the Central London nlp group

Articles written by Group members and non-members

Executive Coaching
by David Lincoln

In this brief outline, we will attempt to answer the following questions:

• What is it?
• Coaching for what?
• Why do I need it?
• Who is it for?
• What is a good coach?

What is executive coaching? Is it a new word for team building exercise in some challenging outdoor pursuit? Is it a new way to move executives in luxury vehicles from place to place, along with their busy schedules? Yes, we could use this metaphor of transport. Executive coaching is a process to help managers to face, respond and deal with the increasing pressures of a fast-changing and complex environment. This process will improve their performance and effectiveness, in a way make their life more comfortable by being less stressful as if they were driven along. However the metaphor stops there.

Executive coaching is not about you delegating responsibilities to someone to tell you what to do or where to go. It is more about helping you to think more clearly, to learn quickly or to have a different perspective over an issue you cannot discuss with colleagues. It is also about understanding how you can deal with difficult people, resolve conflicts, motivate your teams, deal with emotions, present yourself more effectively and be more happy in the way you balance your personal and working life.

Is it another management fad, a new buzzword engineered by the marketing department of a training agency? You may think, it is only for those who don't perform well, or now that I have reached this top position, I don't have time for all these personal development courses. Anyway I am the expert here, how can an outsider understand what I am up to?

This new trend is not going to disappear. There was a time in not such a distant past when major organizational change was seen as an occasional necessity. In a global market with high level of competition and technological changes, not only organizational change is permanent but also in order to succeed and keep a high level of performance and innovation, the organization needs to make the best of its resources. Implementing new IT systems, designing new strategy or developing a new reward system are not enough. Nor is a standard mass-produced training package, which is quickly forgotten as soon as the employees are back into the work place. Taylor-made one to one coaching, helping busy executives to reach their full potential is the key. Personal style matters. Everybody is unique. Leadership, influencing skills cannot be taught, they are learnt. Executive coaching helps the individual to respond to his daily pressures and challenges. It is not about giving expert or technical advice or counseling. It is more about guiding, responding, inspiring, giving ideas, reflecting, and challenging the thoughts, beliefs and perceptions a manager may have. More responsibilities a manager has, the greater the pressure and usually the more lonely the manager is, hence a greater need for coaching, for having someone honest, competent and trusted to talk to.

The coaching process can take a number of forms depending on the individuals involved, and the issues faced. It usually starts with a brief meeting between the coach and the sponsor where the issues are discussed as well as the appropriateness of having a coach. From here the approach and style of the program will depend on objectives and desired outcomes agreed. It will include regular reviews and feedback to superiors with recommendations. Examples of outcomes could be greater confidence, improved decision-making skills, or enhanced creativity.

It is extremely important that there is a sound working relationship with the coach. Not only the coach should have great listening skills but he or she should be able to feel confident enough to ask challenging questions to test the client's habits and long-held views and assumptions about the world. Other qualities include commitment and perseverance, ability to empathize with the client's situation, and lateral thinking and flexibility of mind to see issues from a different perspective.

We hope that we have succeeded in giving you, the reader, a broad outline of this new and exciting development in the field of human development. We would be happy to answer any more questions you may have on this or any other subject relating to human development.

© David J Lincoln and Clare Bouloc 1999 e-mail: psychologist@therapist.net

At the time this article was written, in July 1999, David was a member of the Central London NLP Group Committee.