Developed by The Executive Coaching Forum

Third Edition April 2004

Copyright 2004 by The Executive Coaching Forum
All Rights Reserved
(See Copyright note below.)

Defining Executive Coaching

What Is Executive Coaching?

Executive coaching is a developing field. As such, its definition is still the subject of discussion and debate among practitioners, researchers, and consumers. Executive coaching involves an executive, his coach, and his organizational context (as represented by the interests of his organization and supervisor, including the fact that the organization typically pays for coaching services). All are key stakeholders in the process. This fact by itself would appear to differentiate executive coaching from other interventions, such as career counseling and life coaching.

While both career counseling and life coaching can lend concepts and practice techniques that an executive coach might use, they focus solely on the individual client and his needs and goals. Executive coaching, in our view, focuses on the needs and goals of both the executive and the sponsoring organization. In that spirit, we offer the following definition of executive coaching.

Executive coaching is an experiential and individualized leader development process that builds a leader’s capability to achieve short- and long-term organizational goals. It is conducted through one-on-one interactions, driven by data from multiple perspectives, and based on mutual trust and respect. The organization, an executive, and the executive coach work in partnership to achieve maximum impact.

 

Definition of Terms

Experiential. The development of the leader is accomplished primarily by practical, on-the-job approaches rather than through classroom or more abstract methods.

Individualized. The goals and specific activities are tailored to the unique aspects of the individual and the organizational system.

Leader development process: Executive coaching focuses on developing the executive’s ability to influence, motivate, and lead others. Rather than relying on tactical problem solving or basic skill acquisition, executive coaching develops strategic thinking skills.

Leader: We use the term broadly to mean any individual who has the potential of making a significant contribution to the mission and purpose of the organization.

One-on-one: The primary coaching activities take place between the individual leader and the coach.

Build capability: Developing new ways of thinking, feeling, acting, learning, leading, and relating to others builds individual and organizational effectiveness.

Data from multiple perspectives: In order for the executive and her principal stakeholders to understand, clarify, and commit to appropriate coaching goals, various data collection methods are used to identify key factors and skills required in the organizational context. The appropriate use of interviews and standardized instruments assures accuracy and validity of data gathered from people representing a range of perspectives within the organization.

Mutual trust and respect: Adult learning works best when the executive and the coach, along with other members of the organization, treat each other as equals, focus on their mutual strengths, and believe in each others’ integrity and commitment to both coaching and the organization.

Three Levels of Learning

Executive coaching involves three levels of learning:

1. Tactical problem solving

2. Developing leadership capabilities and new ways of thinking and acting that generalize to other situations and roles

3. “Learning how to learn”: developing skills and habits of self-reflection that ensure that learning will continue after coaching ends

The third level is an important and sometimes overlooked goal of coaching. Its aims are to eliminate an executive's long-term dependency on his coach and teach habits of learning and self-reflection that will last a lifetime, enabling him to keep developing throughout his career.

What Is a Coaching Partnership?

The coaching partnership is a win-win approach in which all partners plan the process together, communicate openly, and work cooperatively toward the ultimate accomplishment of overarching organizational objectives.

1. The executive, the coach, and other key stakeholders in the organization collaborate to create a partnership to ensure that the executive’s learning advances the organization’s needs and critical business mandates.

The executive coach can be external to the organization or an employee.

2. The partnership is based on agreed-upon ground rules, time frames, and specific goals and measures of success.

3. The coaching partnership uses tailored goals and approaches, including:

• creation of a development plan
• skill building
• performance improvement
• development for future assignments
• exploration, definition, and implementation of the executive’s leadership and the organization’s business objectives.

(From Robert Witherspoon and Randall P. White, Four Essential Ways that Coaching Can Help Executives, Center for Creative Leadership, 1997.)

4. The coaching process can, but need not necessarily, include:

• pre-coaching needs analysis and planning
• contracting
• data gathering
• goal setting and development of coaching plan
• implementation of coaching plan
• measuring and reporting results
• transitioning to long-term development.

5. The coach applies several of the following practices, among others:

• problem solving and planning
• rehearsal (role play) and on-the-job practice
• feedback
• dialogue
• clarification of roles, assumptions, and priorities
• teaching and applying a variety of management and leadership tools
• referral to other developmental resources.

6. The focus of the partnership is on using the executive’s strengths and building the key competencies needed to achieve strategic business objectives.

7. The partnership involves key stakeholders in the coaching process (called “other partners”), including:

• the executive’s manager
• senior management
• Human Resources
• Organizational Development or Effectiveness
• Executive Development
• peers, including strategic business partners from other organizations
• direct reports
• other key people in the executive’s life.

