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Dr. Michael O'Brien and Dr. Neil A. Stroul, O'Brien Group
Introduction
Dr. Michael O'Brien and Dr. Neil Stroul have been working with
corporate clients on the strategies and tactics of organization
development for nearly twenty years. Since 1996, they have focused
increasingly on developing corporate executives as leaders of organizational
change. Through individual executive coaching and executive team
development, they help people improve their effectiveness as leaders
and managers. The coaching relationships generally last a year or
more, with in depth sessions and/or observations every couple of
weeks.
The Greatest Story We Could Ever Tell.
All of us are the authors of the greatest story we could ever tell
- the story of ourselves. Our stories have all the elements found
in fictional stories. They are told in first person and are filled
with mysteries and challenges that unfold and are resolved. Interesting
characters enter and leave. There is ongoing development of the
main character. There are moments of melodrama, tension and comedy.
As both authors and narrators, our stories are undeniably poignant
and real.
We live and continually create the stories of our individual lives.
As the protagonists, we strive to be heroic. But just like our fictional
counterparts, our heroes are inevitably flawed and inevitably noble.
The approach to coaching we've developed and practice at O'Brien
Group relies on working with our clients so that the story of their
lives becomes a story they want to write because it excites them.
Our goal is to engage our clients as individuals in a dialogue in
which they are not only willing and able to share their stories,
but claim the responsibility of authorship as well. They are the
authors of the stories they have already lived. And authors of all
the chapters they've yet to write.
Our challenge is to enter their story without becoming part of
it. To extend the literary metaphor, the coach's task during the
coaching dialogue is to introduce the "third person" perspective
into the telling of the story on one hand - while serving as a literary
critic on the other.
As psychologists, we make it clear to coaching clients that coaching
is not therapy. Our role is neither to fix nor cure them.
Instead, our premise is that they are gifted people. Their gifts
are the character traits that make them compelling characters in
their story. Our purpose is to work with them to better understand
the nature of their gifts. As they write the story of their lives
and understand how to use their gifts to propel the plot, their
lives will be more fulfilled and more effective.
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