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I save executives from going down in flames. My name is Mark Campbell and I'm an executive coach. With my best six o'clock news anchor voice, I have just delivered my elevator speech at my professional association's monthly meeting. Sure it's a bit dramatic, but people remember it and I always get a laugh. Let me ask you a question, does your elevator speech include "I save employees from going down in flames"? In your management role as a coach, are there situations where you have helped employees avoid career disasters through advice and counsel? Are there situations today, where one of your direct reports is heading down a slippery slope, and for whatever reason, you are hesitating to get involved?

I believe that your hard earned experience, insight and savvy, can be applied to help employees from certain career misfortune. Your management agrees with my assessment and that is one of the reasons they selected you for your current position. The purpose of this article is to encourage you to look for opportunities to "save employees from going down in flames." By being proactive in these situations, you will eliminate unnecessary individual angst, decrease errors and increase the overall effectiveness of your department. I'm not suggesting that you micro-manage or be overly protective of the people who work for you. However, I have observed the following situations that are particularly vulnerable for employees. In these situations, your coaching skills can help employees steer clear of career-damaging actions.

1. Coping with a problematic executive

   I remember clearly the hours and minutes preceding my first meeting with a much feared senior executive. I was new to the company and my colleagues were having much fun at my expense. They described an endless series of stories of how this individual had vilified, castigated and humiliated countless numbers of employees. Into the lions den I went, hoping against hope that I would somehow survive. In this case, the stories were much exaggerated and the meeting ended without incident. But we all know of situations where irreparable harm was done to the reputations and careers of individuals who were not prepared for the tantrums and histrionics of certain executives. As one colleague described such an individual, "He made boys out of men." As someone who is experienced with your own organizations problematic executives, take a few minutes to coach the uninitiated on what works best when meeting with or presenting to these individuals. Take no counsel in the philosophy that "trial by fire builds character." A few suggestions from you can prevent much unnecessary pain.

2. Maintaining protracted disputes with coworkers

   When I ask people how they deal with unresolved conflicts at work, they usually answer, "Why we escalate it to a higher level of management." I know that this is not exactly music to your ears. When the call comes from your boss, indicating that his counterpart in another part of the organization has called him regarding a problem involving one of your staff and one of his people - well, you get the picture. The person who works for you does not need this type of exposure. Unfortunately, he or she has let a conflict percolate all the way to the top. With a little bit of luck, you will be able to rescue this situation without any harm being done to the employee's reputation. But let's back up. How did this situation get out of hand? In most cases, it's a question of passion for work run wild and unchecked. Well intentioned and hard working individuals lose perspective, dig in their heels and war is declared.

   You might see yourself at an early age behaving in a similar manner. If you were fortunate, you had a manager who coached you on the errors of your ways. Now it's your turn. Take the time to intervene. Help individuals prepare for encounters that require a cool head and the ability to collaborate and compromise. Share your knowledge with the less experienced. One thing is certain - the most talented employee will have limited upward mobility without good conflict management skills.

3. Underestimating the role of relationships in business

   "I'm damn good at what I do and that should be good enough." Sitting across from you is a bright scientist who, once again, has burned his bridges with another department. "I shouldn't have to hold their hands or bend over backwards to keep them happy. " "If they were half as good at their jobs as I am at mine, things would run very smoothly around here." At the root of these comments is often an individual who finds the human side of business difficult to understand and sometimes more than a little mysterious. If he continues down this path, he will become persona non grata. No one will want him on their project or team. This type of situation is best resolved when confronted early in an individual's career with a very direct approach. Don't hold back because of the individual's technical value to the business. Unchecked, he will soon become a serious liability to you and the organization.

   There are a number of strategies that have proven helpful when dealing with this type of problem. First and foremost, straight talk is required. The individual needs to hear that his behavior will lead to career-limiting consequences. You might consider pairing him with a more senior person who has good interpersonal skills. In some cases, workshops with a 360 type feedback component can be helpful. Ongoing feedback on successes and failures is a must. Explore what worked and what needs to change. History has taught us that the most gifted of individuals will go down in flames if he or she doesn't learn that business is all about relationships.

4. Attempting to operate as a lone wolf

   Ours is not a culture that rewards collaboration and team work. We grow up hearing about the class valedictorian and prom queen. We observe TV and movie stars receiving Emmys and Oscars. Is it any wonder that we would like some of this individual glory for ourselves? The world of work, however, is not a place of isolation or autonomy. The higher we rise in the organization, the more our success depends on collaboration with other people. The manager who operates as a high level individual contributor or pacesetter, taking on the most challenging tasks and projects and setting an extremely high level of excellence, is one example of the lone wolf taken to an extreme. In their book, Primal Leadership - Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee state that, "Our data show that, more often than not, pacesetting poisons the climate - particularly because of the emotional costs when a leader relies on it too much." This negative impact on climate occurs because others on the team or project are not used to their fullest capacity. In addition, their professional development is hardly ever on the radar screen.

   Trying to go it alone, not drawing on the talent and resources around us and failing to develop a powerful informal network all lead to building a foundation of sand. Eventually this approach to business will result in career disappointment, missed opportunities and, in some cases, relegation to a small corner of the organization. Like the other situations discussed in this article, when a manager coaches an individual early in his or her career, adjustments can be made towards a more successful style of work performance.

If you have people reporting to you who exhibit the behaviors outlined above, I hope you will work with them and "keep them from going down in flames." Be patient. In most cases it will take more than one meeting to turn the person around. The results are worth the effort, for as with so many things in life, it's "pay now or pay latter." It is far better to make the effort now.

Related Articles:
Presenting to Attila
Knowing When to Teach, Correct or Coach
How Strong Are Your Alliances?

Copyright 2006, Mark J. Campbell. All rights reserved.
Permission to reprint this article is granted, provided you let me know where it is being printed, the copyright is not removed, and the following text accompanies each article:

"Mark Campbell partners with organizations for leadership development. For a complimentary subscription to his newsletter, "Management Challenges," go to www.mjcampbellassoc.com."

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