BUILDING QUALITY LEADERS WITH EXECUTIVE COACHING

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Executive coaching is crucial at present due to the dynamic nature of the business environment, the need for adaptable and emotionally intelligent leaders, and the strategic importance of leadership development in achieving organizational goals. It serves as a proactive and personalized approach to supporting leaders in their professional growth and maximizing their impact on both the organization and its workforce.

What is coaching?

“Coaching is a personal (usually one-to-one) approach to helping people develop their skills and knowledge and improve their performance. The need for coaching may arise from formal or informal performance reviews, but opportunities for coaching will emerge during everyday activities”  (Amstrong, 2023)

Coaching is a professional and collaborative relationship between a coach and a client/employee, designed to facilitate the client's/employee’s personal, professional, or organizational development. The primary goal of coaching is to help individuals or groups achieve specific goals, overcome challenges, and enhance their performance and overall satisfaction.

What is executive coaching?

Executive coaching is a professional development process that aims to enhance the leadership and management skills of executives within an organization. It involves a one-on-one relationship between an executive (the coachee) and a trained professional (the executive coach), with the goal of improving the individual's performance, effectiveness, and overall well-being in their role.

These coaches need to inspire and support executives to achieve their full potential in achieving their success as business leaders. Also, Executive coaching is practice- based and the coach can help the executive to change his thinking pattern as well as the tangible work practices. Executive coaching focuses on areas like decision making, strategic thinking etc…

For whom the executive coaching is for?

  • Executive coaching will be undertaken for following employee categories:
  • CEO & C-suite Executive- CEO/COO/CTO/CFO
  • Senior Leaders- Regional Leaders, Vise Presidents, Senior Directors
  • New Leader- New member joining for a top role.
  • First-time Leader- New promoters
  • High potentials- Individuals with high potential for leadership positions

The key features of executive coaching

  1. Individualized Development- Executive coaching is highly personalized, tailored to specific needs and addresses the unique needs of the executive who is being coached.
  2. Goal oriented- Coaches incorporate with executives to set goals which are clear and measurable as well as mostly aligning with organizational goals.
  3. Feedback and assessment- Coaches provide constructive feedback to help executives gain insights into their leadership style, strengths, and areas for improvement.
  4. Skill enhancement- Most coaching sessions focus on developing a collection of skills such as communication, decision-making, time management, strategic thinking etc.
  5. Self-awareness and reflection- Encourages to gain a deep understanding of their values, motivations, and leadership style, leading to more effective decision-making and interpersonal relationships.
  6. Accountability- The Executive is accountable for their goals and commitments.
  7. Confidentiality- The coaching relationship is built on trust, and coaches maintain a high level of confidentiality as this enables executives to openly discuss their ideas.

Main types of executive coaching

Executive coaching process

Assessment and goal setting- This stage mainly includes initial meeting and goal identification. The first session of coaching is understanding the compatibility of coach and executive, setting goals to be achieved, discussing confidentiality, discussing work arrangements, and performing a 360-assessment on the executive.

Action Planning- The coach and executive create a targeted action plan outlining the steps and strategies to achieve the identified goals. This plan serves as a roadmap for the coaching engagement and includes key milestones and timelines. As the second phase- the executive and coach discuss and allocate the necessary resources, whether in terms of time, training, or support, to implement the action plan effectively.

Coaching Sessions- The coaching engagement involves a series of one-on-one sessions between the coach and the executive. These sessions, conducted at regular intervals, provide an opportunity to discuss progress, challenges, and insights. Coaching sessions are a platform for exploring solutions, gaining feedback, and adjusting strategies as needed.

Evaluation and closure- Towards the end of the coaching engagement, the coach and executive evaluate progress against the established goals. The coaching engagement concludes with a discussion on the outcomes, lessons learned, and plans for ongoing development. The coach and executive may decide on additional steps, such as follow-up sessions, to ensure sustained progress.


Benefits of executive coaching-

  • Enhances leadership skills, promoting more effective and adaptive leaders.
  • Promotes self-reflection, leading to greater awareness of strengths, weaknesses, and leadership style.
  • Assists in making informed and strategic decisions critical to organizational success.
  • Enhances communication abilities, positively impacting relationships with team members and stakeholders.
  • Supports executives in achieving peak performance by addressing challenges and setting achievable goals.
  • Develops skills in addressing and resolving conflicts, fostering a positive team and organizational culture.
  • Facilitates the setting and attainment of specific, measurable, and time-bound professional goals.
  • Supports in career development, providing guidance for career transitions and advancements.


Challenges of executive Coaching
  1. Selection of a coach with legitimate skills- Some coaches lack of psychological aspects relevant to human minds and also they have no skills for coaching- but society tends to select them since they are former athletes, lawyers and business academics.
  2. Resistance to Change- Executives may resist adopting new behaviors or perspectives, hindering the effectiveness of coaching efforts.
  3. Time Constraints- Busy schedules and competing priorities can limit the time and commitment executives can dedicate to coaching sessions and action plans.
  4. Confidentiality Concerns- Executives may be hesitant to openly discuss challenges or vulnerabilities due to concerns about confidentiality and potential repercussions.
  5. Aligning with Organizational Culture- Ensuring that coaching strategies align with the organization's culture and values can be a challenge, particularly in diverse or rapidly changing environments.
Conclusion-

In today's dynamic business landscape, executive coaching is a critical foundation for improving leadership excellence. As organizations face unprecedented challenges, investing in developing their leaders' skills and capabilities becomes increasingly important. Executives can improve their decision-making skills, communication strategies, and resilience by participating in tailored coaching and skill-building initiatives. Executive coaching has a far-reaching impact that goes beyond individual development, reverberating throughout entire teams and organizations.

Madusha Perera
2023

 

References

Amstrong, M., 2023. Amstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management. 16th ed. s.l.:KogenPage.

Berglas, S., 2002. Harvard Business Review. [Online]
Available at: https://hbr.org/2002/06/the-very-real-dangers-of-executive-coaching
[Accessed 10 December 2023].

Bravanti, 2022. What is Executive Coaching? Benefits & Examples. [Online]
Available at: https://bravanti.com/what-is-executive-coaching-benefits-and-examples/
[Accessed 10 December 2023].

Grayson Riegel, D. et al., 2023. Harvard Business Review. [Online]
Available at: https://hbr.org/2023/12/what-it-really-takes-to-become-an-executive-coach?ab=HP-latest-text-1
[Accessed 10 December 2023].

Perry, E., 2023. BetterUp. [Online]
Available at: https://www.betterup.com/blog/executive-coaching
[Accessed 10 December 2023].

Comments

  1. ChandimaP weerakkodyDecember 20, 2023 at 12:30 PM

    Author has discussed in detail coaching which refers professional development process of main objectives to enhance the leadership and management skills of executives where featured as Individualized Development, Goal oriented, Feedback and assessment , Skill enhancement etc to a organization.There are positives Enhances leadership and development skills,and also many challenges to overcome. Good job !

    ReplyDelete

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