being an inspiring person, and placing importance on everyone being happy are some of the personal characteristics I was already aware of in myself. In contrast, suggestions such as speaking from an overall perspective, clearly and concretely communicating the organization’s goals, and not interrupting others while they are speaking, were issues that I seriously accepted as things I needed to work on. Based on these results, the coach said to me during our sessions, “Let’s work together to figure out how to expand your strengths and correct the areas requiring improvement while identifying the problem areas.”Thanks to this advice from the coach, I think I was able to gain a guide to the next step I needed to take.

*LCP (Leadership Circle Profile): a 360-degree assessment tool for measuring how well an individual demonstrates leadership

The coach asked me multi-faceted questions about past events and the sense of values I held. Answering these questions helped me verify my behavioral patterns, internal thoughts, and so on. I’d always been conscious about staying pleasant and creating an atmosphere in which everyone can enjoy working. However, I knew this was not enough from now on. I was aware that the task of developing a strategic vision, converting it into specific missions, and leading the organization were the most challenging goals for me. By continuing to ask questions about how to achieve these goals during dialogues with the coach, I think I was able to get some clues. That is, if you do not have a certain talent, gather knowledge by asking for help from people who have it. To do that, I have to be able to listen to and accept other people’s opinions. This was also one of my challenges that became clear from the LCP assessment. Therefore, the first actions I decided to take were to always take a moment before answering and to pay as close attention as possible to the other person to fully comprehend what he or she is trying to communicate. I decided on these actions as a result of feedback from my coach. He said, “Your reaction speed is too fast. Isn’t it important to fully comprehend the other person’s opinion?” I realized that I had perhaps not been correctly understanding the other people’s points of view. I also hadn’t been able to think of points to meet, challenges to overcome and a proper process to figure out them. To establish these actions as habits, I wrote the actions I needed to take on a piece of paper and stuck it to the pen I use every day. Then, at the next session, I reported what I had been able to accomplish and consulted the coach about my next specific action goals. I think that having specific goals and time limits made it easier to work on issues.

I also learned listening techniques from the coach’s attitude and perspective, as well as the session atmosphere. I could strongly feel the coach’s attitude of being interested in what I was saying and who I am, which I understood to be a demonstration of active listening and not mere hearing. I felt that the ability to help conversation partners to naturally open their hearts and to establish a relationship in which people can freely talk about their feelings and opinions with anybody is an extremely important skill when leading an organization. I think I realized the effects and importance of active listening and am now able to “listen” a little better precisely because of the coaching I received.