Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching
It is in this context that executive coaching has value and appeal. Coaching may be defined as the ‘collaborative process of helping others develop specific competencies that will contribute to their achieving individual and organisational performance’. 1
Typical Stages in a Coaching Process
In implementing a coaching process, the following stages are usually undertaken:
1. Identifying the Coaching Objectives and Planning the Coaching Program
As a starting point, it is important to understand the purpose of the coaching activity. Is it to further develop high potential managers, to provide feedback on developmental opportunities or to enable coachees to work more in alignment with the organisation’s vision, mission, values and culture?
The planning process includes appointing an appropriately experienced coach, identifying managers who are to participate in the program (coachees), an internal project co-ordinator as well as timelines, milestones and key target dates for the coaching initiative.
2. Use of 360-Feedback or Multirater Assessments
360 feedback or some form of multirater process provides valuable input to the coaching process and can address coachee’s concerns about individual value judgements.
Senior management teams of leading organisations such as Sun Microsystems, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, American Express, Lend Lease and General Electric – use 360-feedback and coaching to align individual behaviour with corporate values.
There are standardised 360 questionnaires available that are generally more cost effective but not all the items surveyed may be relevant for the specific coaching objectives. Customised surveys can be professionally developed and can be based on an organisation’s specific values, terminology and culture. Other competencies and behaviours crucial to a leader’s success, such as communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills can be incorporated into the 360 survey.
There are other logistics involved such as identifying and contacting feedback providers (key stakeholders are likely to include the immediate supervisor, peers, direct and indirect reports, customers as well as the coachee as a self-assessor) and whether the process is to be administered on-line in hard copy.
Where there are reservations regarding a survey-based approach, there are alternatives to obtaining multirater feedback. One approach is for the coach to have confidential one-on-one sessions with the feedback providers. While the nature of the feedback would be more qualitative, it does challenge the feedback provider to support comments with examples and anecdotal evidence.
3. Leadership Training Workshop
Where coaching is to be undertaken for a number of managers at the same time, for example as part of a 360 leadership survey initiative for a senior management team, a leadership training workshop is desirable.
The leadership training workshop typically covers the following issues:
* The purpose of the coaching initiative
* How the results of a 360 leadership survey, where administered, are to be interpreted and used
* The feedback and follow up coaching sessions
* How to respond to the feedback received
* Identifying, implementing and following up on developmental and improvement plans
4. Feedback Session
As a result of the 360-leadership survey and/or the feedback obtained from interviews with key stakeholders, the coach conducts a feedback session with the coachee and identifies potential developmental areas. It is important to note that the coachee need not agree with the feedback data but merely accept that these are the perceptions of the feedback providers, rightly or otherwise.
The coach has an important role to play because some of the feedback received may result in initial shock, denial or even anger. Once the coachee works through these reactions with the coach, there can then be an acceptance of these perceptions followed by a willingness to identify and implement improvement plans.
5. Regular Coaching Sessions
One of the most valuable aspects of a coaching initiative is the opportunity for the coachee to meet with the coach on a regular basis to discuss the effectiveness of the action plans as part of the process of managing rater perceptions. The scope and extent of the coaching assistance can vary. It is typically a monthly session of one-hour’s duration but more frequent sessions interspersed with regular telephone discussions are not uncommon. As long as there is value-added provided during the coaching sessions and the coachee is prepared to work on developmental areas, the benefits of such a program will be sustained.
6. Follow Up
The effectiveness of the coachee’s developmental action plans should be followed up on a regular basis in order to assess whether rater perceptions have changed. This may be achieved through the conduct of a further 360 leadership survey where changes can be quantified, or through a mini-survey or follow up interviews with the raters. Unless there is a link between rater perceptions, before and after the coaching intervention, the benefits of the process and, more importantly, the perceptions of change in the coachee’s work behaviour, cannot be determined.
Any implications for team development and leadership effectiveness can also be identified through a follow up process.
