Even high-performing, successful, busy executives find themselves feeling stuck, unfulfilled or challenged in today’s fast-paced business world.
Overview
Executive Coaching is typically a one-on-one process between a professional coach and a management-level client. The goals are to improve the client’s managerial and/or leadership performance. There are several types of executive coaching. Most commonly, the client is focused on a specific issue, and the coach provides process that facilitates the client’s progress.
The key components of the coaching engagement are goal setting, current situation observation and assessment, the gaps between the desired goals and current situation, and the capabilities required to close the gaps. The engagement is founded on a collaborative relationship between the client and the coach. In addition, the process can include important parties such as the client’s manager, peers, direct reports, HR department, business partners, or others.
The coaching engagement can span from 3 to 12 months even though the root cause for some challenges or issues are often showing signs early on. Research has shown that it takes at least 90 days for changes of human behaviors to take root. Note that some may take much longer depending on the complexity and depth of the psychology and behaviors.
Benefits of Executive Coaching – What do you get out of it
Executive Coaching is delivered in a series of meetings, very often virtually.
Clients will develop:
- Clear definitions of what they want out of the coaching.
- Improvements or conditions they want to accomplish.
- Understanding of their personal patterns that support or inhibit these.
- Definition of success.
- Plans to break through and accomplish their objectives.
The coach works with the client to identify limiting beliefs, or habitual patterns that inhibit their progress. They also commonly report more success in their work and in their personal lives.
Who is Executive Coaching for?
Executive Coaching can be designed for individuals, teams, or even across organizations. There are many ways it can be structured. The broader the approach, the larger the effect on the organization.
Executive Coaching is commonly needed for specific issues caused by change, initiative, or integration event. Coaching helps them identify and clarify desired outcomes, and support them to tackle and solve the issues at hand.
Below lists more example of specific situations where coaching can help:
- Your company is growing rapidly
- You are integrating a merger
- You are starting up a team, or project.
- Your role is changing from an individual contributor to managing people
- You have received informal or formal complaints/feedback and you want to make a change
- You are dissatisfied with your current results
- You’re feeling out of balance or out of energy
- You want to improve your relationships
Executive Coaching packages
We offer two Executive Coaching packages. Each provides a framework for individuals to identify, evaluate and address a particular issue they are facing. Individuals will obtain tools in decision making, planning and sustaining action or integrating and enabling a predetermined objective.
Rapid Action Leadership
Program Length: 3 – 6 months Working with a senior coach, you will develop the following:
- Individual objective
- Action and enablement focus
- Evaluation process with participants
Achiever Leadership
Program Length: 6 – 12 months Working with a senior coach, you will develop the following:
- Individual objective
- Action and enablement focus
- Evaluation process with participants
- Evaluation process with sponsor(s)
COACHING ENGAGEMENT PROCESS
Discovery & Dialog
The coaching begins with a short meeting involving the senior executive/ C-Level executive (aka the coachee executive or CE) and “sponsoring” executive/team, if necessary, to
- discuss the goals of the coaching experience, provide context and background, and,
- discuss the proposed “roadmap” and coaching schedule.
Next, the CE and the Coach get to know each other both in the office and out over lunch and/or dinner.
The objective over the course of the day and following day, if necessary, is for us to build a foundation and bond of trust and rapport.
Feedback & Design
Based on above meeting and interactions, the coach will assess the maturity, strength and capability vibrancy of the CE. The CE will then take the necessary profiling assessment tools assigned by the coach.
One day of shadowing where the coach observes the CE in action—on calls, in meetings, etc.
The coach supplements these assessments with 360-degree interviews involving key stakeholders and constituents (board members, other C-Level executives, direct reports, etc.) as well as survey a larger population of employees using the TRUST Index or the organization’s sponsored 360-Survey. The Coach will then identify from her/his observations, assessments, interviews, and shadow days, the CE’s leadership strengths and development needs.
Typically, we schedule a full-day to debrief and discuss the themes and results of the assessments.
Under the coach’s guidance and the results from the assessment tools, the CE then prepares their initial leadership development plan (based on the diagnostic phase) that focuses on strengthening their leadership or managerial skills and competencies.
The CE, along with my support and guidance, prepare to meet with their stakeholders and constituent groups individually and collectively to share any number of things, including: their drive and passion to become the best leader they can be and that they cannot achieve this goal without the input, support and guidance from them. Please note that this step can often be the most challenging for the senior/C-Level executive.
Learning & Experience
The coach continues to guide and provide the tools, guidance and preparation with the CE to invite and incorporate positive developmental suggestions from their key stakeholders and constituent groups so they can finalize their leadership development plan.
Culture Check-in
With the coach’s on-going support and guidance, the CE then starts executing this plan while ensuring that key stakeholders and constituents provide quarterly feedback to the CE on the progress they are making on their leadership development plan.
Transition to Partner
All phases would be carried out in partnership between the coach, the CE and their sponsoring executive(s) for the most collaborative, effective, and often transformative learning and growth experience.
Why Benchmark Maven
When the symptoms plaguing an executive are stubborn or severe, they may not be conscious of the root cause while treatment on the symptoms may seem to be working. This is where we at Benchmark Maven can help the most.
As trusted advisors, our coaches are sought after by their authentic, candid, empathetic and results-oriented approach. Our executive coaching style is open-minded, mindful and focuses on discovering and defining the root cause of the issues that keep the executive up at night. While the results may vary, our clients have reported that our coaching was the linchpin to their accelerated success.
As a client, you will learn to become aware of the pattern that keeps you feeling stuck or frustrated. You will also learn how to breakthrough and achieve transformative results. You will find that the holistic approach and techniques we teach will serve you well through all aspects of your life.
