Finding The Best Executive Coach: Top Ten Qualities To Look For
Leadership development can be enhanced with the right
coaching model
and
an experienced executive coach. Executive coaching is really about changing the attitudes,
beliefs, and behaviors of an organization's key contributors, in order to help
them perform at a higher level and derive greater satisfaction from their
careers.
If you agree that leadership development is about challenging and changing
attitudes and behaviors, then you would probably agree that the process is a
psychological one that requires a great deal of training and finesse on the part
of the coach. The executive coach must have advanced training in the
behavioral sciences, which includes a broad understanding of how to apply
behavioral change methods to the workplace.
What should one look for in a good executive coach? The coach must:
Possess strong rapport building and trust developing
skills. An expert coach knows how to build trust with individuals at all levels of the
organization. The coach is able to use effective listening skills to build
a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. This goes way beyond the
ability to understand business activity and is really about "understanding
people."
Be a skilled diagnostician. We know that almost everyone brings
their personal life and personal baggage into the workplace, so the coach
must know how to harness and direct that energy. A coach must be able
to discover and understand those issues and how they impact the workplace.
An expert coach brings to the table the ability to accurately assess the
barriers that prevent forward movement.
Know how to increase anxiety and positive motivation in order to
accelerate the change process.
An expert executive coach knows that sometimes you need to "nudge" the
coaching candidate to take a few risks and be open to new options. One way
to accomplish such a goal is to increase their anxiety and thus there motivation to be
successful.
Conduct a comprehensive assessment/audit relying on a detailed life
interview, multi-rater feedback instruments, state-of-the-art objective
tests, and performance data. An expert coach will utilize an effective goal setting and action planning strategy
that is based on a comprehensive evaluation of the individual and
organization.
Utilize on-the-job "behavioral experiments" as the everyday method to drive
behavioral change.
One of the best ways for someone to learn new skills is to "try
them on" at work. A coach helps design "behavioral
experiments" that challenge the candidate.
Develop a strong partnership between the candidate and a change
partner. Expert coaches help the candidate discover and develop a partnership
with a person who is there to provide encouragement and support and to celebrate
successes. One goal of all coaching should should be linking the candidate with
someone that can be their mentor.
Show the candidate how to tap into their own motivations so that they can
take ownership of the coaching process. An expert coach teaches the candidate how to discover the motivation and
commitment to take the lead in determining the direction of the coaching.
Have a toolbox full of behavioral change techniques available to help
build the energy required to achieve lasting performance enhancement. A
coach has experience helping individuals change their
behaviors. The coach can "dig" into a reservoir of techniques
that can help create an environment conducive to positive change.
Know how to utilize adult learning theory to further the change process.
An executive coach knows how to apply adult learning theory to the coaching
process. Adults tend to learn the best through "active
participation" in a skill building activity... a "behavioral
experiment" in the workplace.
Know which behavioral patterns predict success and which ones predict
derailment. An expert coach is constantly watching for behavioral patterns, looking
for signs that predict success or derailment.
There
are a few more qualities that I haven't listed, but this is a great place to
start the discussion about executive coaching. Please take your time to
evaluate all coaches before you hire one.
Do You Want More Information About Our
Executive
Coaching Process?