How Executive Coaching Develops Effective Managers and Leaders

 

Are you considering hiring an executive coach? Do you want to understand the benefits of coaching? Are you interested in learning how long coaching lasts, how much it costs and what to look for in a coach?

This page provides answers to some of the most common questions about executive coaching. Our goal is to give you a detailed overview and provide useful information on executive coaching. Whether you’re considering hiring an executive coach or simply learning more about the subject, we hope you find it helpful.

Table of Contents

·        

The problem

·         What is executive coaching?

·         Who benefits from coaching?

·         What is the organizational value of coaching?

·         What are some key traits of a good coach?

·         How long does coaching take?

·         What credentials should a coach have?

·         What are the different types of coaching?

·         What’s the difference between coaching and consulting?

·         What is the cost?

·         Hiring an executive coach/company

·         Summary

The problem

There’s no question about it; we’re living in an era of massive distraction. Nowadays, even the most productive and effective organizational leaders are defenseless against this trend.

Life constantly throws obstacles at us. Add distractions to the mix, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose sight of what’s important. Our clarity, strategy, and performance are all compromised.

So how does a manager juggle these competing demands? One way is to hire an executive coach.

What is executive coaching?

“Coaching is releasing a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them learn rather than teaching them.”

~ Unknown

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” Let’s create a clear image of what this looks like.

We’ve all seen how busy managers can get. They’re always jumping from one thing to the next to move their organization forward. As highly trained individuals, they get things done and never fear the grind.

This could be you.

The problem is not the ability to get things done. The problem is going around in circles and not achieving organizational or personal goals. As it becomes an endless loop of “just getting it all done,” executives seldom stop to consider their biggest challenges and how to solve them, which can feel extremely frustrating. That is where coaching fits in.

An executive coach can help individuals go from where they are, to where they want to go. It helps executives take their organizations to higher levels. To achieve this, however, you must define the “next level” and what it looks like.

An executive coach will not provide the answers, but rather help you discover them on your own through a systematic process. You will learn this process and continue to leverage it over and over again throughout your career, helping you unleash your own potential.

Another way to think of executive coaching is to compare it to an athletic coach, where the objective is to get an athlete to the next level. To achieve this, the coachee, otherwise known as the person being coached, must be engaged, interested, and committed. Just like an athlete who trains daily to become Olympic quality, executives must be willing to take daily incremental steps to achieve their goals. This commitment from both the coach and the coachee yields lasting results.

A coach is not a therapist, coworker, or friend. A coach is a person that a coachee can trust to tell them what they need to hear to achieve their goals.

Let’s recap. An executive coach can help you:

·         Achieve specific goals

·         Develop your capabilities and leverage your existing strengths

·         Identify challenges that prevent you from achieving success

·         See yourself and others more clearly

·         Communicate more effectively

·         Improve leadership abilities

·         Enhance social skills, and

·         Build more productive relationships

Who benefits from coaching?

First and foremost, the coachee! Coaching will give you more confidence to make empowered decisions; provide more clarity to your workforce and stakeholders; and ensure that your actions are aligned with purpose, vision, and values.

Outside of the coachee , though, organizations significantly benefit from coaching too! Research shows organizations that made coaching a priority have 13% stronger business results and 33% better employee engagement.

When it comes to business, leaders set the tone. They understand the importance of establishing a company-wide culture keen on learning and moving outside comfort zones. By working with an executive coach, you are not only leading by example and encouraging others to follow suit; you are also proving to others in the organization that personal development is important and encouraging others to take their own development seriously.

Strong coaches will challenge you to reflect and learn continuously. Look for a coach who walks the talk, meaning an individual who also works on self-development and is continuously growing as a person, professional, and coach. Coaches bring much more value to their coachees when they also continually work on themselves and polish their own skills.

What is the organizational value of coaching?

Building a continually improving organization that is solution-focused, collaborative, and results-driven should be central to every senior leader. An organization can significantly benefit by developing successful leaders and allowing the team to model leaders’ behaviors, positively affecting the entire organization’s performance.

