One on One Executive Coaching
Strong, visionary, compassionate, competent, honest leaders develop successful teams and organizations. Recent expressions such as, "negotiating permanent white water" and "riding the winds of change," reflect a serious need for leaders to develop extraordinary inner resources, knowledge and skills. This coaching positions leaders to design and implement a potent plan for the development of their team, organization and their leadership capabilities.
Sometimes, executive development or decision making requires a confidential one-to-one relationship where a wide range of issues can be more confidentially explored and resolved. Through systematic assessments and dialog you can engage in this powerful executive coaching process that tackles both bottom line and balance in life issues.
Overview
The executive coaching program that we offer is becoming recognized as a valuable privilege and a powerful tool for star performers who wish to shine even brighter--akin to the world-class athlete who seeks coaching in order to excel and then to do better. The program is applicable to anyone who has the potential but for some reason is not delivering what might be expected.
What is Executive Coaching?
Executive Coaching is a process through which people are helped to improve their performance and personal effectiveness while reducing stress. Our program offers the rare opportunity to stand back and to take a fresh look at the experiences and assumptions of a lifetime.
It:
- Facilitates the identification of inner resources
- Targets growth areas
- Promotes a healthy balance between career and personal life which sustains the vitality necessary for effective leadership
- May reveal the need to learn specific behaviors aimed at enhancing short-term or long-term performance
- May challenge underlying beliefs and values and invite more fundamental changes
The coach offers direction and assistance but the choice rests with the individual. It is he or she that discovers the self-knowledge which forms the foundation for continued growth.
The Coach
The executive coach has no internal links with the organization and therefore can be freely confided in. They can have the roles of supporter, co-creator, political confidant and scrutinizer. Within each role, they will bring certain skills:
Supporter
- Counselor
- Advisor
- Supporter
- Listener
Creator
- Problem Solver
- Ideas Generator
- Opportunity Organizer
Political Confidant
- Challenger
- Influencer
- Debater
- Decision Facilitator
Skills Developer
- Innovator
- Thought Expander
- Trainer
- Mentor
Advantages of using a coach include:
- Independence
- Impartiality
- Objectivity
- Wide knowledge and experience
- Different viewpoint
- Experience of weighing opportunities, risks and rewards
The Process
The coaching process can take a number of forms depending on who the individual is and who is asking for the coaching.
- There will normally be a briefing meeting where the situation is discussed and a decision is made as to whether executive coaching is the best approach to achieve the objectives.
- A meeting between the executive and the coach is held at which the two become acquainted and matters of confidentiality are decided. From here, the style of the program will depend on what has been negotiated and the outcomes that have been agreed.
- The coach questions the person in depth and may give them questionnaires to complete. They may watch the executive at work and in certain circumstances will interview bosses, peers and subordinates.
- Both the executive and coach review and then identify key strengths and weaknesses as well as developmental needs and put together a plan. They work together on the agreed objectives and this process generally ebbs once the executive is established in a steady attitude towards continuous improvement of abilities and has developed a support mechanism for ongoing growth.
Benefits
There are many benefits of coaching and these will depend on the precise form and style of the coaching relationship.
Coaching helps people have clarity and well-ordered priorities. It can give them confidence in their position because they have been helped to think matters through thoroughly. It is not just a silly adage to say that a "problem shared is a problem halved", which has nothing to do with devolving responsibility, just gaining clarity.
The coaching process can be used to identify what skill-sets the executive needs to develop for the next stage in his or her career and what resources or actions are needed in order to achieve this.
The coach also brings experience of similar situations from other businesses. While people like to think that their problems are unique, they rarely are, and bringing another industry perspective can be refreshing and enlightening.
Outcomes
Potential outcomes from a coaching relationship can include:
- Greater Clarity
- Greater Focus
- Improved Decision-Making Skills
- Enhanced Creativity
- Improved Balance in all Aspects of Life
- Greater Effectiveness and Better Performance
Final Thoughts
Executive coaching is often the best way for an individual and an organization to grasp the nettle of change in today's ever more demanding atmosphere. The process of hiring an Executive Coach is highly personal. Your decision must be based on trust and commitment. Only when both are established can the relationship begin to move forward in a positive and successful direction.
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