What do coaches who know Growth Driver Theory learn to 'endure'? — Remaining in the stillness before a decision

What do coaches who know Growth Driver Theory learn to 'endure'?
— Remaining in the stillness before a decision

The changes that occur in a coach who knows Growth Driver Theory are not just about 'what they stop doing.'
At the same time, a more subtle but essential change occurs: 'what they learn to endure.'
It is the strength to endure the time spent intentionally not intervening, precisely because they know the executive is nearing a decision.

1. The meaning of silence
This capacity to endure is not something taught as a technique, but rather something that can only be acquired once it is given meaning through theory (Higashibuchi, 2017, 2020).
The most obvious example is tolerance for silence.
When an executive is deep in thought and their words trail off, the supporter often feels intense anxiety.
'Should I add a question?'
'Should I organize things for them to help move the situation forward?'
It is a very natural reaction for such impulses to arise.
In particular, coaches who have been trained to move dialogue forward tend to perceive this silence as 'stagnation' (Grant, 2014).
A coach who knows Growth Driver Theory will then ask themselves the following question:
'Is this silence one of avoidance, or one of acceptance?'
This question is not meant to judge silence as good or bad, but to discern its quality.
For example, consider the following scene:
Executive: 'Honestly, I'm scared to decide.'
Supporter: '...'
Executive: 'But this isn't something someone else can decide for me, is it?'
This silence is not a time of avoidance.
It is a time when the executive is adjusting internally toward the resolve to take responsibility for their own judgment.
If the supporter adds words at this moment, the weight of the decision is once again offloaded onto someone else.
The coach endures not adding words here.
This way of enduring is not neglect, but an act of protecting the moment when a decision is nurtured (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009).

2. Time until results
Next, they learn to endure the time when results are not immediately visible.
In accompaniment support, just because a good dialogue has taken place does not mean that sales or performance will immediately improve.
Rather, in many cases, changes appear after a certain time lag, once the executive's criteria for judgment have been organized and the structure of management has begun to settle little by little.
From the outside, this time lag can sometimes look like a 'period where nothing is happening.'
If a supporter cannot endure this period and increases their intervention, their good intentions to 'make things move' can, as a result, strip the executive of their decision-making power.
Growth Driver Theory provides the supporter with the following perspective here:
'This is a stage where it is okay that results have not yet appeared.'
'If I get impatient here, it will cause distortion in other drivers.'
Having this perspective allows the supporter to view the time when results are not visible not as a 'failure,' but as 'in the middle of adjustment' (Higashibuchi, 2017, 2020).
Furthermore, they learn to endure watching the executive continue to struggle with indecision.
For a supporter, prolonged indecision can be a mental burden.
'Are they really moving forward?'
'Is my way of engaging wrong?'
It is natural for such anxiety to arise.
However, once they know Growth Driver Theory, they no longer dismiss all indecision uniformly.
This is because they become able to distinguish whether that indecision is 'useless stagnation' or 'necessary adjustment.'
For example, in a state where there is no alignment between multiple drivers, continuing to struggle with indecision can be healthier than making a hasty decision.
If they understand it is a necessary adjustment, the supporter can remain in that space without rushing the executive (Schön, 1983).
This 'enduring support' is not flashy.
It is an act that is difficult to reflect in performance indicators and is rarely evaluated.
Even so, in accompaniment support for building a good company, it can be said to be one of the most important strengths.
This is because for an executive to take ownership of their own judgment, there must be a time when no one else decides for them.
Growth Driver Theory gives the supporter courage.
It is not the courage to do something.
It is the courage to endure not doing.
It is precisely because they have that courage that the executive can take responsibility for their own judgment as their own will, rather than entrusting it to others.

References
Grant, A. M. (2014). The efficacy of executive coaching in times of organisational change. Journal of Change Management, 14(2), 258–280.
Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Harvard Business Press.
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Higashibuchi, Noriyuki (2017). 'Approach to building a good company through Growth Driver Theory,' Matsuyama University Review, Vol. 29, No. 3, 55–100.
Higashibuchi, Noriyuki (2020). 'New horizons in comprehensive management diagnosis opened by Growth Driver Theory: Its theory and practice report,' Japan Association of Management Diagnosis Journal 19, 50–56.