Harvard Business Review surveyed 140 leading coaches. The research points out that most companies in the past hired a coach to advise and help fix harmful behavior at the top level. However, “today, most coaching is about developing the capabilities of high-potential performers.”

In other words, coaching adds value to busy managers who focus on developing their employee’s growth. In her article on the value of coaching, Rita Balian Allen, a Huffington Post contributor, said that organizations “appreciate the value [talented executives, leaders, and managers] bring… and would like to provide additional resources to enable them to grow and progress further.”

What are some key traits of a good coach?

Powerful executive coaches listen to their clients, have a high level of emotional intelligence, help the client utilize and leverage their own resources, and enable coachees to solve their problems. However, trust is one of the most important traits in a coaching relationship.

Trust is the core of any relationship; the one between executives and their coach is no different. If a client believes the coach can’t be trusted, the entire coaching experience will quickly deteriorate. Executives need to be confident in both their relationship with their coach and the coach’s process.

So what makes a good coach? Someone who:

·         Helps their coachee identify what changes need to be made so the coachee can get to the root cause of issues as soon as possible

·         Has a sole agenda to help their coachee become more effective

·         Relates to the coachee and establishes a high level of trust and credibility

·         Understands the coachee’s emotional and intellectual needs

·         Identifies where the coachee can stretch their capabilities

 

How long does coaching take?

 

Coaching is a thorough process that can range from six to 12 months, via one-on-one phone calls, video chats or in-person sessions held approximately every other week.

 

It’s not uncommon to start the process with a 360-degree feedback assessment (sometimes shortened to “360”) or another type of evaluation to identify the coachee’s strengths, personality, leadership styles, attitudes, and values. The 360 may include confidential interviews with employees, top management, and/or the board of directors.

After the assessment data has been collected, the coach will analyze and explain the data to the coachee. Next, the executive and the coach develop coaching goals with specific, measurable, behavioral objectives. These goals form the basis of the actual coaching sessions.

Throughout the executive coaching sessions, the coach asks questions about each of the coachee’s goals, helping the coachee see where s/he may be getting in the way of progress. Once the coachee sees the goal situation in a new light, then the coachee commits to a small step of action to achieve the goal. Over time, each small step culminates in steady progress toward achieving the goal.

The evaluation process happens after the last coaching session. In this phase, the coach and coachee analyze how the coachee has progressed since the coaching started. The coach collects data on how the sessions affected the coachee’s leadership styles and overall effectiveness in the organization.

What credentials should a coach have?

Although the executive coaching industry is unregulated, there are certified programs and specialized trainings offered by the International Coach Federation (ICF), whose sole job is to ensure high standards in the coaching profession.

Having said that, clients have to make smart decisions when hiring a coach. A few things that are important to consider is a coach’s background, education level, experience, and ICF credentials.

What are the different types of coaching?

As described by the ICF, coaching is a partnership. It is a long-term relationship and commitment built on trust between a coach and a coachee. A coach once described her objective in these simple words,  “My job is to help great leaders make themselves even better.”

However, myriad types of coaching exist, from sports to public speaking. Below are some examples:

·         Career coaching

Career coaching is related specifically to one’s professional career. This includes coaching someone on how to approach job interviews or breaking into a new career niche.

·         Personal or life coaching

Life coaches help clients improve aspects of their daily lives, such as health, fitness, or more personal goals.

·         Business coaching

Business coaching is more closely related to consulting. This sort of coaching helps a client build a small business.

·         Group coaching

Group coaching has many different formats, ranging from group coaching processes that are part of a leadership development initiative, to public groups bringing together individuals with a common focus.

What’s the difference between coaching and consulting?

There are big differences between coaches and consultants.

Think of consultants as people who possess specialized skills and knowledge in a particular area, and get compensated to either use those skills and knowledge or give advice.

A coach, on the other hand, works with a coachee one-on-one to establish and achieve specific objectives or goals, and then helps them arrive at the best possible solution. Jim Rohn, the American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker once said, “make sure what you do is a product of your own conclusion.” Coaches are great at helping their coachees arrive at their own conclusions, thus yielding the highest benefit for the coachee.

