What is Executive Coaching?
As an Executive Coach I become a partner in the executive’s business life. I assist them in clarifying their vision for the future of their organisation / or for their part of it. I help them identity their personal values and check how these are aligned with those of the organization. Where necessary (or possible), we make amendments.
I work with them on real issues, helping them in setting goals and measuring successes and failures. From these we identify the behaviours and “belief systems” that are beneficial to the executive and those that are self-limiting or destructive.
The process does NOT involve me fixing or trying to change the executive. It involves self-learning, based an observation and discussion of ongoing successes and failures. In this way the client identifies their strengths and also the “blockages” in their behaviour that inhibit their progress to even more success.
There are several components of success. These include the creation of dramatic increases in individual and organizational performance that, previously, would have seemed impossible. There is a feeling of satisfaction at achieving both improved performance, with less effort, AND at the same time, a more functional work/ home/ life balance. There is the creation of a joyous working environment that encourages all staff to: “bring their whole selves to work”.
Executive Coaching is NOT consulting, counselling, teaching, changing or fixing. It is not remedial, it is transformational. By transformational I mean that when executives begin to see their self-limiting behaviours and beliefs, then replaces these with others which are more appropriate, the dramatic improvements in performance become permanent and not just short-term “fixes”.
The duration of the coaching cycle will depend on the terms of reference. For assistance with a specific short-term project it will last for a minimum of 6 weekly, probably 45- 60 minute sessions. More normally it will last for 6-24 months as the executives transform both themselves and their organizations.
Click here for Suggesed Reading and Websites on Executive Coaching and Organizational Coaching