The External Coach
Managers, as with most people, want to be liked and are therefore often reluctant to confront their people about behavioural shortcomings at work. However, managers are likely to be more respected if they could provide constructive feedback as effectively as complimentary feedback. The growing trend in the use of external consultants as coaches reinforces survey results indicating that people highly value honest feedback – regardless of whether or not it is positive. 2
As an example, the immediate supervisor often provides feedback based on subjective perceptions with limited information provided from other sources3. The external coach is usually seen as an objective third party providing analysis, suggestions and feedback gathered from multiple-sources. A person receiving ‘bad news’ from an external facilitator is more likely to separate the message from the messenger than the person hearing the same news from his or her immediate supervisor4.
When Not to Use Executive Coaching
With its increasing use, executive coaching is not to be seen as a panacea for resolving unrelated organisational or performance issues.
For example, executive coaching is not appropriate when:
* The person being coached is not willing or not committed to making a genuine effort to change based on the feedback received
* The organisation commissions a coaching process as ‘ammunition’ to terminate a person’s employment
* The person lacks the skill levels required to perform the job – this is addressed through skills training and development, where appropriate, rather than the use of behavioural coaching
* If the organisation is travelling in the wrong direction or does not know where it should be headed, executive coaching will not make it change or identify its strategic direction.
1. Ron Cutadean, Successful Coaching, Novations Group, Inc, 1988
2. Marshall Goldsmith, ‘Coaching for Behavioural Change’, Leader to Leader, Fall 1996, pp 12 – 14.
3. Roland J. Nagel, ‘360-feedback covers all the angles’, HRMonthly, March 1995.
4. Marshall Goldsmith, ibid.
Executive Coaching - To learn more about this author, visit Kylie Hammond's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
A further challenge within the corporate environment is that, while there are many generic leadership training programs available, these do not necessarily address specific individual developmental needs.
It is in this context that executive coaching has value and appeal. Coaching may be defined as the ‘collaborative process of helping others develop specific competencies that will contribute to their achieving individual and organisational performance’. 1
Typical Stages in a Coaching Process
In implementing a coaching process, the following stages are usually undertaken:
1. Identifying the Coaching Objectives and Planning the Coaching Program
As a starting point, it is important to understand the purpose of the coaching activity. Is it to further develop high potential managers, to provide feedback on developmental opportunities or to enable coachees to work more in alignment with the organisation’s vision, mission, values and culture?
The planning process includes appointing an appropriately experienced coach, identifying managers who are to participate in the program (coachees), an internal project co-ordinator as well as timelines, milestones and key target dates for the coaching initiative.
2. Use of 360-Feedback or Multirater Assessments
360 feedback or some form of multirater process provides valuable input to the coaching process and can address coachee’s concerns about individual value judgements.
Senior management teams of leading organisations such as Sun Microsystems, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, American Express, Lend Lease and General Electric – use 360-feedback and coaching to align individual behaviour with corporate values.
There are standardised 360 questionnaires available that are generally more cost effective but not all the items surveyed may be relevant for the specific coaching objectives. Customised surveys can be professionally developed and can be based on an organisation’s specific values, terminology and culture. Other competencies and behaviours crucial to a leader’s success, such as communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills can be incorporated into the 360 survey.
There are other logistics involved such as identifying and contacting feedback providers (key stakeholders are likely to include the immediate supervisor, peers, direct and indirect reports, customers as well as the coachee as a self-assessor) and whether the process is to be administered on-line in hard copy.
Where there are reservations regarding a survey-based approach, there are alternatives to obtaining multirater feedback. One approach is for the coach to have confidential one-on-one sessions with the feedback providers. While the nature of the feedback would be more qualitative, it does challenge the feedback provider to support comments with examples and anecdotal evidence.
3. Leadership Training Workshop
Where coaching is to be undertaken for a number of managers at the same time, for example as part of a 360 leadership survey initiative for a senior management team, a leadership training workshop is desirable.