Still not clear? No problem, here is one last example:

Consultants, in most cases, will diagnose and perform the work based on their expertise and knowledge of their industry. Coaching’s essence lies on listening, clarifying objectives, and holding the coachee accountable for taking action.

What is the cost?

There is no set cost for executive coaching. Each company and/or coach handles pricing a little differently. Some work per hour, others per session, and some have shorter or longer commitments based on initial assessments or requirements.

Most coaches offer a complimentary coaching session or discovery session so that you can mutually assess fit. So be sure to ask for this!

If you’re interested in working with an executive coach and learning more about our process here at CHCI, please visit our Get Started page. We’d love the opportunity to speak with you directly.

Hiring an executive coach/company

When you finally decide to hire an executive coach, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, ensure your coach adds value, has a personality that resonates with you, and is trustworthy.

A coaching commitment can range anywhere from six to 12 months. Therefore, it is important to understand what you’re trying to accomplish. What are your expectations regarding goals, objectives, and time frame? Will you be 100% committed to the process? What kind of experience do you prefer that a coach have? What credentials will you consider to be important?

These are all great questions to ask yourself before starting your research, and certainly before hiring a coach.

Being clear with the answers to these questions will help expedite your research. We invite you to consult with one of our experts on executive coaching Washington DC.

Potential ROI in hiring a coach

In 2011, Forbes contributor Matt Symonds reported that corporate America was spending over one billion dollars annually on executive coaching. A recent ICF, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Association Resource Centre survey concluded the median coaching Return On Investment (ROI) for companies was seven times their initial investment, while 28% saw an ROI of 10 to 49 times initial investment. Nearly one-in-five indicated an ROI of 50 or more times the initial investment.

Investing in executive coaching can yield high returns. Leadership matters, and when the relationship between a coach and the coachee is built on trust and value, returns will only be higher.

Summary

We have all had coaches at some point in our lives, be it youth sports, school teachers, or even through books. The process of continually developing yourself as a person, as a leader, and as a citizen of this world should never stop.

Just because you grow up, enter the professional world and become an executive, doesn’t mean you should stop searching for another coach. Especially one who can continue to facilitate your development by helping you identify your strengths and opportunities.

But first, you’ve got to understand that coaching is a marathon, not a sprint.

Coaching is a delicate process. It may even be a time-consuming process. However, it is also customizable and well worth the overall investment because it provides a safe place for the coachee to talk about perceived shortcomings, opportunities for growth, fears, and aspirations.

An experienced, certified coach helps you leverage your gifts, overcome internal “blocks” or limitations, and take action toward success. The overarching goal when working one-on-one with a coach is to maximize your potential and create lasting change.

Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

 

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Listen Up Leaders!

 

The success of a leader relies on the ability to unlock employee potential, find solutions, and meet organizational objectives.

Yet when individuals are always looking to you for answers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of providing an immediate solution to every challenge without first taking the time to listen and understand the full scope of the situation.

Here are some practical tips to improve and leverage listening skills that will enhance your leadership capabilities. If you’re interested in a more hand’s on approach, consider hiring an executive coach to help you effectively improve your leadership style fast.

It Pays to Slow Down

In today’s fast-paced digital era, you don’t have to scroll far on social media to find troves of industry leaders and managers competing to offer the “best” solutions to every problem they come across, all vying to prove that they are the smartest, the wisest, and the one with all the right answers.

But there is a much-overlooked response to every question that can help you. That response is simply to listen.

The top leadership consulting companies provide the necessary coaching and training programs to its managers and leaders. If you hold a leadership or managerial role, you may feel that you already spend a lot of time listening to others. You may even consider yourself to be a good listener. But how often do you find yourself lost in your note-taking, or considering your own response before your employees have finished speaking?

In fact, studies show that we’re able to remember much less information from listening than we think. Research carried out at the University of Minnesota shows that we only retain about 50% of what we’ve just been told. Listening is a skill that everyone needs to practice.

