How has Executive Coaching changed?

Where can Executive Coaching help? When I started my coaching journey and until probably the last 5 years, most of my executive coaching assignments related to addressing issues confronting my clients. Often executives were having difficulties that needed to be managed – team issues, personal issues, political challenges within the organisation, time management and prioritisation, burn-out, “work-life balance”, job turnover, and role dissatisfaction.

More recently though I’m being engaged in professional development and to instill insights into effective leadership practices. My focus is being moved from the remedial to creating remarkable, effective, and productive leaders; leaders implementing change for themselves and their organisation’s growth.

In the more successful organisations, coaching is often being directed towards the psychology and mindset of their executives, understanding behavioural preferences and leading by example, and creating a strong trust-based culture. They are moving away from remedial and punitive issues management and more toward proactively optimising the quality, effectiveness, and talent of their leaders and executives.

Where can Executive Coaching help?

1. Organisational Alignment. Not only aligning the executive’s team to that of the higher corporate mission, but also how to align across departments, interconnect better, address areas of friction and disharmony, and improve the overall productivity of the organisation. Success will go beyond just the balance sheet as a result.
2. Leadership development. Drive the development of key executives with a focus on their leadership, management and communication skills. A key part is improving self-awareness through psychometric assessments like Extended DISC so they can engage and appreciate how to best communicate within their team, and with customers and suppliers for greater influence.
3. Team optimisation. Understanding team dynamics through psychometric assessments provides great insight and a qualitative window into how to balance team strengths and also identify gaps that need to be developed or filled. Aligning teams to key performance indicators (KPIs) provides a quantitative focus so identifying the core measures for success is an important aspect to develop with a coach.

Factors to Consider when Hiring an Executive Coach

1. Experience. Look at the different roles an Executive Coach you are considering has been associated with and whether they line up with what you are involved in. While it’s true that coaching doesn’t necessarily require a knowledge of the role, in my experience it certainly helps and definitely fast-tracks the results.
2. Client base. Has the coach had success with other executives at your level or higher?
3. Qualifications. What coaching and behavioural asessment certifications does the coach bring to the table and how will they be applied to help your progress?
4. ROI. Make sure you have a clear outline of the expected results and timeline and that you are both on the same page with regards to the outcome of the engagement. There will be a mix of quantitative and qualitative outcomes and some you can’t always put a dollar value to. However, as long you you engage cooperatively, establish clear shared goals and stay focussed on the ultimate objectives then there will be gains to be made for both the individual and the organisation.

So whether it’s for an individual executive’s development as a leader or operator of their business, or working with the executive and their team, the role of an experienced Executive Coach is becoming more crucial in these challenging times. For a no-obligation discussion on whether Executive Coaching would be beneficial for you, book a free session here with me.