Maximum Results in Executive Coaching and 360 Assessments
"5 Steps to ensure Executive Coaching delivers a sizable return on investment for the time and money it requires."
Leaders have wide influence on others, creating ripples like waves in a pond.
The more responsibility they have, the greater the ripple effect. These ripples cross time and space in ways that we don’t fully realize.
I recently coached a President of a large organization who needed to address issues related to his lack of connection to others. As we dove deeper, we discovered that he was unconsciously imitating behaviors he witnessed from a CEO nearly 30 years prior.
Let that sink in.
The actions and behaviors that one leader models can impact thousands of people that they don’t even know dozens of years later.
So how can an organization ensure a given leader’s ripple effect is creating a positive impact? Hire an executive coach as a guide and resource to better understand and address the ripples they are creating.
How do you ensure that the investment generates a return of greater value? Here are five key things to consider before investing in executive coaching:
1. Commitment
The most important element is the attitude and motivation level of the individual being coached. Will they embrace the opportunity? Are they willing to be vulnerable in the interest of long-term positive outcomes? Reflecting back on the hundreds of individual coaching programs that I’ve witnessed firsthand, this is by far THE most significant indicator of progress vs failure.
Equally important, having a committed support system of others around the individual is paramount. I once coached a senior leader who received feedback that his perceived arrogance was hurting his ability to connect with others to drive positive change.
In this case, his wife served as one of his committed accountability partners. Outside the office, she’d point out when he slipped back into his poor habits like avoiding eye contact or not asking questions of others when they shared stories about their passions.
Make sure there is 100% commitment to the process as a first step.
2. Clarity of Purpose
Many organizations look at executive coaching to help prepare leaders to take on larger roles. But what does that mean? According to what standards? In whose eyes?
I’ve learned the hard way that an objective or goal like this one, can have many different ways of interpretation. The coach, individual, supervisor, HR department, or board of directors may all have different elements that they see as most important to this person at this stage of their career. Get input from each of the appropriate key stakeholders to ensure everyone understands the purpose of this work.
3. Process Built for Results
All coaching offers individuals the space to gain insights from reflection while exploring situations from alternative perspectives. Often, these insights are what many people remember most when they talk about a great coaching session. Unfortunately, these insights by themselves are only 20% of the equation needed to generate actual results. The other 80% comes down to how the insights are applied and adapted to generate long-term lasting transformation.
4. Going Public
When individuals ‘Go Public’ with their intentions and request participation from others, it unlocks a magical power.
I coached an executive who received feedback that her lack of openness and willingness to allow others to take ownership was stifling creativity and demotivating her team. When she realized this, she was brought to tears.
She cared deeply about her people and she never wanted them to feel this way. She went to each expressing genuine remorse and real desire to improve her actions. She asked for their forgiveness and their help as she worked to rebuild better leadership habits.
Several on the team told me that they had no idea that she cared that much or that she had any desire to change. These conversations broke down barriers that led to significant lasting positive improvements in her personally and the benefits she brought to the organization.
This would have never been possible if she hadn’t set her own ego aside and embraced her own vulnerability by ‘going public’ with her efforts.
5. Monitor, Measure and Adapt
Appropriate execution of this final step is what separates the good coaching outcomes from the great.
The individual must recruit as many people as possible who are willing to share ongoing input related to their behavioral change efforts. Encourage ongoing dialogue, in real time, between the individual and those who are observing. When the individual regresses into old behaviors in a meeting, those around them must call it out. When the individual demonstrates improvement, it should be recognized and celebrated in the moment.
Second, implement a pulse survey process that collects anonymous input from supporters every 4-8 weeks. By carefully crafting 3 questions based on the behaviors that should be observed, the individual receives timely relevant inputs targeting the areas that matter most. Beyond a numerical score for feedback, it’s important to collect feedforward, ideas and suggestions focused on how the individual can drive more positive behavior change in the future.
Incorporating a few brief confidential interviews between the coach and a select group of the observers helps bring to life each of these data points. Now armed with a combination of timely relevant inputs, the coach and the individual can work together to fine tune the strategies that are or are not yielding the desired results.
Summary
Following this 5 step process can ensure any executive coaching investment generates a solid return on investment. The steps are actually pretty straight-forward. That doesn’t mean that they are easy. But if you embrace the opportunity with enthusiasm and a bit of patience, you can be sure to get a strong return on investment.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that these elements assume the coaching is conducted by a qualified executive coach who has the appropriate training, resources, experience and track record of success.