A Powerful Tool

Once mastered, listening can be one of the most powerful tools for anyone to possess. As a leader, you have a key opportunity to take the time needed to understand everyone in the workplace. When we are faced with challenges or situations that feel familiar, it is hard not to jump to conclusions. We like to think that we’ve been here before and we already know the answers.

But there is no one-size-fits-all solution to any problem. Only by fully listening can you ensure you’re asking the right questions and ultimately gain a better understanding of what’s going on.

Without fully understanding your subject, how can you begin to lead them to gain self-awareness, clarify goals and unlock their full potential? In short, sometimes the solution is not to provide an answer but to simply understand the problem.

The Value of Listening

The value of listening is often underestimated. Learning to truly listen is a skill that adds immeasurable value to your executive toolset.

Below are just a few things that can be achieved through the power of listening:

·         A deeper understanding of a problem or issue

·         Stronger relationships with your employees, peers, and clients

·         Showing others that you care

And that’s not all. By demonstrating your excellent listening skills, you can lead by example. By showing the power of listening in action, you can help others in your organization understand the value that listening can add to their own departments or roles. Show your employees the importance of creating a reflective space and let them experience the power of listening for themselves.

How can we improve our listening skills?

So how do you do it? The best way to improve listening skills is through active listening techniques. Making a conscious effort to use some of these techniques will help you engage with your employees and get the most out of every interaction. Some of these skills and techniques may sound obvious when considered on their own. Combined, however, they will produce powerful results.

Below are just a few active listening techniques you can employ straight away:

Make eye contact

Shut that laptop and other devices!

Simply making eye contact with the individual you’re speaking to can help you to listen more effectively. When you’re truly present, you can process the information that is being given to you much more easily.

Demonstrate concern

Actively show that you have empathy for your employees and others within your organization, and that you truly care about what they are saying. This will help to build a relationship of trust and encourage them to really open up to you about the underlying issues or concerns they may have.

Paraphrase what you hear

Paraphrasing key information to the individual you’re communicating with will demonstrate that you have listened and understood what they have told you. This will give the person you are communicating with the confidence that their leader cares and is paying attention.

Ask open-ended questions

Open-ended questions require more than a simple yes or no answer. They require the respondent to give more thought and consideration to their reply. An example of an open-ended question might be, ‘What’s holding you back from reaching your goals right now?’. This technique will help you uncover a deeper understanding of what is going on for your employee or peers.

Take it slow

A conversation isn’t a competition!

Make sure there is space within the conversation for your counterpart to express themselves without time pressure. You can dictate the pace. If you’re a quick thinker and the individual you’re communicating with takes time to think, then it is your responsibility to give them the room they need to breathe and think. Giving them this space will help to create a relaxed environment where you can both get the best results.

Power of pause

Everyone hates an awkward silence, but sometimes our desire to keep a conversation flowing can stop us from taking precious moments to reflect. Hold back from filling every pause with words and give the opposing communicator adequate time to stop and consider what they are saying. You’ll get a more honest and considered response this way.

Don’t interrupt

You might think you have the perfect solution to a problem yet resist the urge to jump right in there! Interrupting can send a variety of negative messages to your client and can stop them from opening up to you.

Ask!

Don’t assume you know what’s going on. Respond to questions with questions and make sure you really understand the situation. Drill down and find out what your employees or colleagues really think and feel. However, wait for the speaker to finish what they’re saying before you break their train of thought.

Don’t just listen to what they’re saying

Don’t just pay attention to what others are saying; listen to how they’re saying it. And listen to what they’re not saying as well. Sometimes a simple change in someone’s tone of voice can speak volumes about how they really feel. As a leader, it is your job to detect these changes and adjust and adapt accordingly. Situational awareness and emotional intelligence are key.

Reflect

Make time to reflect on the information you’ve been given by others. How can this information shape your actions as a leader? Give yourself moments throughout the day to step back and consider the things you’ve learned. Are there more questions you need to ask? Reflection is a huge part of turning the knowledge you’ve gained into positive action.

