Executive Coaching — What it is and How it Works

Executive coaching develops the abilities and effectiveness of business leaders. It is a three way process that links the organization, the executive and the coach with defined goals for the organization and the executive to be achieved as outcomes of the process.

Executive coaching requires a close interaction between the coach and the executive. Because coaching is not meant to provide operational assistance to the executive, coaching generally takes place outside of the framework of the executive’s performance of his or her duties in the business. However, the organization’s goals, strategies and procedures must be carefully integrated into the coaching if it is to be fully effective.

Executive coaching is used by organizations to improve the overall performance of the business by starting “at the top”. It is also used as part of the process to groom someone for a new and more challenging role. The use of executive coaching to simply improve an individual’s performance in their present position is probably its least important function. In the main it is organizationally driven.

In smaller or family firms, executive coaching can have a positive and almost immediate impact upon the performance of an owner or senior manager. The coach can, in fact, produce results far more effectively than someone inside the business because of their independence and unbiased perspective that is concerned solely with the executive’s development.

Robert Brack, Chairman of Barker Steel Co. Inc., summarized the outcomes of an executive coaching process that prepared his son to take over the CEO’s position in the family business: “For us, coaching put things on the table that might have been difficult to do without a coach. It set up a process for going forward – kicked off a timetable for moving the company forward.

“We had several levels of transition. Until we’d experienced it, I hadn’t seen coaching as a process that would affect the business as a whole, working on each level of the company. It’s a very healthy, seamless process for leadership change.”

Factors for Executive Coaching Success

There are four key areas that determine the success of every executive coaching assignment:

1. The commitment given by the organization to the process.
2. The commitment given by the subject to the process.
3. The relationship between the coach and the subject.
4. The application of the coaching process.

It is the responsibility of the coach to control each of these four key areas, beginning with gaining the organization’s commitment and carrying through to the completion of the coaching process. Unless the coach can successfully manage each key area the coaching process will not be as effective as it might have been.

A Structure for Executive Coaching

Executive coaching requires a great deal of “‘backgrounding”‘ to prepare the coach for their role. The structure outlined here is meant as an example only, although when followed has achieved the desired results.

1. Before the coaching begins the coach needs to acquire an understanding of the business itself — its procedures, goals, and structure. Where does the executive fit into the enterprise and what resources do they employ to contribute to reaching the goals of the business?

2. The next step is to ascertain precisely what coaching is meant to achieve in terms of both the organization and the executive. Complete a comprehensive background check to acquire an understanding of the present situation and the development required of the coaching process. This should incorporate interviews with colleagues of the executive to gain a better understanding of the person’s performance.

3. The third phase is to meet with the executive and begin the establishment of the coaching relationship. There must be a framework of mutual respect and understanding between coach and subject, particularly from the person whom the coaching is to benefit. If the coach feels that this respect and understanding is not going to be sufficient to achieve the targeted outcomes it may be necessary to decline the assignment.

4. Design the coaching process, taking into account the activity’s goals, the person being coached, and the quantum of change required to achieve the goals of the process. Create a series of steps that will build up to the desired outcomes, together with a realistic timeframe for completing each step.

5. Employ the coaching process with the executive, monitoring improvement and measuring movement towards goals. Provide feedback to the subject so they are fully aware at all times of their progress.

There is no “one size fits all” approach to executive coaching. So much depends on the personality and management style of the person being coached that every assignment must be custom tailored to succeed.

The Timing of the Engagement

Executive coaching is not a series of regular training sessions that, when completed, will have communicated a set volume of information. It is instead a developmental process and depends largely on the ability of the executive to absorb and utilize the coaching being given.

Because so much of the success of the engagement is reflected in the performance of the organization itself, an engagement duration of twelve months or more is not unusual.

Qualifications for Executive Coaching

Although often compared with executive training, the coaching function is not directly related to the function of training and requires a different combination of abilities and techniques. Executive coaching is a highly personalized activity whereas training is generalized and doesn’t take into account individual differences in experience and management style.

There are as yet no formal qualifications required for executive coaching. There are, however, a number of background elements that are useful when providing executive coaching services, some of them formal and others informal. These include:

• Experience in business management, preferably incorporating ownership of a successful enterprise
• Training in psychology or a related field such as sociology
• Experience in education and/or training situations
• A clearly defined set of personal values that can be related to the ethical conduct of any business organization
• A desire to help others and the ability to relate extensively to other individuals on a one-to-one basis

This, in brief, is executive coaching. It is a well regarded professional service that is gaining recognition and acceptance as a significant element of modern business, in organizations of all sizes.

Perhaps most important is that it is a highly creative process that depends largely on the skills of the coach for success. Applied wisely, executive coaching will have positive results for any executive and any organization.

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Copyright 2005, RAN ONE Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from www.ranone.com.