The leadership training workshop typically covers the following issues:
* The purpose of the coaching initiative
* How the results of a 360 leadership survey, where administered, are to be interpreted and used
* The feedback and follow up coaching sessions
* How to respond to the feedback received
* Identifying, implementing and following up on developmental and improvement plans
4. Feedback Session
As a result of the 360-leadership survey and/or the feedback obtained from interviews with key stakeholders, the coach conducts a feedback session with the coachee and identifies potential developmental areas. It is important to note that the coachee need not agree with the feedback data but merely accept that these are the perceptions of the feedback providers, rightly or otherwise.
The coach has an important role to play because some of the feedback received may result in initial shock, denial or even anger. Once the coachee works through these reactions with the coach, there can then be an acceptance of these perceptions followed by a willingness to identify and implement improvement plans.
5. Regular Coaching Sessions
One of the most valuable aspects of a coaching initiative is the opportunity for the coachee to meet with the coach on a regular basis to discuss the effectiveness of the action plans as part of the process of managing rater perceptions. The scope and extent of the coaching assistance can vary. It is typically a monthly session of one-hour’s duration but more frequent sessions interspersed with regular telephone discussions are not uncommon. As long as there is value-added provided during the coaching sessions and the coachee is prepared to work on developmental areas, the benefits of such a program will be sustained.
6. Follow Up
The effectiveness of the coachee’s developmental action plans should be followed up on a regular basis in order to assess whether rater perceptions have changed. This may be achieved through the conduct of a further 360 leadership survey where changes can be quantified, or through a mini-survey or follow up interviews with the raters. Unless there is a link between rater perceptions, before and after the coaching intervention, the benefits of the process and, more importantly, the perceptions of change in the coachee’s work behaviour, cannot be determined.
Any implications for team development and leadership effectiveness can also be identified through a follow up process.
The External Coach
Managers, as with most people, want to be liked and are therefore often reluctant to confront their people about behavioural shortcomings at work. However, managers are likely to be more respected if they could provide constructive feedback as effectively as complimentary feedback. The growing trend in the use of external consultants as coaches reinforces survey results indicating that people highly value honest feedback – regardless of whether or not it is positive. 2
As an example, the immediate supervisor often provides feedback based on subjective perceptions with limited information provided from other sources3. The external coach is usually seen as an objective third party providing analysis, suggestions and feedback gathered from multiple-sources. A person receiving ‘bad news’ from an external facilitator is more likely to separate the message from the messenger than the person hearing the same news from his or her immediate supervisor4.
When Not to Use Executive Coaching
With its increasing use, executive coaching is not to be seen as a panacea for resolving unrelated organisational or performance issues.
For example, executive coaching is not appropriate when:
* The person being coached is not willing or not committed to making a genuine effort to change based on the feedback received
* The organisation commissions a coaching process as ‘ammunition’ to terminate a person’s employment
* The person lacks the skill levels required to perform the job – this is addressed through skills training and development, where appropriate, rather than the use of behavioural coaching
* If the organisation is travelling in the wrong direction or does not know where it should be headed, executive coaching will not make it change or identify its strategic direction.
1. Ron Cutadean, Successful Coaching, Novations Group, Inc, 1988
2. Marshall Goldsmith, ‘Coaching for Behavioural Change’, Leader to Leader, Fall 1996, pp 12 – 14.
3. Roland J. Nagel, ‘360-feedback covers all the angles’, HRMonthly, March 1995.
4. Marshall Goldsmith, ibid.
Executive Coaching - To learn more about this author, visit Kylie Hammond's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
|||
Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Kylie's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Networking Impacts Income Get Working Capital Increase productivity Take the Lead 100 Success Tips |
|
 | ||
 |
Write The PR
Press Release Builder | |
 |
Top 50 Business Plans
Top Business Plan Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
