Empower executives with tailored coaching to achieve lasting behavior change.
Executive Coaching
By Howard M. Guttman
The Best Coach I’ve Ever Encountered
The best coach I’ve ever encountered was Joan H. She was neither a guru, published author, nor a great speaker. She was my first manager, but she was endowed with a superior gene for coaching. My job involved writing articles for publication: a piece of cake—or so I thought. My first assignment was to write an article. Eight agonizing drafts later, Joan judged my article good enough to go!
Joan was a terrific coach whose effectiveness came from six practices:
Setting the Bar High: Joan knew what constituted excellence, and she would not settle—or allow me to settle—for less. She persevered, draft after draft, without lowering her standards or giving up on me. As a result, I reached a new level of excellence.
Stating "Shoulds" Clearly: Clear “shoulds” provide targets that prompt desired behavior. Joan didn’t simply say, “Rewrite this.” Her feedback was specific. Her focus was never on how bad my writing was but on how it could be better. Clear shoulds not only provide targets to hit; they also clarify the current “as-is” state and the gap between the two. My job was to close the gap.
Refusing to "Rescue": Joan never said, “This is how I would rewrite it.” She put the onus on me, saying things like, “This paragraph is too wordy. How could you express the same thought in fewer words?” She forced me to come up with solutions.
Testing for Understanding: Joan never assumed that I knew what was expected of me. She provided feedback, then asked, “Do you understand what you need to do? How will you go about doing it?” This kept me on target.
Contracting: At the end of every feedback session, Joan carefully laid out the next steps: what she expected me to accomplish by the next meeting and when that meeting would occur.
Having Patience: Joan may have been frustrated by the rework, but she never let it show. I was on a learning curve, and she gave me the time I needed.
Avoid Three Traps
Three traps can derail you:
Colluding with the Client: Avoid pressing the person or team to go beyond their comfort zone. Collusion may feel good in the short term but is one of the biggest barriers to lasting behavior change.
Not Knowing When to Let Go: You can’t learn to ride a bicycle unless you pedal on your own. Great coaches aren’t rescuers; they don’t carry monkeys. They don’t have the conversations their client should be having, forge relationships for them, or compensate for their inability to change. They provide support and guidance.
Giving Clients an Ultimatum: Forcing clients into coaching under threat of repercussions is futile. Instead, focus on facts. Begin by interviewing those closest to the executive. Explore perceptions of strengths, weaknesses, and behaviors. This “reflected self” provides a sense of how others view the individual.
Seven Deadly Roles
Here are seven roles that coaches should avoid at all costs:
Playing Confessor: Coaching is not about absolution but about behavior change.
Playing Freud: Coaches aren’t there to analyze the “inner self” but to assess observable behaviors.
Playing Houdini: Coaching isn’t magic; it’s about following a clear process.
Playing Solomon: Coaches don’t have all the answers. The best insights come from those who interact with the client.
Playing Tarzan: Coaches shouldn’t carry their client’s burdens. Clients must learn to shoulder their responsibilities.
Playing Shill: Coaching is about changing performance, not making excuses.
Playing Osama: Coaches shouldn’t intimidate, sabotage, or damage the client’s ego or career.
Summary
Coaching involves collecting and analyzing facts, sharing them in an objective and non-threatening way, transferring specific skills for behavior change, and measuring results. World-class coaches adhere to these practices and avoid the traps and deadly roles that undermine effectiveness.
Contributing Editor Howard Guttman is the author of "When Goliaths Clash: Managing Executive Conflict" (AMACOM). He is the principal of Guttman Development Strategies, specializing in building high-performance teams and executive coaching.
Action: Avoid playing deadly roles.
Reprinted with permission of Executive Excellence Publishing.