What is Executive Coaching

Coaching in one form or another has been around for thousands of years - in fact, for as long as there has been a conscious human desire or need by one human being to be better at something, and for that desire or need to be reflected back in the listening and authentic care of another.

Coaching at its most effective is a non-directional, goal-oriented conversation, lacking in any judgement, opinion or personal view on the part of the coach. It is usually short-term, and associated with very specific, measurable performance improvement goals.

Performance coaching at the workplace has fast become one of the key issues when considering organisational development and individual performance improvement. What is driving this - is it just another management fad, or is there something deeper at work here?

The Possibility Horizon

In recent years, the exponential rate of change, globalization and market forces have put enormous pressure on organisations to rethink not only their structure (1980's thinking) and their processes (1990's thinking) but also increasingly the way they think about themselves, both organisationally and individually. This latter is 2000 thinking and marks a profound shift from doing more (trying harder, shouting louder, digging deeper) to being more. What that means here is developing a deeper sense of self through increased self-awareness, and thereby seeing a wider horizon of possibility for opportunity and action.

It is this wider horizon of possibility that will increasingly give organisations the competitive edge. It is not available through structure or process, though those may well flow from it, but only and always through the relationships between individuals. It is this crucial aspect of relationship that brings coaching in the workplace into sharp focus. Leaders and managers who can understand and inspire their staff, who can raise the possibility horizon both organisationally and personally, and who are willing to challenge the deepest assumptions of both themselves and others - these are the leaders and managers of the future. And workplace coaching is one of the most powerful conversations available to generate new possibility horizons.

Evolution versus transformation

There's an old joke: two acquaintances walking in unknown terrain, both wearing similar clothing and shoes. Large man-eating bear appears (hungry), and both acquaintances run for their lives up the hill. One takes the risk of stopping, and quickly pulls out a pair of running shoes. His companion shouts: 'What the hell are you stopping for - you won't outrun that bear'. The other replies 'I don't need to - I just need to outrun you'.

Successful organisations in the future will be those stopping (briefly) now, and scanning their possibility horizon - maybe seeing totally new landscapes, bears and all. And they won't just be changing their footwear but inventing new ways of running - and in the race to survive, the important thing is to be faster and more agile than your competitors.

Taking time now will reap dividends in the future. Developing leaders and managers as coaches does require an investment in time and money. It is far more than a quick fix or a passing management fad. If there is real commitment to make it work as a conversation for organisational and individual growth, the impact on both can be transformational.

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Margaret and Sheridan are both executive coaches and coaching supervisors with many years of experience. Click on the names to read more about us and then please contact us to arrange to discuss your needs further. If we cannot help you directly we will put you in touch with others who share our values.

Questions, Questions …

There are several often-asked questions about performance coaching in the workplace. Here are some personal views:

- How does coaching differ from mentoring or counselling, if at all?

It depends on your perspective.Counselling tends to be referring to past issues, often with distressing emotional content for the individual, and is more about completing with the past than looking forward to future goals. It is normally non-directive and often highly sympathetic, with the counselling undertaken by trained and supervised counsellors.

Mentoring has a more directive approach, and is usually carried out by another manager in the same organisation as the candidate (but never the candidate's line manager). The issues are normally work- related, longer-term (typically 9 - 18 months), and usually lack particular urgency in regard to short-term performance. Mentors often have particular views and opinions about issues that they will share appropriately with the candidate.

Coaching at its most effective is a non-directional, goal-oriented conversation, lacking in any judgement, opinion or personal view on the part of the coach. It is usually shorter-term, and associated with very specific, measurable performance improvement goals. The coach's empathy and care for the coachee will not be of a sympathetic nature, but emerge as a challenging commitment that the coachee can and will achieve whatever they set out to achieve.

- What are the specific skills that underpin good coaching, who can do it and can anyone be a good coach?

The skills required to be a successful coach are usually listed as active listening, questioning skills and technique, summarising, paraphrasing, mirroring, empathy, attending body language etc. There are plenty of books available, as well as courses, and expertise in skills per se can be acquired by most individuals.

That really isn't the point - great coaching arises from compassion, commitment, and a profound belief in the potential of every person to achieve outstanding results for themselves, regardless of circumstances. It requires authentic care, the courage to trust instinct and absolute integrity. The skills you can learn about in a day. How long does it take to learn about your Self? That is the coach's journey.

- How come many major coaching initiatives in organisations fail to deliver their initial promise, or just fizzle out after a while?

• Lack of genuine commitment from the top. Often coaching is regarded as something that 'is done to staff' to get them to perform better. That isn't coaching, that's manipulation and people will smell a rat in ten seconds flat.
• Coaching is regarded as a performance management tool. It isn't. Performance management is a management issue. Performance is a coaching issue, and the two are often confused, with lack of clarity, suspicion and mixed agendas as a consequence.
  
• Managers go on a one or two day coaching programme and hey presto, they're coaches. They aren't. They have just started a conversation for personal growth for themselves and their people, requiring long-term commitment, continuous learning and an open heart. Many, even most, managers find this difficult to follow through without ongoing coaching and support, which is usually lacking.
  
• The organisational culture is unsupportive, or even suspicious, of non-directive conversations, even if coaching is superficially espoused. Underneath, the culture is one of machismo, short-termism, and look good.