Executive coaching is a relatively new discipline in the field of leadership and management development.

It can be lonely at the top and often the CEO or other senior executive finds it difficult to address certain sensitive issues with his/her board or other internal people.
 


Coaching is also an excellent way to grow bench strength in the organization, helping up-and-comers develop the critical core competencies, strengthen their enthusiasm in tapping their own potential, and enlarge their capacity to produce both short- and long-term results. The external executive coach serves as a sounding board and confidant to help the client identify and address the barriers that may be hindering his/her success.

What is the scope of coaching?

Coaching is client specific. Each situation is different. However, there are many common themes we have seen in our coaching.

Some frequent areas of coaching include:

• Clarifying vision
• Planning
• Congruency of personal mission statement and organization's mission statement
• Balance in life
• Follow-through on plans (execution on plans)
• Personal introspection and accepting responsibility
• Managing crucial conversations (those with high stakes, high emotions, and differing opinions)
• Overcoming unpleasant task avoidance
• How to avoid career derailers
• Managing stress
• Gaining support of subordinates
• Managing personal growth (reading, health, social-emotional stability)
• Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of leadership and management
• Understanding career stages and how to progress through them

Team Coaching

We provide team coaching for economies of scale. This provides the organization with the powerful benefits of coaching with an economical fee structure.

What is our process?

We begin with an in-depth assessment  that helps identify any gaps between the "Is" and the "Ought."

This helps us (the client and coach) determine where the client is personally

and professionally versus where he/she wants to be. We jointly determine how we want to move forward.

The assessment consists of a face-to-face interview followed up by an on-line profile assessment. This first meeting requires a minimum of four hours.

Subsequent coaching sessions can be held on-site or via phone. Sessions can be regularly scheduled once a week, every other week, or every three weeks. Sessions usually require 30-60 minutes depending on the issues.

The coach is available via phone and e-mail at any time for the client to discuss issues that may come up (and often do) in between regular coaching sessions. Clients find this real-time access to the coach to be highly valuable. Having an “on call executive coach” can be very worthwhile. This service is part of the monthly coaching fee.

The duration of coaching should be a minimum of six-months to expect significant results. Often the coaching relationship may continue for a year or more.

What are the benefits of coaching?

One of the most valuable benefits from executive coaching is the ability of having a seasoned coach serve as a confidential sounding board. Other benefits include:

• Managing organizational change
• Tapping higher levels of discretionary effort for you and your employees
• Learning best practices for team development
• Learning where you are in your career and the four stages of performance
• Becoming better organized
• Becoming more creative
• Resolving conflicts
• Creating a long-term integrated plan for life
• Improving decision-making process
• Improving learning process…customized reading and retention methods
• Managing interpersonal relationships
• Learning tools to develop own team around mutual purpose and mutual respect
• Having more confidence in presenting self without being arrogant
• Discovering what matters most
• Learning to enhance relationships and results

Other results?

Coaching used in conjunction with a specific plan, such as a turn-around, or start up or other major change effort can facilitate the success of that plan. It requires significant resilience to stay on task and not be diverted from a tough plan, and the coach can help the client stay focused.

What is the difference between coaching versus other types of professional development?

Rifle vs. shotgun: Many off-site development programs are designed to address issues that would be common to most participants. Many participants, however, experience some degree of unrelated material they need to sift through to get to the issues directly related to them. This shotgun approach has value, but we find that the rifle approach with coaching focuses solely on the issue of the client, and these can (and often do) change from month to month.

Flexibility: The coach and client determine when, where and how frequently to meet.

Access: The coach is available to respond to the client as often and soon as practical via phone, e-mail or fax.

Openness and Candor: The client can be forthright with the coach knowing all issues are strictly confidential.

Practical: Often off-site development programs require attendance multiple days at a time such as a seminar, etc. Scheduled coaching sessions are brief (30-60 minutes) 3-4 times a month.

Behavioral change: One time seminars (several days at one session) have limited value in producing sustained behavioral change. Coaching on the other hand is an ongoing process where commitments are reviewed and the client is able to give an accounting of his performance. The wording of "able to give an accounting" is a careful deliberate choice of words here. It means that the client seeks the help of the coach to help him/her be more accountable to deliver on commitments.

Cost: The fee for one-on-one coaching is considered cost effective for the benefits experienced. Studies have shown the ROI for coaching is 6:1! One client commented after three months of coaching: “I had great expectations as I began this coaching process, but I had no idea how valuable your counsel would be and how this would impact the financial results of our company!”

Conclusion

Executive coaching has proven to help many professionals. The effective executive coach has only one vested interest: the success of the client.

Learn more:
- Our Approach to Coaching
- 10 Ways to Get the Most from Your Coaching
- Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Coach
- Our Executive Coaching Process