Click here to watch the video.

A continuation of the “do great work theme” that Box of Crayons promotes, this little video is a fun prompt to remember to :

• Get Focused
• Be Creative
• Use Your Wisdom
• Take Action

Most organizations need their managers to handle changes and transitions quickly and effectively. They need to integrate into the company, come up to speed in new roles, handle promotions and provide value as quickly as possible.

A performance coach can help.

That’s because coaching is a customized process designed for the manager’s individual situation. Coaching will help the manager strategize, integrate, learn quickly and be accountable for their transition. A coach will help the manager understand his or her strengths, and hone in on any specific barriers that may impede their success while providing additional support and accountability.

A coach can help determine whether it is new skills that the manager needs, or a different way of addressing and thinking about problem solving.

Here are some Sample Coaching Scenarios.

The Promotion:  “I’ve been promoted into a new leadership role and I need to hit the ground running. I want to be successful from the start and add value early on. How do I make sure this happens? How do I get to know my new team and get some early wins?”

One of the most exciting times for a manager is a promotion into a new role. Of course, along with the new title and compensation comes the responsibility and need for new skills and broader perspective. What are some of the keys to success when handling this type of transition?

• Understanding and Outlining expectations early.
• Assessing your team.
• Setting priorities.
• Developing a 120 day plan.
• Communicating, communicating, communicating.

Research has shown that one of the biggest mistakes a newly promoted manager makes is assuming that the technical skills that won them the job will be the same ones they should use to successfully manage and lead in a new role. Many simply do not have an approach taking on new responsibilities. A coach can help them plan and ensure they are clear on their responsibilities, and adding value in their new role as quickly as possible.

The Coaching Approach: Initiate a candid conversation about the expectations for Maggie that comes along with this new promotion.

• Start with a discussion about what’s expected of Maggie in her role.

1. How is that different and the same from her previous job?
2. What is Maggie’s boss requiring of her?
3. Who are her key stakeholders now?
4. What does her new staff need to know about her?
5. What do they need to do their jobs well?

• Data gathering/Interview phase – Feedback and planning.
• Action Planning with Maggie and alignment meetings with her manager.

The New Job: “I’ve just landed this great new job. I want to get off on the right foot in the company. How do I get up to speed quickly and not step on landmines?”

Joseph has landed a new job in a different company as a business unit head for a group of engineers. This is his second managerial job. He is excited and a little nervous about the change. This job will be a larger scope of responsibility with higher visibility and there are some issues he needs to address right away. He also needs to learn the company, the politics, the stakeholders and his new team’s capabilities.

The Coaching Approach: Develop an entry plan with Joseph to address what he needs to accomplish over the next 100 days. Break up the priorities and “to do’s” in 30, 60, 90 day increments so he maintains focus and momentum, address issues and come up to speed quickly.

The Promotion. New Skills: “I’ve been in this job for about 6 months now and I am getting feedback that I need to be more strategic. What does this mean and how do I go about it?”

A mid-level sales manager, Chris has been top salesperson in his unit for the past four years. He is eager, motivated and committed. He’s seen as a star in the making. His manager is leaving the company to retire in one month. Chris has been tapped as his replacement. He is eager to show the team how sales should really be done. His manager is concerned that Chris understand that his focus is not going to be on being a great salesperson any longer, but in teaching others to be great salespeople and in managing and motivating others.

The Coaching Approach: Initiate a candid conversation about the expectations for Chris that come along with this new promotion. Help him understand the shift in requirements from his last role to his new one. Work with his manager and Chris to develop a transition plan as well as a plan to address his first months in his new role. Assess his current skills and identify any gaps in skills that will need to be addressed going forward and how to build these.

Rocky Relationships: “I don’t know what everyone complains about. I get the job done. Period. If people’s feelings are hurt, that’s their problem. I’m a straight shooter and I like that about myself. But they say my approach is too forceful and it’s holding me back. I don’t want to change who I am, but I evidently need to do something different. I just don’t know.”

Richard has been in his role for three years. He is known as a “no-nonsense,” “take no prisoners” type of manager. He has made great contributions to the company, but recently his level of turnover has started to increase and getting people to transfer into his department is difficult at best. There are rumblings in the company amongst his peers that his style is causing a lot of friction working with units other than his own. Richard is not sure why these things are happening but he’s having a harder time getting projects accomplished. He feels that he’s a straightforward person and doesn’t want to change that about himself. He would like to be put forward in the company for a more senior level position, but has been told that he’s “not ready.”

The Coaching Approach: Help Richard develop a fuller picture of his strengths and weaknesses and raise his self-awareness of his interactions and their impact on others. Assist him in putting together a development plan to address issues that may be holding him back.

