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Coaching Leaders for Change
How do you convince leaders to change? How can you optimize their
talents and potential? Which best practices in executive coaching
programs produce lasting results that drive business performance?
Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage
leadership talent and resources, both of which can steer an organization
toward sustainable success.
A New Paradigm
Coaching is
no longer reserved for problem leaders. It
is more frequently sought by top performers whose organizations
value their management and growth potential. Today’s CEOs
recognize the importance of enabling leaders to achieve critical
business objectives in the shortest possible time, so they are
hiring coaches to accelerate development.
Hewitt Associates
has conducted some interesting research that documents the positive,
long-term relationship between investment in leadership development
and continuing financial success (Hewitt Associates’ 2003
Top Companies for Leaders study). Its research demonstrates that
companies that invest in emerging leaders tend to enjoy greater
long-term profits.
Forty-seven percent of companies rated for strong leadership regularly
assign coaches to their executives. They know coaching provides
a powerful way to boost performance and strengthen leadership.
Regular use of executive coaches separates top companies from the
mediocre ones.
The coaching profession is expanding rapidly, with coaches from
diverse backgrounds who champion varied methodologies. This growth
has sparked debate over several issues, including:
• What are best practices?
• Who is the actual client: the leader being coached or the
organization footing the bill?
• How should impact and return on investment be measured?
• Where do you draw the line between personal and business
issues?
• How can confidentiality be preserved when stakeholders and
team members are part of the mix?
Establishing Ground Rules
In the beginning, coaches must clarify the ground rules, calling
attention to the following key areas:
| 1. |
Confidentiality,
expectations and commitment: The
coach must be clear about what will be shared with the leader’s boss and what will
be kept confidential. Aligning coaching goals with the organization’s
principal objectives is crucial, as coaching isn’t merely
an exercise in personal improvement. |
| 2. |
Reporting relationships:
There must be clarity among the three key participants: the
organizational contact (boss or HR representative), the coach
and the leader being coached. |
| 3. |
Methods of information
gathering: Key stakeholders, team members, direct reports and
others involved will be contacted by both the coach and the
leader being coached. |
| 4. |
Making judgments, setting
objectives and monitoring progress: The coach helps the leader
and key stakeholders maintain objectivity. Coaches must focus
on one or two behaviors, without judgment, and facilitate honest
sharing about progress. |
| 5. |
How, why and when the
coaching will end: Coaching parameters must be set at the beginning
of the engagement, with milestones for assessing progress and
a completion date (usually 12 to 18 months). |
It is critical to clarify at the outset who
the client is. Whenthe coach and leader understand that the company
is the actual client, then the ground rules are easier to accept.
This is a vital step for gaining and maintaining trust. Once the
ground rules have been established, they cannot be bent along the
way. The coaching relationship requires discipline and boundaries
for progress to occur.
Measuring Sustainable Success
Success isn’t measured by:
| • |
How
well the leader performs with the coach’s help. It must
be judged on how well he or she performs after the coach has
left the scene. |
| • |
How
leaders feel about their own progress. It must be judged on
the changes stakeholders perceive. |
| • |
The
leader’s positive feelings toward, and relationship with,
the coach—a natural byproduct of a successful coaching
engagement. True success is measured by demonstrated results. |
Ultimately, the success of a coaching
partnership is not measured by coach-leader chemistry or the
leader’s satisfaction level;
rather, it is measured only by business results.
Getting Leaders to Change
Marshall Goldsmith has been called
America’s foremost executive
coach by several leading magazines and newspapers (Fast Company,
Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review). His model
for behavioral coaching outlines a reliable process to help leaders
achieve positive, measurable changes in themselves, their staff
and their teams.
First, the coach secures an agreement with the client (the organization)
and the leader being coached with respect to two key variables:
1. What are the key behaviors that
will lead to the greatest positive change in leadership effectiveness?
2. Which key stakeholders should determine (one year later) if
this change has occurred?
Goldsmith and his associates work only with leaderswho:
• Are considered good coaching candidates
• Are seen as high potentials within the organization
• Have not committed an integrity violation
• Are willing to make a sincere effort to change
Involving Key Stakeholders
In this model of behavioral coaching,
the coach asks key people involved in the leader’s performance
to participate in the coaching process. The coach requests direct
help in four critical arenas:
| 1. |
Let go
of the past. Key stakeholders
must agree to focus on a future that can improve, as opposed
to a past that cannot. Goldsmith calls this process “feedforward,” in
lieu of feedback. |
| 2. |
Be helpful and supportive—not
cynical, sarcastic or judgmental. If
people don’t give
the leader a chance, he or she will stop trying. |
| 3. |
Tell the truth. Key
stakeholders are advised not to gloss over or embellish reports. |
| 4. |
Choose an area for
self-improvement. The leader
must be very open about what he or she is going to change.
As part of the process, he/she will ask for ongoing suggestions.
