Coaching is a three-way partnership between:
- The organization hiring the coach.
- The executive to be coached.
- The coach.
All involved must agree on specific goals and parameters. The organization needs to have clear goals and a purpose for the coaching program. There must be top-level support and visible links to business imperatives.
The executive has to be willing to accept the process of coaching, including opening up to feedback and making behavioral changes.
The coach must be committed to being candid while fostering a supportive environment. The coach must have a sense of the executive’s world from a personal, business, and social perspective and be able to hold out a mirror to the executive to foster behavioral changes. At the same time, the coach must be able to maintain trust and navigate sensitive political issues with the organization.
As in any triangular relationship, the key is defining and clarifying goals, roles, and accountability. For coaching to produce results, the goals should be measurable. Many times this involves using 360-degree assessments before and after coaching.
Executive coaching may not be for everyone, and organizations and clients should consider their purposes and goals before engaging coaches. While the results may not be directly measurable in dollars, there is no company that can’t benefit from more candor, better communications, and more conscious awareness of how its leaders interact with people in order to maximize talents and resources.