• Start with a discussion of what’s expected of Richard in his current role with both Richard and his manager.
• Discuss Richard’s aspirations with his manager and find out what he sees as Richard’s needs to address before he’d be considered for another role.
• Obtain additional feedback from Richard’s key stakeholders either through interviews or 360o feedback tool.
• Use other assessments, if necessary, to round out Richard’s profile.
• Spend time with Richard debriefing the feedback, and developing a plan to address those areas that will make the most impact.

* * * *

Yes! You may use this article by Executive Coach Melodie Howard in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Melodie Howard’s firm, In Perspective Consulting, focuses on designing and executing sustainable systems for development. Her particular specialties are: succession planning, corporate values, performance management systems, senior leadership competency development, executive coaching, 360o feedback and talent management. Melodie’s previous experience includes serving as the Group Director of Organizational Development for leading international re-insurance company, Partner Reinsurance, Ltd., based in Hamilton, Bermuda. She continues to work with them on a retained consultancy basis. Prior to her role at PartnerRe, Melodie spent 16 years at the Center for Creative Leadership in both operational and profit and loss responsibility roles. Melodie received her Master’s of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University in August of 2000 and a B.S. in Psychology from Guilford College in 1980. You can find Melodie’s profile on TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Small and Do-able Ideas

Great, lots of people are writing about that topic with big ideas and plenty of criticism to go around.  Not Professor Kanter, her ideas are small and do-able, and instead of criticism, helpful observation and positive, applicable ideas.  Granted, she still doesn’t share how someone without an income can make it while they work to find work, but I at least appreciate the attitude!

Advice for the Jobless Middle Manager

Here’s Kanter’s advice for the well-educated manager whose job has disappeared and is no longer even counted in the unemployment statistics because they’ve given up.

“What do I tell these jobless professionals who are holding their lives together with duct tape? I can say: Hang in there. Don’t give up hope. Develop a big idea to use later. Start your venture. Volunteer at a community organization. Find partners. Think internationally. Befriend immigrants with ties to an emerging market. Restore your sense of purpose. Remember what truly matters”

In the meantime, I think that there is other good advice out there for those in the well-educated middle:

• Now is a time to try that thing you never thought you would try.  What do you have to lose?
• Focus on some other aspects of your life.  Are you using this down time to exercise, eat right, learn a new skill, language, or perspective?
• Remember when you dreamed of working a shorter week or part-time?  What were you going to do with those hours?  Can you do that now while you keep working your “job” of finding a job?
• Are you reading and writing every day?  Are you practicing something new?  Are you finding ways to push your limits — and not just your limits of frustration at the slow pace of job recovery?
• Take advantage of what your community has to offer – use the library, visit local sites, go to a park, find a new local diner, get to know the world that is right around you that you’ve never had time to experience before.
• Meet people – reach outside your first circle to your second or third.  Have a cup of coffee and broaden that network.  It may be more and more tangential to your job search, but sometimes the innovative idea is on the periphery, not in the core.

Asset Maps for Middlers

And another idea for “middlers” — I don’t mean those related to Bette, but those in the middle of their job transition and maybe even tired enough to be approaching things now in a bit of a middling way — draw your “asset map.”  You’ve probably already thought about the assets you are bringing to your job search, but what about the assets you have to offer to others?

Kanter mentions small ideas that collectively could build jobs.  She’s calling for a movement of small ideas based on all our assets – what do you have that you can offer to the solution of job growth in America?  “Imaginative small actions could aggregate to bigger impact. Underutilized office space can become an incubator for others starting a business. Shared work and living spaces are becoming more common for recent graduates working on new ventures; communities should encourage and facilitate this. Those with international business ties can encourage business partners to invest in the U.S.; good people and cost-reducing incentives are available now.”

I like Kanter’s small ideas and I hope more individuals and organizations will embrace them.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could see a movement across the United States?  I am hoping that organizations will get creative and think about different ways to do things.  It would be a wonderful thing to see a boom of creativity and diversity in how we do things – our work, our products, our services, our decision-making, our politics, our day-to-day lives and our perspectives.  Thanks Professor Kanter.

Yes! You may use this article by Barbara Demarest in your company newsletter, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a strategy consulting practice focusing on people leading change in associations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and knowledge businesses.  You can find Barbara’s executive coaching profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.

He thought the subject was closed. He made his point. What was left to say? Plenty, apparently. He was informed that he was to apologize, immediately, to the management team, or be denied the promotion and salary increase that he had so long worked to attain.

He was willing to meet, he said, to explain his position. “Not good enough,” he was told.