Closing Thoughts

While a growing number of leaders these days seem intent on sharing their own knowledge and offering solutions at rapid-fire pace, there is a lot to be gained from making space to absorb and process information. Listening is a fundamental skill for an effective leader, and one that will earn you more than just valuable information.

Listening to your employees and direct reports will help you to build the relationship of trust that you need in order to make a positive impact on their personal and professional development. By employing these listening techniques, you will be able to take your leadership to the next level benefiting yourself, others, and your business.

Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

 

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How to Level Up Your Leadership Skills in 2019

 

As we gear up for a new year, now is the time to strengthen your leadership skills for 2019 and ensure that you are effectively leading your organization toward achieving its goals. Here are three things you can do now to prepare for the future.

1. Hire an Executive Coach

An executive coach’s goal is to help you become the best version of yourself. Executive coaches become trusted thought partners and are just as invested in you reaching your goals as you are.

Many executive coaches serve as accountability partners for their clients by encouraging them to work toward their professional goals and holding them accountable for any actions that don’t help them move toward those goals. Additionally, an executive coach can help you unlock hidden talents and realize your potential, ensuring that you are aware of your capabilities as a leader and are consciously working toward developing those talents.

An executive coach serves as a non-biased resource to develop new ways to implement the information you’ve learned. Executive coaches can also help you build more productive relationships with your colleagues and staff and learn how to improve your interaction with people from different cultures and backgrounds.  In addition, an executive coach can also help you identify talent within and outside of your organization. As companies continue to make strides toward added diversity within their organizations, it is important that leaders are able to adapt to those changes.

One way to do adapt to those changes in a positive way is by enhancing your communication skills. Why? Because learning to listen to your colleagues and staff is just as important as the instructions you give them. Executive coaches can also help you strengthen your active listening skills and teach you ways to respond to challenging situations for the best possible outcome.

Anything you share with your coach is kept confidential; usually, executive coaching is conducted face to face, on the phone or via Skype and other video communication applications.

2. Take professional development classes

Professional development is a must for all business leaders. Business leaders who consistently seek ways to improve themselves can positively affect the internal climate of an organization.

Professional development classes can benefit you by helping you learn new methods of leadership and refine some of the traits you already have. Additionally, professional development can also serve as a way for you to teach others within your organization and field.

When it comes to professional development, you don’t always have to be the one taking the class. You can also be the person leading a class on leadership and other industry related trends that you’ve mastered as a professional.

3. Engage via social media

As we advance further into the digital age, more business leaders are stepping out from behind the scenes and making their presence known on social media. Taking some time to engage with your organization’s digital audience via social media helps establish you as an expert; it also adds a personal component to your organization’s online interactions.

Engaging with your organization’s customers and potential customers is a great way to add a human element to your company’s brand identity.  It helps you to appear personable and gives customers the idea that they know you and what you value.

Engaging with customers or clients can be as simple as commenting on trending topics on social media. Though these topics may not necessarily relate to your company’s brand, they may be important to your organization’s online audience. Personally delivering news to your organization’s online followers about new products, services, and or initiatives is another way for the public to put a face with the brand they love. Also, if you enjoy writing, publishing a blog on industry related topics and sharing those blog posts on social media is another way to connect with customers.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, being a leader requires continuous focus and intentionality, so be sure that you use all the tools at your disposal to become the best leader for your organization. Your reputation as a professional relies on your ability to relate to those around you and gain respect from your supervisors, peers, and direct reports.

Leadership consists of many different traits, but one of the most important characteristics is the ability to be led.  Gathering insight from your customers by engaging on social media, learning through professional development, and hiring an executive coach are all ways to be influenced and aid you in your efforts to become more effective.

As Q4 comes to a close, assess where you were last year at this time and ensure that you are continuing to work toward your year end-goals. Ask yourself questions such as:  Have I taken the necessary steps to be the leader I aimed to be this year?  Am I on target to meet my year end professional and organizational goals? What part of this year was challenging for me?  What changes am I planning to make in order for it to be less challenging in the future? Then,  take that information from your assessment and use it as a plan to close out Q4 on a positive note and bring in a strong 2019.

Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.

 

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