Who
needs an executive coach? Maybe you do-whether you
know it or not.
FORTUNE
magazine reports (July 23, 2001) that one reader
said, "I went into the
coaching experience
kicking
and screaming, at the insistence of my then-boss. And
what an eye-opener it turned out to be. I won't even
go into the grim details of bad management habits I
had unthinkingly developed in my 14-year career up to
that point--but I will say that since I was 'cured' by
12 weeks of pretty intense coaching, I've been
promoted three
times."
As the old saying
goes, "It's lonely at the top." And that's why
CEO
coaching
is a very useful
tool for the person who carries the weight of
responsibility for the organization. However, many
CEO's think it is important to "go it alone" due to
their belief in the myth of individualism: the
cultural belief that everyone succeeds or fails on the
basis of individual efforts and abilities. This
assumption is so powerful that when an alternative
view is suggested--success depends on our
relationships with others as much as it does on
ourselves--the usual reaction is denial. Denial of the
role of relationships in the CEO's success preserves
the self-enhancing illusion that we are masters of our
own fates: we get all the credit for our
successes.
The
purpose of
coaching
is to provide the
CEO of an organization with a sounding board to think
through key issues. The relationship created with the
executive coach is in addition to and does not replace
existing relationships with the CEO's senior
management, board members or other advisors. One
advantage of the executive coaching relationship is
that there are no 'strings attached' to
conversations--as exist when the parties have on-going
formal relationships and established roles that must
be considered.
The
typical coaching relationship contains two
elements:
1. The CEO agrees to
complete one or more confidential personal assessments
for the executive coach. These assessments
tools can
provide information to the CEO on "Who am I?", "How do
others see me?" and "How do I relate to others?". The
personal assessment process helps the CEO discover how
s/he impacts others and provides a solid beginning for
the on-going coaching relationship.
2. Periodic
phone
conversations,
as desired by the CEO, comprise the on-going executive
coaching relationship. Usually, a minimum of one
conversation per month is necessary to maintain a
continuity of understanding of critical
issues.
A successful coaching
relationship should result in the CEO gaining critical
insights into issues faced. These insights come not
from specific advice on the content of an issue, but
rather from a clarification of the CEO's thinking
about the elements impacting the issue and its
interconnections.
Build
Effective Leadership Skills
Subscribe to
low-cost daily
...or... weekly
leadership tips from world-class
teachers...or...take
a 30-day test
drive...or...sign
up for free monthly tips below.