“Why should I apologize?” he screamed into the ear that I was holding at a respectful distance from the telephone receiver. “Why am I the bad guy and these idiots get away with making it so? Why should my career be threatened because they don’t know the truth when it smacks them in the head and kicks them in the behind?”

“Do you want me to respond or do you want to keep venting?” I asked.

“I want to know how to answer them without feeling like I’m giving in,” he said. “I want to explain myself. I realize I was too emotional. But I won’t apologize for anything else.”

“What’s your ‘end’ in mind”” I asked. “What do you want to have happen as a result of that conversation?”

Silence. I didn’t hear him breathe.

“Good question,” he said. “And I don’t have an answer.”

I knew then he was ready to listen.

“Being ‘right’ isn’t reason enough to demand that others agree with you. Being ‘right’ isn’t sufficient cause for others to abandon their perspective.”

“OK. Maybe you’re right. What am I supposed to do? I’ve got integrity and I won’t compromise it to pander to people I don’t respect.”

“If you don’t respect the people on your team, why are you working for that company?”

“I misspoke. I do respect them. They’re smart, they’re smooth, and they’re sophisticated. To tell the truth, and I hadn’t thought about this until just now, I don’t think they respect me. That’s why I get angry.”

“Why wouldn’t they respect you?”

“Well, they went to ivy-league schools and have advanced degrees. They know how to dress, and what to say. They pick the right restaurants and choose the right wines. They’ve got class. I don’t. I didn’t get that in my house. Believe me, I wouldn’t trade my parents or my life, because that’s how I’ve gotten as far as I have, but I sure could use a little more polish.”

“What would polish do for you?”

“I’d be more patient, more understanding, I’d listen better because I wouldn’t feel like I always have to prove myself.”

“What do you have to prove?”

“That I have a right to be in the room. I have a right to a seat at the table. And I’ll fight for that right because I’ve earned it and I’m not going back to how I lived or where I lived, ever again.”

“It sounds like fighting for that right will guarantee you a ticket to where you don’t want to go.”

“Looks like it.”

“You’re smart, you’re quick, you connect the dots while others are still arranging them on the paper. You’re creative and passionate. You have everything that you need to succeed but…”

“But?”

“You have lessons to learn: There are more ways than your way to solve problems, craft visions, and initiate processes. You can be intelligent and have viewpoints that add value and not be demeaning to others. It’s about professional maturity, not social sophistication.”

“It’s about winning as a team and beating the competition instead of beating up the team and losing my chance to play.”

“You’ve got it.”

* * * *

Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executiveand career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Mary recently attended a conference for I/O Psychologists where IOatWork.com, a publication review site, was announced.

The site provides quick, easy-to-read reviews of recent I/O and consulting psych research from more than 20 journals, allowing you to stay up to date on the literature in a few minutes a week.  The site also sorts reviews by topic so you can peruse the reviews according to your projects, proposals, etc.

This is a very professional approach with footnotes and references, not just opinion.

The following publications will be reviewed focusing on Industrial/Organizational Psychology articles:

• Academy of Management
• Administrative Science Quarterly
• Annual Review of Psychology
• British Journal of Management
• Consulting Psychology Journal
• Human Performance
• Human Relations
• Human Resource Management
• Industrial & Organizational Psychology
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology – Perspectives on Science and Practice
• International Journal of Selection & Assessment
• International Journal of Training & Development
• International Journal of Human Resource Management
• Journal of Applied Psychology
• Journal of Business Research
• Journal of Business and Psychology
• Journal of Business Ethics
• Journal of Management
• Journal of Management Studies
• Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology
• Journal of Organizational Behavior
• Journal of Organizational Change Management
• Journal of Vocational Behavior
• Leadership Quarterly
• Learning and Individual Differences
• Monitor on Psychology
• Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes
• Organizational Research Methods
• Personnel Psychology
• The Wall Street Journal

Topics that are covered in I/O at Work include:

o Assessment
o Burnout
o Change Management
o Citizenship Behavior
o Coaching
o Compensation
o Counter-Productive Work Behavior
o Creativity
o Culture
o Decision Making
o Diversity
o Emotional Intelligence
o Employee Satisfaction
o Ethics
o Fairness
o Faking
o Featured
o Feedback
o Goals
o Interviewing
o Job Analysis
o Job Attitudes
o Job Performance
o Judgement
o Leadership
o Measurement
o Mentoring
o Motivation
o Off The Wall
o Organizational Commitment
o Organizational Development
o Organizational Justice
o Organizational Performance
o Performance Appraisal
o Organizational Reputation
o Personality
o Personality Assessment
o Recruiting
o Research Methodology
o Rewards
o Selection
o Self Efficacy
o Sexual Harassment
o Staffing
o Statistics
o Strategic HR
o Stress
o Surveys
o Teams
o Training
o Trust
o Turnover
o Unemployment
o Wellness
o Work Environment
o Work-Life Balance
o Workplace Deviance

Linchpin by Seth Godin

To see a cool video of Jacqueline Novogratz describing how she recognizes a linchpin, click here: http://vimeo.com/9566384.

