Can Motivational Interviewing be used in Leadership Development
and Coaching as a “Plus Alpha”* tool – for individuals who struggle with behaviour change?
By: Michael Jenkins
March 2025
Take a look at the recording of the Focus Group on August 4th…..
My interest in MI comes from thinking about how we can help individuals who are struggling with interpersonal relationships at work and have at least (1) an appreciation of the negative impact they have on others and (2) a desire – or curiosity – about how to tackle this issue in service of better workplace relationships. While coaching can provide a way forward, I am pondering whether coaching might need an extra “Plus Alpha”* tool to really push forward on behaviour change that people find particularly difficult to achieve.
MI in Leadership Development
Motivational Interviewing (MI) can definitely be used in leadership development, though it is more commonly associated with therapeutic or counselling contexts. The core principles of MI—such as empathy, collaboration, and helping individuals explore and resolve ambivalence—are highly relevant.
Here’s how MI can be applied in leadership development:
1. Enhancing Self-Motivation and Self-Awareness:
Leaders often need to navigate complex situations where their motivation and values play a key role in their decisions. MI helps leaders explore their own internal motivations and ambivalence around change or growth, encouraging them to align their actions with their core values and vision.
- It can help leaders identify what drives them, what challenges they face, and how to move forward with confidence.
- It can help with those “Nudgeable” individuals (people who realise the [negative] impact they have on others and who wish to explore how to change).
2. Building Stronger Relationships:
- Effective leaders are skilled at building trust and understanding within their teams. MI emphasises empathetic listening and non-judgmental communication, which can help leaders foster deeper, more supportive relationships with their team members.
- By using MI techniques, leaders can encourage open dialogue and allow their team members to feel heard and valued, improving overall team dynamics.
3. Supporting Growth and Change in Others:
- Just as MI helps individuals in therapeutic settings resolve ambivalence and find motivation for change, it can also help leaders support their teams through transitions or skill development.
- For example, when a leader wants to encourage employees to embrace new behaviours or skills (such as adapting to new technology or enhancing productivity), MI techniques can help guide employees through their own process of self-reflection and change.
4. Improving Conflict Resolution and Engagement:
- MI encourages leaders to approach conflict and resistance in a non-confrontational manner. Leaders can use MI strategies to engage with team members who may be resistant to change, helping them explore their reasons for resistance and finding ways to overcome barriers in a collaborative way.
- This approach can be particularly effective in maintaining engagement during times of organizational change or when introducing new goals.
5. Goal-Setting and Accountability:
- MI can be used to guide leaders in setting meaningful goals for themselves and their teams, ensuring those goals are aligned with both personal and organisational values. Through the MI process, leaders can explore the “why” behind their goals, which can make them more committed to achieving them.
- Leaders can also use MI’s reflective listening to help their team members set and achieve their own goals, making them feel more responsible and empowered.
In leadership development, MI isn’t necessarily used as a stand-alone tool but rather as an approach or technique that can complement traditional coaching, mentoring, and training methods. When applied effectively, MI can deepen a leader’s emotional intelligence, improve their decision-making, and help them create a culture of collaboration and continuous growth within their teams.
* “Plus Alpha” is a colloquial term used in Japanese (プラスアルファ) to describe “something extra” – a principle I learned during my time working for Toyota in Japan
For more information on the Principles of MI and how it works, refer to Michael Jenkins’ presentation: “Aware Don’t Care”.
See also the PDF: Using MI in Coaching
For further reading on tools to help coaching and MI: Samreen McGregor’s Coaching link
https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/coaching-today/2025/articles-january/breathe-transformative-leadership/
