Developing Leaders Through Executive Coaching
In our post-pandemic world, how are companies training their future leaders?
It's a critical question as companies struggle with continuing labor shortages, inflationary cost increases, shifting consumer demand and long term climate change. Too often today, managers are elevated to increasing levels of responsibility without a plan for their development. On the job training (OJT) is the default plan to gain leadership skills. Unfortunately, newly promoted leaders stumble along, unclear on how to engage and motivate their direct reports. Meanwhile, employees impatient with poor leadership exit for greener pastures.
Great leadership is no longer a "nice to have" competency, it's a "need to have" competency.
So, how should companies help young leaders acquire the skills on the path to leadership excellence? Many larger companies have created customized internal programs which they utilize to train future leaders. Mid-sized companies often bring in outside experts to help create periodic leadership training workshops for high potential employees. However, across the board, the most powerful trend today is hiring executive coaches to work with individual leaders to help improve their performance.
But what does an executive coach actually do?
It’s a fair question for those who have never worked with an executive coach. While some business executives may have a cursory knowledge of executive coaching, it's important to understand how to evaluate prospective coaches if you are considering hiring one. There has been an explosion in the coaching profession over the last decade and since there is no universally accepted governing body, anyone hiring a coach should insure they understand some basics so they don't end up with an unqualified charlatan. A good coach can help accelerate performance while an incompetent coach can waste time and money.
So, back to the question - what does an executive coach do?
Starting at the most fundamental level, a coach is someone who can help improve your performance or achieve a goal you have set for yourself. The difference between an Executive Coach and a sports coach, wellness coach, career coach, or life coach is the focus on the unique challenges business presents to leaders.
What separates an executive coach from a consultant or advisor is the type of the engagement and approach. Many large scale business challenges such as process improvement or software implementations are best handled by consultants or business experts. Advisors and consultants analyze the business problem and deliver a solution. A coaching engagement to develop leadership skills is different. Clients benefit more when they are able to develop their own learning plan through dialogue and exploration with their coach.
A good executive coach listens intently with empathy and genuine caring to a client's leadership challenge, and asks questions based on their knowledge to help the client develop an action plan rather than exclusively offering advice. In this manner, the client ultimately has more ownership over their solutions. However, that doesn't mean a good coach won't offer nuggets of wisdom and advice at certain junctures.
While many problems specific to a functional area may surface during coaching, the truth is that most issues are related to human interactions. How do you motivate people who seem unmotivated? How do you hold direct reports accountable without being seen as a dictator? How do you foster better teamwork? How do you navigate political turf battles? How do you have a crucial conversation? These questions and many more are the typical areas of discussion with your coach. Any business with more than a few people requires the effort of people working together to achieve a common goal. The more people involved, the more possible friction.
Sometimes, the issue is internal to the client - how the client perceives, reacts, or possibly creates the issue due to their own behavior or lack of awareness. A coach's role in these situations is to help clients see what may be invisible by challenging their assumptions. In my experience as a business executive, it is often lonely as a leader and sometimes difficult to talk with others about some of the specific people challenges which can cause tremendous personal stress. It helps to have someone to talk with about your challenges and help you see what you cannot see on your own.
At the beginning of every meeting, an executive coach should ask specifically what you want to accomplish in that session. Toward the end of the session, the coach should help you develop action steps which you commit to implementing. At the start of your next meeting (most coaches set up a cadence of meeting every other week for just under an hour), the executive coach should ask you to review your action plan and discuss what went well or did not go well. To become proficient in leadership, one needs to actively practice certain behaviors, reflect on the learning, and then adjust and incorporate the effective practices into one's daily behavior.
What is apparent in evaluating many executive coaches is the business / psychology background divide. In my experience, the majority of executive coaches come from a background in psychology whether holding PhD's in psychology or being previously trained as therapists. As a result, many have a strong background in understanding how certain behaviors and ways of thinking can be understood based on models in psychology. Many other executive coaches have a prior background in business and are more at ease understanding the myriad business issues clients face because they have faced the same challenges at some point in their career.
Which background is best in executive coaching?
As is true in many business situations, I believe the answer depends. It depends on the challenges the client is trying to address, the context of the company situation and specific type of coaching the client desires. In general, I believe the best coaches have experience and knowledge of both disciplines, business and psychology. A good coach should understand the dynamics of the business world while understanding the different models in psychology which address human behavior and motivation.
Ideally, experienced coaches should have some accredited coach training. Accredited training may give the client some degree of knowledge that their coach isn't simply improvising. However, it should not be the decisive factor in their decision. There are many well credentialed coaches who struggle to add value because of their lack of experience overall. As the great American psychologist, Carl Rogers, once said, "Certification is not equivalent to competence." Prospective clients also need to be wary of someone who has a great social media following but limited experience in business or psychology.
Here is a partial list of questions one should consider asking a prospective executive coach to avoid getting an imposter who is simply "trying on" coaching as an alternative way to make a living:
Could you share with me your professional background and how long you have been in executive coaching?
What coach training have you had and what is the most important part of that training that you utilize in your coaching?
What is your process or method for how you structure your coaching calls?
What's the biggest obstacle you face in coaching clients and how do you overcome it?
What are the results you can point to with your past clients?
A good executive coach is ultimately someone you trust. You trust they will help you become the best possible leader you were meant to be by actively listening to your issues, asking powerful questions, helping co-develop action plans, and holding you accountable to those plans. Good coaching can lead to many positive changes in your overall career and life. By hiring the right coach, you can help fulfill your own promise while helping improve the lives of the people you lead.