Jacqueline is the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund (acumenfund.org) a fast-growing non-profit that is pioneering the idea of patient capital.  Acumen funds entrepreneurs that build significant for-profit companies that do business with the poorest people in the world.

Today’s topic is team chemistry – what makes a team click?

Geoff: What makes a team “click,” when the team is achieving its goals and working well together?

Donna: When the overarching goal is compelling enough to sustain commitment and effort, when the customer (internal or external) is satisfied with the product or service, and when the team members are satisfied with their product or service and also believe that the team members are working well together.

Donna: What do you think makes a team “click?”

Geoff: For me, there are three things.  The first is self-discipline and team discipline of all the members.  They must believe in and follow the team rules and regulations agreed upon in the team charter.  Second, the team must aspire to greatness and finally, it must keep its collective eye on the prize.  So – discipline, passion, and focus help teams click.

Donna: What is a good example?

Geoff: In the modern era of sports, the Chicago Bulls NBA basketball teams. This team exemplified these three elements.

The team was disciplined in its offensive and defensive schemes, developed by Tex Winter, one of the coaches, and in their collaborative effort to play a team-oriented defense. They never varied from their philosophy and worked hard to improve their skills.

Everyone on the team aspired to greatness. Michael Jordan wanted to be the best player on the planet, Dennis Rodman the best rebounder, and Scott Pippin the second best player on the planet. Phil Jackson, the coach and leader, aspired to be the best coach and every player worked at improving whatever skills they possessed.  They worked hard at being the best team they could be, and they all tried to win every single game they played.

And finally, they kept their collective eye on one goal…the NBA Championship.

Donna: And how did they all do, both individually and collectively?

Geoff: Extremely well on all counts. Jordan is said to be the best basketball player of all time, even though I personally feel it was Bill Russell of the Celtics. Rodman is also said to be the best rebounder and Scott Pippin was voted one of the 50 greatest players of all time. Phil Jackson has tied Red Auerbach, of the Celtics, with 9 NBA titles, and the Bulls won 6 Championships in 7 years. The one year they did not win, Jordan was playing minor league baseball.

Donna: That’s a great example that illustrates your three elements of a successful team.  In many respects, whether it’s an athletic team or a corporate team, the same principles apply for  teams that “clicks.”

****

Yes! You may use this article by TCA Executive Coaches Donna Riechmann and Geoff Grenert in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Donna Riechmann has held executive positions in large corporations as well as being president of her own consulting firm. She’s held adjunct positions at the University of Illinois, Duke Corporate Education and the Center for Creative Leadership.   Currently, as a partner in the consulting firm Leadership Solutions LLC, Donna has designed and implemented leadership development programs and complex change management strategies for many corporate, government, and non-profit clients. She has international consulting and research experience in several  countries, including Bermuda, Bosnia, Canada, People’s Republic of China, and the United Kingdom. Donna holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.  Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Geoff Grenert (Leadership Solutions LLC), the son of a two-sport professional athlete and Hall of Fame basketball coach, brought the lessons of teamwork and coaching into both his own athletic career and his business life. An entrepreneur, Geoff founded two package delivery companies and an investment partnership, and heco-founded a leadership and team development consulting firm and a not-for-profit community service group. Geoff’s executive coaching, leadership and team development work includes individual coaching through programs at Duke University Fuqua School of Business and the Center for Creative Leadership. The team development exercises and assessment instruments he co-designed are used throughout the U.S. and Europe. Geoff’s coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Here’s what they had to say:

Donna:  If you were giving advice to a new team leader, what would you tell the person to be sure to do to get off to a good start?

Geoff:  It depends on whether or not the leader is able to choose the members of his team, whether they will be assigned to him or if the team is already in existence.

Donna:  Why is that important?

Geoff:  Well, let’s say that the team exists and is not performing well. This will affect how he initiates himself as the leader. Let’s say it is a new team, and department heads will assign members. He may have little say regarding the caliber of each new member and the experience they bring. What if he is able to hand pick his team? All of these scenarios bring with them a different set of issues to be dealt with.

Donna:  So what you’re saying is that your advice would be different for each circumstance.

Geoff:  Yes and no. I would give the same advice but with varying degrees of emphasis.