Stakeholders, too, will be asked to select an area for self-improvement
and to solicit suggestions. This makes the process a two-way
street, allowing stakeholders to serve as “fellow travelers” in
the quest for self-improvement (as opposed to singling out
one leader who must change). It also greatly increases the
value the corporation gains throughout the entire process. |
Steps in the Behavioral Coaching Process
Research indicates that if leaders fail to complete these basic
steps, they probably will not improve. Conversely, if they successfully
accomplish these steps, growth is assured.
| 1. |
Allow
leaders to be involved in determining desired behaviors. Leaders
cannot be expected to change their behavior if they lack a
clear understanding of the company’s goals. |
| 2. |
Let
leaders assist in identifying key stakeholders. There are two
major reasons why leaders deny the validity of feedback: wrong
items or wrong raters. When leaders and their managers agree
in advance on desired behaviors and key stakeholders, they
buy into the coaching process. |
| 3. |
Collect
feedback. The coach can accomplish this by interviewing key
stakeholders and using 360-degree rating systems. |
| 4. |
Determine
key behaviors for change. Select only one or two key behaviors
that will have the most positive impact on effective leadership. |
| 5. |
Have
the leader respond to key stakeholders. The leader being coached
should talk with each key stakeholder to collect additional “feedforward” suggestions
on how to improve in the targeted areas. The leader should
keep the conversation positive, simple and focused. When mistakes
have been made in the past, it is generally a good idea to
apologize and ask for help in changing the future. Leaders
are advised to listen to stakeholder suggestions without judging
them. |
| 6. |
Review
what has been learned, and help the leader develop an action
plan. After listening to suggestions, the leader must return
with a plan describing what he or she wants to accomplish.
The coach then provides encouragement that helps the leader
live up to each commitment. |
| 7. |
Develop
an ongoing follow-up process. Follow-up should be very efficient
and focused on the future, incorporating questions like, “Based
upon my behavior last month, what ideas do you have for me
for next month?” Within six months, conduct a two- to
six-item mini-survey with key stakeholders, asking whether
the leader has become more or less effective in each targeted
area for improvement. |
| 8. |
Review
results and start again. If the leader has taken the process
seriously, stakeholders invariably report improvement. Build
on this success by repeating the process for the next 12 to
18 months. This type of follow-up will assure continued progress
on initial goals and uncover additional areas for improvement. |
This coaching model has a proven track
record with leaders from some of the world’s foremost organizations.
When leaders practice these guidelines and work with competent
executive coaches, they focus their behavior on what works best
for them, their team and the company.
The coach must keep the focus on the
specific behaviors selected with the leader, facilitate information
collection from key stakeholders and act as a catalyst for “feedforward,” emphasizing
positive, measurable progress as noticed by team members and stakeholders.
Why Leaders Give Up
When it comes to change, some leaders
lose motivation and fail to “stick with the program.” Regardless
of a coach’s
competence, failure to achieve goals may occur for several reasons:
| |
Ownership:
The more leaders feel the process
is being imposed upon them or that they are just casually “trying it out,” the
less likely the coaching process will work. If leaders are
simply “playing games,” with no clear commitment,
their bosses must be willing to discontinue the coaching process—for
the good of both the company and the coaching profession. |
| |
Time:
Goal setters have a natural
tendency to underestimate the time needed to reach targets.
Busy, impatient leaders can be even more time-sensitive than
the general population. Ordinarily, our behavior changes long
before our coworkers perceive any change. |
| |
Difficulty:
Goal setters’ optimism
applies to difficulty, as well as time. Not only does everything
take longer than we think; it also requires hard work! Long-term
change in leadership effectiveness takes real effort. For example,
it can be challenging for busy, opinionated leaders to have
the discipline to stop and listen patiently while others say
things they may not want to hear. |
| |
Distractions: Leaders have a tendency to underestimate the distractions and
competing goals that will invariably surface in any given year.
By planning for distractions in advance, leaders can set realistic
expectations for change and, consequently, will be less likely
to renounce the change process. |
| |
Rewards: Leaders
tend to become disappointed when achievement of one goal
doesn’t immediately translate into achievement of
other goals. If leaders think skills improvement will quickly
lead to short-term profits, promotions or recognition, they
may become disappointed and give up when these things fail
to materialize instantaneously. |
| |
Maintenance: Once
a leader has put forth the effort required to achieve a goal,
it can be tough to maintain behaviors that incorporate the
new changes. Leaders must recognize that professional development
is an ongoing process, with a lifelong commitment. Leadership
involves relationships—and relationships and people change.
Maintaining positive relationships requires long-term effort. |
Coaching can be daunting for some leaders, as they must be willing
to be vulnerable and open. It is exhilarating for those who embrace
it and commit to change. Unlike management science, academic theory
or consulting, coaching is an exciting interpersonal journey. Coaches
and their clients form strong bonds built on trust, openness, confidence
and achievement.
Resources:
Goldsmith,
M., Lyons, L. & Freas, A. Eds. Coaching for Leadership:
How the World’s Greatest Coaches Help Leaders Learn. Jossey
Bass/Pfeiffer. San Francisco, CA.
Morgan, H.,
Harkins, P. & Goldsmith, M. eds. The Art and Practice
of Leadership Coaching: 50 Top Executive Coaches Reveal Their Secrets.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ.
Working
Resources is a Leadership Consulting, Training and Executive Coaching
Firm Helping Companies Assess, Select, Coach and Retain Emotionally
Intelligent People; Emotional Intelligence-Based Interviewing and
Selection; Multi-Rater 360-Degree Feedback; Career Coaching; Change
Management; Corporate Culture Surveys and Executive Coaching.
Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
Trusted Advisor to Senior Leadership Teams
Subscribe to Working Resources FREE E-mail Newsletter.
E-mail:mbrusman@workingresources.com . Type Subscribe Newsletter.
Voice: 415-546-1252 Web:www.workingresources.com
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