8. Executive coaching is paid for by the organization that employs the executive.

9. A successful coaching partnership is guided by clear personal values, ethical guidelines, and experiences that establish the credibility of the coaching process and maintain the welfare of the executive and her coworkers.

What Is Different About Executive Coaching?

As coaching has grown in popularity over the past few years, it is only natural that some authors have tried to differentiate among types of coaching. Some of these categories define coaching type by its goals or ends. Career coaching, for instance, is defined as coaching designed to help individuals make enlightened career choices. Other attempts at categorization make distinctions based on the means used in a particular kind of coaching. As an example, presentation and communication skills coaching employs video feedback.

The practice of executive coaching may involve many of the types of coaching described below. Thus an executive coaching engagement may over time touch on the executive's career or personal life issues involving work/life balance, and use video feedback to work on some particular behavioral or communication problem. Two factors always distinguish executive coaching from these other types, however:

• It always involves a partnership among executive, coach, and organization.
• The individual goals of an executive coaching engagement must always link back and be subordinated to strategic organizational objectives.

A discussion of some common coaching types follows.

Personal/Life Coaching

The personal/life coach helps individuals gain awareness of and clarify their personal goals and priorities, better understand their thoughts, feelings, and options, and take appropriate actions to change their lives, accomplish their goals, and feel more fulfilled.

Career Coaching

The career coach helps individuals identify what they want and need from their career, then make decisions and take the needed actions to accomplish their career objectives in balance with the other parts of their lives.

Group Coaching

Group coaches work with individuals in groups. The focus can range from leadership development to career development, stress management to team building. Group coaching combines the benefits of individual coaching with the resources of groups. Individuals learn from each other and the interactions that take place within the group setting.

Performance Coaching

Performance coaches help employees at all levels better understand the requirements of their jobs, the competencies needed to fulfill those requirements, any gaps in their current performance, and opportunities to improve performance. Coaches then work with the employees, their bosses, and others in their workplace to help the employees fill performance gaps and develop plans for further professional development.

Newly Assigned Leader Coaching

Coaches of individuals assigned or hired into new leadership roles help these leaders to “onboard.” The goal of the coaching is to clarify with the leader’s key constituents the most important responsibilities of her new role, her deliverables in the first few months of the new assignment, and ways to integrate the team she will lead with the organization. The major focus of this type of coaching is on helping the new leader to assimilate and achieve her business objectives.

Relationship Coaching

The relationship coach helps two or more people to form, change, or improve their interactions. The context can be work, personal, or other settings.

High-Potential or Developmental Coaching

The coach works with organizations to develop the potential of individuals who have been identified as key to the organization’s future or are part of the organization’s succession plan. The focus of the coaching may include assessment, competency development, or assistance planning and implementing strategic projects.

Coaching to Provide Feedback Debriefing and Development Planning

Organizations that use assessment or 360 feedback processes often utilize coaches to help employees interpret the results of their assessments and feedback. In addition, coaches work with individuals to make career decisions and establish professional development plans based on feedback, assessment results, and other relevant data.

Targeted Behavioral Coaching

Coaches who provide targeted behavioral coaching help individuals to change specific behaviors or habits or learn new, more effective ways to work and interact with others. This type of coaching often helps individuals who are otherwise very successful in their current jobs or are taking on new responsibilities that require a change in specific behaviors.

Legacy Coaching

The legacy coach helps leaders who are retiring from a key role to decide on the legacy they would like to leave behind. The coach also provides counsel on transitioning out of the leadership role.

Succession Coaching

The succession coach helps assess potential candidates for senior management positions and prepares them for promotion to more senior roles. This type of coaching may be used in any organization that is experiencing growth or turnover in its leadership ranks. It is especially helpful in family businesses to maintain the viability of the firm. Since assessment is often part of this intervention, clear expectations and groundrules for confidentiality are essential. It may be necessary in some companies to use separate consultants for assessment and coaching.

Presentation/Communication Skills Coaching

This type of coaching helps individuals gain self-awareness about how they are perceived by others and why they are perceived in that way. Clients learn new ways to interact with others. The use of videorecording with feedback allows clients to see themselves as others do. The coach helps clients change the way they communicate and influence others by changing their words, how they say those words, and the body language they use to convey their intended messages.

Team Coaching

One or more team coaches work with the leader and members of a team to establish their team mission, vision, strategy, and rules of engagement with one another. The team leader and members may be coached individually to facilitate team meetings and other interactions, build the effectiveness of the group as a high-performance team, and achieve team goals.

 

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