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Happy New Year!
Welcome to the first issue of LINKS in 2004. Our
purpose is to share unique stories and business
applications of individual, team and organizational
agility through
action learning in unique settings, such as golf
courses. We
believe that you will find this issue of LINKS to be of
particular interest to Executives, Human Resources
Professionals and to coaches of all types (executive
coaches, personal trainers, athletic coaches, etc.).
Dr. Nick
Horney
| Dr. Tony Piparo -- A Sport Psychologist's Application of the OODA Loop |
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The OODA Loop provides a very clear and useful
framework for golf and executive coaches to use. The
four phases of
the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) are
helpful to the golf coach or executive coach who is
wrestling with an overwhelming array of feedback
opportunities for his/her client. I have found that the
OODA Loop can be an important ingredient in helping
make a good coach a great coach and a good golfer a
great golfer.
When Nick Horney introduced the OODA Loop to me, I
was a bit skeptical about a framework that was
originally designed for fighter pilots. I asked, what
similarity is there between fighter pilots and the game
of golf? What I discovered was the OODA Loop's clear
applicability and usefulness in golf and in my profession
as a sport psychologist.
My use of the OODA Loop starts with observing
(Observation Phase) the condition of the golfer's
equipment, the weather, the golf course itself and
the swing of the person that I am
coaching. Many times the observation is combined
with the Orientation Phase through the
assistance of technology, a swing analyzer. After
asking the golfer a number of questions and observing
his/her swing, I can tell a great deal about the physical
and mental orientation he/she brings to the game of
golf.
Read more about the Agile Coach »
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| Bill Frakes (Executive Coach and Attorney) -- Executive Coaching and the OODA Loop |
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As we walked to the green, Charles handed me my
putter and picked up his previous questioning. "What
exactly do you do?" He asked again.
I thought for a moment as to the most effective way
to respond. "I work with executives to improve the
performance of their organizations. If there is a
problem, I help identify the cause and help them find
ways to correct it. I observe how they operate, help
them apply their energies in the right direction.
Encourage them and provide feedback that will enable
them to use their skills and abilities in line with their
objectives. I don't make decisions for them but help
them make the right decisions to move their businesses
forward and support their actions once they know
what to do. As we approached the green Charles
stepped up beside me, his face showing warmth, an
understanding that had not been there just a moment
before. "Oh so, you are a caddie for
executives?"
For non-golfers and many golfers the value of having a
caddie working with them on a golf course may seem
like a luxury reserved for the professionals. It would be
nice to have perhaps, but it really isn't feasible and it
is too expensive.
What about in your profession, your business where
you are the professional; who is walking beside you
providing you with encouragement when you need it,
critiquing your approach and telling you what you need
to hear not necessarily what you might want to hear?
Who is on your bag?
Executive Coaching: A Golfing Metaphor »
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| Golf Swing Analysis -- Applied to Executive Coach Training in Business |
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Use of Swing Analysis
Executive Coach
training for consultants or coach training for resources
internal to a company can be
accelerated by applying action learning concepts
through the use of technology-enabled golf swing
analysis.
Each participant is
videotaped using his/her golf swing. There is no
requirement that the participant be a golfer. Individual
video-taped feedback is provided to each participant
with a
comparison to a PGA pro as a means of benchmarking
a "best" swing for that participant.
A discussion is led that focuses
on the value of a good sports coach, whether in golf,
tennis or other sport. The common elements of
coaching in golf and executive coaching are
compared and contrasted using the OODA Loop
framework.
Participants are asked to recall an impactful coach
from their own lives, and share with the group the
qualities and behaviors that distinguish this coach.
Facilitators organize and discuss these "best practice"
coaching behaviors within the OODA Loop framework.
More on swing analysis applied to Executive Coach training »
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| LINKS Locations -- Golf Courses in North Carolina |
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LINKS public seminars as well as customized programs
for individual organizational clients will be
conducted throughout 2004 in world-class
golf locations in North Carolina.
In our public programs, you will join leaders from other
organizations that represent
both privately-held and publicly-traded companies.
You will appreciate networking with leaders faced with
similar business, team and/or leadership challenges.
Many of our seminars result in ongoing business
relationships with the participants.
Dates and Locations for LINKS Seminars »
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| OODA Loop -- Framework adapted for LINKS 2 Agility and applied to Golf and Executive Coaching |
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The OODA Loop is a framework initially created by
USAF Col. John R. Boyd to describe organizational
agility -- the ability to adapt to, or to lead, constant,
accelerated, uncertain and unpredictable change. This
framework is relevant for both executive and athletic
coaching.
OODA -- Observation, Orientation, Decision, and
Action
are the four phases of the OODA Loop that are
described below in greater detail.
Phase
1. Observation -
Current Situation Assessment
Questions to be answered -- How does my
performance link to current
business goals? How do I accelerate my development
in competencies identified for future roles?
What happens -- Assessment and Information
Gathering
How it happens --360 Degree
interviews with person being coached, peers, direct
reports, boss and customers; 360 Degree surveys such
as the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI); and a number
of behavioral assessments such as the Myers
Briggs Type Indicator, FIRO-B, and the Change Style
Indicator (CSI).
Results -- Self awareness
and desire to change
Phase 2. Orientation -
Gap Analysis of Current
Situation versus Vision of Desired Behavior
Questions to be answered -- What do I need to do to
close the gap? What is my map to build my strengths
and improve my developmental needs?
What happens -- Feedback and planning.
How it happens -- Coaching sessions, goal setting,
timeline of commitments, Developmental Orienteering
Guide or some other form of developmental planning
guide.
Results -- Map of development needs
and a customized individual development plan
Phase 3. Decision -
Commitment to the
Change Plan
Questions to be answered --
What actions and feedback will get me to my goals?
What level of commitment is needed by others and me
to implement the changes?
What happens --
Commitment to change
How it happens --
Real world assignments, courses/training,
reading/research, shadowing, role plays, video
feedback
Results -- Skill building, increased
knowledge and experience
Phase 4. Action -
Achievement of Personal
and Business Results
Questions to be
answered --
Have my personal and business goals been reached? If
so, what difference have they made? What impact has
been made on what I do and how I do it?
What happens -- Observable results
How
it happens -- Solicit feedback, repeat LVI, performance
review, self reports, coach's inputs, future goals
Results -- Sustained behavior change, accountability,
personal growth
Fast Company article about the OODA Loop....
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