“To a man with only a hammer, a screw is a defective nail.”
― Orson Scott Card, Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Twentieth Century
I know of an executive who was promoted to a senior management position. He showed up for the first day on the job and discovered that he had no secretary. There was also no computer or desk for him to use. The company did not promote this individual with any of these items because they assumed that he would have everything he needed wherever he worked.
The executive was left with two choices, 1) quit because there was no way he could do his job without the necessary tools, or 2) use the computer at home and bring his work back and forth every day. He chose the second option, but it left him no time to get his family to school or soccer practice.
This is a perfect example of an executive not having a coach to help smooth this problem out.
It’s sad that some executives still don’t know about executive coaching, which hinders them from getting one and producing the best performance at work.
Worry not because here are the top 12 questions to ask about executive coaching and their answers:
Question #1: What is executive coaching?
Executive coaching is a process whereby an organization’s executive or senior management team member works directly with the coach. The coach helps the executive enhance his/her effectiveness by focusing on their strengths and improving their weaknesses. In almost all cases, a committed relationship is formed between the two that lasts throughout the course of coaching. The coaches (also called executive coaches or leadership consultants) typically work with each executive from one to two days per week over a few months. The exact duration depends on factors such as the requirements of the coaching assignment and the type of organization.
Question #2: Who are executive coaches?
Executive coaches, which we’ll refer to simply as coaches from here, are experienced professionals who usually work with senior management in a one-to-one setting. Coaches have often occupied the same roles as their clients and either worked through similar issues or achieved very different results.
Question #3: What is the goal of executive coaching?
Coaching aims to help executives develop greater insight into how they are perceived, what their blind spots may be, and to reinforce the behaviors that will help them become more effective leaders. Coaching is designed to show executives how others see them create opportunities for increased personal effectiveness within each executive’s unique business environment. It does this through three primary mechanisms:
- Increased self-awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Increased self-confidence from having someone else validate the strengths that are currently being leveraged to achieve results.
- Increased capacity to make decisions with more confidence about what steps will be effective and how they can be implemented.
Question #4: How is executive coaching typically structured?
The coaching process begins typically with a meeting whereby the coach (and perhaps others) participates in one-to-one discussions with each executive to gain insight into their leadership style, specifics on the issues they are facing, and how they might like to be perceived. The interview is intended to help the coach understand what areas need improvement and what assets or strengths that executive has already. The client and coach then jointly develop a schedule for the coaching sessions in the future. Typically, a week’s worth of sessions are reserved by the company to ensure that each executive can take part in individual coaching, group meetings with others on their team, re-briefing sessions to help further integrate the learning from the coaching sessions, and time to reflect on ways in which they can apply their new skills.
Some coaches will meet each executive for one to two days per week over a three-month period, while others may schedule a half-day of one-on-one sessions every other week. Regardless of the format, the coaching is intended to be an ongoing process to address specific needs and issues as they arise.
Question #5: What do executive coaches do?
Most executive coaches are trained with a foundation in the psychotherapeutic approach to helping people uncover their blind spots and imbalances in behavior. During coaching sessions, they help executives identify the strengths and areas for improvement in their leadership style. Coaches also provide an unbiased sounding board to ensure that executives hear themselves as others on their team listen to them.
Coaches help clients become more aware of why they react or behave in specific ways, but they don’t make decisions for them. They work to empower leaders by helping them realize that they can make their own changes and reinforcing the strategies used by executives who are already effective in achieving results.
Question #6: How does executive coaching differ from mentoring?
Executive coaching is an extension of management consulting services provided by most larger firms. Most management consultants bring individuals on to the staff to assist leaders in achieving corporate goals. These individuals are often former leaders of a company or industry who have consultants’ experience and perspectives.
Mentors, on the other hand, are typically people with less experience in business than coaches but bring great knowledge and insight about a particular field to teach it to others. Coaching is meant to help executives become more effective in their roles while mentoring is designed to teach a new skill or point of view.
Question #7: How can executive coaching services benefit me?
Coaching will help executives look at themselves through the eyes of others. Coaching helps leaders develop greater self-awareness and an ability to self-regulate their behavior.
Coaching will help executives develop a greater capacity to implement effective strategies consistent with their leadership style. Coaches can also help leaders become more aware of how specific decisions impact others and give them the tools they need to respond in ways that help build readiness, enthusiasm, and commitment from their team. Coaches can also help with team building, conflict resolution, and critical situation management.
Question #8: What should I look for in an executive coach?
When searching for a coach, select someone who is experienced in working with executives to see how their coaching would be a good fit. Coaches must have highly developed listening skills to glean information from their client’s responses and questions. They must also have an aptitude for helping their client find the solution to their own problems, and they should be interested in partnering with executives as a sounding board and objective observers of their work
Coaches ensure that executive leaders can identify opportunities for improvement, challenge existing assumptions about themselves or others on their team, convey how individuals and team members are likely to view them, and discover how they might shift their behaviors or leadership style to positively impact outcomes. Coaches also help executives effectively self-regulate and monitor the effectiveness of their strategies in a variety of situations.
Question #9: What can I expect in an executive coaching session?
A typical coaching session consists of a conversation between the coach and executive. Coaches use open-ended questions to elicit responses from their clients, but they do not answer the challenges that executives present them with. The coach helps his or her client think through issues to get at root problems and develop valuable and appropriate solutions. The solution is always the responsibility of the executive coaching client, and it is up to them to implement any strategies or actions that they decide upon in collaboration with their coach.
It should be noted that each session is different, but most sessions involve a dialogue between the coach and executive. The conversation can take place over the phone, via video chat, or in person. The length of each session is also up to the executive, but many sessions last for an hour.
Question #10: How do I choose a coach?
Coaches should be certified by several professional associations that are recognized as leaders in the field. They should have experience working with executives in similar roles and responsibilities to yours. When searching for a coach, you should consider how they will be able to help you achieve your goals. Find out whether the coach is available when needed and what their availability looks like for an average week or month.
Question #11: What are the disadvantages of executive coaching?
Coaching is not meant to replace your professional development. Instead, it is intended to supplement your ongoing self-development and training efforts with a coach who can help you think outside of the box and really dive deep into the issues that affect decision making, leadership styles, productivity, work/life balance, motivation, and other aspects of executive performance.
Executive coaching can also be expensive (costs can range from $600 to more than $2,000 per session). Many organizations try to avoid investing heavily in coaching because they believe that their leaders should figure out solutions independently. Most coaches are also only available by appointment, which means scheduling sessions can be a hassle, and meetings may take place during work hours.
Question #12: Do I need to be concerned about confidentiality when working with an executive coach?
Absolutely not! All of the coaches are bound by professional ethics standards and will maintain strict confidentiality at all times. Your information is safe, and you can rest assured that it will never be shared outside of your organization or with any third parties.
Executive coaching is a powerful tool that can help leaders improve their day-to-day performance, enhance existing skills and develop new strategies for meeting challenges or overcoming obstacles. If you are ready to make positive changes in your professional life, human resources professionals should encourage you to consider executive coaching as an option.