Enhancing Focus and Stress Management for Managers

Background

For the purpose of this example we are using “John” as the clients name. 

John, a senior manager at a mid-sized company, sought coaching to address the significant stress impacting his work performance. His responsibilities were extensive, and he felt overwhelmed, which hindered his ability to focus effectively.

Initial Session:

During our first coaching session, John shared his concerns about the mounting stress from various challenges at work. He felt his productivity was plummeting, and he needed a strategy to regain his focus.

Coaching Process:

To help John visualise his stressors and gain clarity, we used a coaching technique involving physical objects. Each object represented a specific challenge or issue he was facing. By externalising these stressors, John could see them from a different perspective.

01    Identifying Stressors

• John selected various objects to symbolise his stressors, both large and small.
  

• We laid these objects out on the table, creating a tangible representation of his current situation.

02 Creating Space and Gaining Awareness

• Seeing all the issues laid out in front of him, John began to gain a clearer understanding of his stress sources.

• I encouraged John to reflect on each object, asking curious questions to delve deeper into the nature of each stressor.
  

03 Grouping and Delegating

• Through our discussion, John realised that several stressors could be grouped together as they were related.

• He identified tasks that could be delegated to his team members who were more skilled to handle them. This realisation alleviated a significant portion of his stress.
  

04 Recognising Trivial Issues

• John noticed that some objects represented trivial issues that could be resolved with a simple phone call or quick action.

• This awareness helped him to immediately address and eliminate some stressors.
  

05 Setting Priorities and Goals

• As John started to calm down, he began rearranging the objects, placing them in order of priority.

• He added new objects to represent personal and professional goals he wanted to achieve, integrating them into his plan.

"John felt more in control and less overwhelmed."