Related Article
Executive Coaching: Lessons from the Front
by Jay Scherer, executive coach of OI Partners—Chicago, IL
Over the past seven years in building our executive coaching practice, we have been asked to support our clients’ success in a wide variety of situations. We have had engagements ranging from fixing potentially career-limiting performance issues and behaviors, to helping groom a senior leader for the CEO role. We have learned many practical lessons, through both successes and failures in the coaching process. Here are a few of the more important ones:
Positioning of Coaching. We have found that the initial conversations about coaching between the participant and his or her manager, or human resources, can set the tone for the entire coaching experience. Even for the coaching engagement requiring some change in behavior, but not an urgent need, where coaching is to be more focused on grooming than corrective action, there still exists the possibility that the individual would infer that they have a problem and that they are at risk. To reduce this possible outcome, the initial discussion should include mention that the individual is well regarded and the company is interested in building a strong succession plan. If you have experiences with other coaches, you may say, "We provide coaching to others to help ensure alignment and shared success." It is also important that both HR and the manager deliver a consistent message. If you are not on the same page as the manager, the positive positioning of the coaching may be compromised.
Clarity of Purpose of Coaching. Along with positioning, the purpose of coaching needs to be well understood by all involved. We have been in situations where HR believes immediate correction action is required, but the manager is not nearly as concerned, and views the coaching as "rounding out a few rough edges." This conflicting purpose can confuse the coach and participant. As external coaches, we sometimes ask the manager and HR, "How urgent is the situation on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning it would be nice but not critical for changes to occur, to 10 meaning that if there is not immediate change, the individual will be asked to leave the organization?" Big differences in numbers mean more conversation about the purpose of the coaching.
Confidentiality. It is critical that all parties understand the degree of confidentiality of the process. Does the participant own the entire process, with all feedback to the company coming from the participant? Or is the coach expected to provide regular feedback to the organization? A misunderstanding of this issue will result in the coaching doing more damage than good. Make a decision at the start, be sure all know what the ground rules are, and then don’t change those ground rules once the coaching process starts.
The Reluctant Participant. Sometimes, people in coaching stop participating in the process. Reasons may include an uncomfortableness in sharing the necessary information to make coaching valuable, a lack of trust in the coach or in the confidentiality of the process, or suspicion about the purposes of the coaching. Participants also sometimes go along with coaching because it is the politically correct thing to do, without ever intending to fully participate. Symptoms include many canceled meetings, slowness in getting homework assignments completed and lack of openness in discussions. To help head off the possibility of this occurring, the ground rules of a confidential coaching engagement should allow the coach to report to the company only if there is a determination that the individual is not fully participating in the process.
What’s the Real Problem? Very often, the symptoms that create the need for coaching are not fully reflective of the true issues at play. Sometimes coaching to help groom an individual for succession is stymied because the individual has no real interest in moving up the ladder. Any effective coaching strategy includes a process to assess and analyze at a deeper level, the reality of the situation to ensure the engagement truly delivers value to the individual and the organization, to achieve shared success.
Issues with the Direct Manager. Sometimes coaching uncovers significant rifts between participants and their managers. And often the blame for this rift is shared. The coach’s political savvy and experience in business is critical to helping get these issues surfaced and solved so that all parties win. Usually, coaching would focus on helping the participant build an appropriate plan to repair the issues with his or her boss. If this approach is unsuccessful, broader involvement would need to be carefully considered by the participant and coach.
Changing Circumstances. Sometimes during coaching, business strategy changes, an acquisition occurs, a major new initiative is launched or a key sponsor of the coaching leaves the organization. Change is constant, and these types of changes usually should not significantly impact the overall coaching initiative. Coaching specifics and priorities may change, but there is still value to the coaching. However, we sometimes see a reduced commitment to the coaching effort by the participant and the organization when it seems that changing circumstances affect the overall engagement. Be sure to shore up commitment to the process in the likely event that a major business change changes some of the specifics of the original coaching assignment.
Jay Scherer is an executive coach with OI Partners in Chicago, IL.