“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult.”
Warren Bennis, Organisational Consultant and Pioneer of leadership studies.
Once upon a time, having a coach might have been considered a stigma; today it can often be a status symbol. A sign that an employee is important enough to warrant the investment. But what is executive coaching? How does it help individuals and organisations? And why have attitudes to executive coaching changed?
We explore these questions in this article, the first part of a two-part series on executive coaching.
What Is Executive Coaching?
Executive coaching and business coaching are often confused or used interchangeably. However, they have very different meanings:
- Executive coaching is a specialised process that focuses on learning and development to improve the performance of individual executives. The primary goal is to help alleviate an individual’s problems that are perceived to reduce or impact their performance in an organisation.
- Business coaching is a more generic term which applies to any form of coaching that takes place in a workplace. It could be about dealing with items like competency development, new leadership support, team development or career transition.
This definition provided in The Psychologist captures the meaning nicely: “Executive coaching is a form of organisational learning through one-to-one conversations that facilitates development for a leader. It can be used in a variety of ways, for example, getting past an impasse, removing a stumbling block or drawing out and building on strengths.”
In practical terms, executive coaching occurs on a one-to-one basis, usually about every four weeks. It tends to take place face-to-face but can incorporate video or phone calls if that suits the executive and coach.
What Are the Benefits of Executive Coaching?
Successful executive coaching outcomes can include an individual feeling more empowered and better able to make personal change that helps them achieve their goals. This can include improving areas like social skills, leadership abilities, self-awareness and self-regulation. And executives can also expect to develop higher levels of empathy and enjoy increased motivation and cognition at work.
These individual benefits also help organisations because their leader is better able to unlock talent and productivity, lead change, empower the workforce and demonstrate higher levels of business and personal acumen.
Coaches who carry out executive coaching should be able to apply various methodologies to support behavioural change. This will help them push their clients and hold them accountable so the executive can work towards career success and reduce the impact of career derailers like burnout or stress.
Why Past Performance Isn’t An Indicator of Future Conduct
“What got you here, might not get you where you need to go.”
Another major benefit of coaching is that it can help an executive with their learning agility. This is important because research shows that an ability to remain open to new ways of thinking and to continue learning new skills is essential for leaders.
In their white paper on learning agility, Adam Mitchinson and Robert Morris state their view on the topic: “We have long known that a major difference between successful people and those whose career falter is their ability to make meaning from their experiences.”
This statement points to one of the most interesting outcomes from their paper: that the view of leadership potential has changed.
Rather than predicting future success from past performance and demonstrated skills and abilities, Mitchinson and Morris believe we should be looking for leaders with the ability to learn new knowledge: “… Our focus must shift to finding and developing individuals who are continually able to give up skills, perspectives and ideas that are no longer relevant and learn new ones that are.”
Coaching can help executives to do this by providing accountability and challenge, ensuring that they continue to grow and utilise new strategies that will equip them for the increasingly complex problems they will face in their organisations.
Changing Reasons for Executive Coaching
Over the decades, the reasons for hiring an executive coach have changed. In the 80s and 90s, coaching was rarely used as a business development resource; the focus was on fixing performance problems for athletes, performers or public speakers.
Around the millennium, executive coaches were hired to fix toxic behaviours, working with senior leaders who were likely to be fired if they didn’t change abrasive conduct. However, with the introduction of positive psychology (led by Martin Seligman’s research into optimal behaviours), coaching began to change too.
By 2009, research from the Harvard Business Review found that coaches were hired around this time for three main reasons:
- Develop high potentials or facilitate transition (48%)
- Act as a sounding board (26%)
- Address derailing behaviour (12%)
These figures show that, in the space of a decade, the focus of executive coaching had changed from correcting poor behaviour to focusing on development.
10 years on and coaches are now less likely to be hired for remedial measures and are far more likely to be seen as a force for positive change. So much so, that in many organisations an executive coach is offered to all leaders.
With these changes in how coaching is used, the stigma of having a coach has also been revised. Now executive coaching is seen as an investment in people that demonstrates an organisation’s level of engagement with and commitment to their people.
The positive psychology movement has also resulted in people being more open to seek improvement and to follow a journey of fulfilment. And it can also be seen to reflect a commitment by the executive’s to commit to their own development and to their organisation, demonstrating resilience, insight and learning agility.
Perspectives on having a coach have now changed so significantly that it’s now something to be proud of. In fact, many executives are open about having a coach and they even share their learning and development with their network.
It’s clear that executive coaching adds value to individuals and their employing organisations. And this has been reflected in changing attitudes to coaching. But where is executive coaching heading next and, if you’re considering hiring an executive coach, what should you be looking for? Find out in part two of this series.
Or, if you’re considering working with an executive coach, contact Clare Mulligan (CPsychol, Msc, BA) at [email protected] or on 07594 946 166 to discuss your needs.
For Part Two Click Here