The first thing a leader should do is meet with the entire team, face to face. Video conferencing and teleconferencing does not work for this phase of new team startup or team development. The leader must take the reins in person, and everyone on the team must make the same commitment in time and effort. This agenda for this initial meeting with the new leader includes an introduction of the leader and all of the team members, the creation of a collective vision and mission statement, the assignment of roles and responsibilities, and expectations for and of each team member, with emphasis on the importance of collaboration, one team voice, and especially accountability. Each team member will be accountable to him or herself, the team and the leadership.

I would advise the leader to have every member of the team, agree with all of the terms of the team charter and to sign the charter. Future team members will be expected to agree with and sign the same charter.

Geoff:  Donna, if you were giving advice to a new team leader, what would you tell the person to be sure to do to get off to a good start?

Donna:  Three things.  It may seem obvious but it doesn’t always happen – that a team leader clarifies the mission or goals of the team and how they fit within the larger organizational picture.  The team leader has to have alignment around team goals.

Second, if you do nothing else, take time for the team to set up ground rules or “norms” about how they will work together.  This should answer questions like when and how often they will meet, what they expect about participation in and outside of meetings, what their expectations are about quality and timeliness, how they will balance the team’s work with individual work, how they will support each other, what their decision making process will, and how they will hold each other accountable.

The third piece of advice is to be crystal clear about roles and responsibilities.  Set aside time for a team meeting early on to discuss who is doing what and what they will be accountable for.  Each team member should know exactly what is expected and how work will be evaluated.  Determine if there are gaps or overlaps in responsibilities and agree how to resolve them.

Geoff:  So we agree that getting a new team off to a good start is critical to success, and the team leader plays an important role in structuring the start up and getting everyone on the team engaged.

* * * *

Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Donna Riechmann has held executive positions in large corporations as well as being president of her own consulting firm. She’s held adjunct positions at the University of Illinois, Duke Corporate Education and the Center for Creative Leadership.   Currently, as a partner in the consulting firm Leadership Solutions LLC, Donna has designed and implemented leadership development programs and complex change management strategies for many corporate, government, and non-profit clients. She has international consulting and research experience in several  countries, including Bermuda, Bosnia, Canada, People’s Republic of China, and the United Kingdom. Donna holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.  Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Geoff Grenert (Leadership Solutions LLC), the son of a two-sport professional athlete and Hall of Fame basketball coach, brought the lessons of teamwork and coaching into both his own athletic career and his business life. An entrepreneur, Geoff founded two package delivery companies and an investment partnership, and heco-founded a leadership and team development consulting firm and a not-for-profit community service group. Geoff’s executive coaching, leadership and team development work includes individual coaching through programs at Duke University Fuqua School of Business and the Center for Creative Leadership. The team development exercises and assessment instruments he co-designed are used throughout the U.S. and Europe. Geoff’s coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

–Barbara Demarest, TCA Executive Coach and Facilitator

The Best Job Interview Question Ever

Guest Author:  Michele Woodward

So, you’ve made it through the first round of interviews for that new position. Now it’s the second — or third — round. “Tell me a little about yourself” has been asked. Maybe you’ve even been asked, “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” You know, all the important stuff.

Remember that job interviews are not only your opportunity to “sell” yourself, but are your chance to evaluate whether the job is actually something you’ll like and be good at. To figure that out, you have to do more than give the right answer to questions — you also have to ask the right questions.

To that end, I’ve come up with The Best Job Interview Question Ever. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with trees.

Ready? Here it is:

“What’s the first task you’d like me to accomplish in this job?”

Whether you’re interviewing for a CEO position or a job on the loading dock, the beauty of this question is multi-fold.

If everyone you interview with responds with “We need you to streamline our HR processes and make sure we’re in compliance with OSHA guidelines”, you can be certain that the organization is clear on what the job is about.

But, if the guy in accounting says, “You need to clear up the spreadsheets”, and the woman in marketing says, “You have to make new collateral materials”, and the CEO says, “We’re looking for someone to clean house”, and the gal in sales says, “I have no idea what you’re here for,” you’ve got a problem. The organization may be disorganized, lack leadership or not function well as a team. Here’s what you do in this situation: exit, quickly, stage left.

When you ask The Best Question, you might find that the expectations expressed are completely unrealistic. “I want you to drive up share prices by 50%, reduce the workforce by 30%, acquire companies more profitable than we are, and find the Holy Grail.” Again, this is your tip-off that the job may not be right for you. Or for anyone.

Having a clear sense of organizational priorities allows you to snag what writer Michael Watkins calls an “early win.” His book The First 90 Days has great advice on making the most of a new job — in short, when you meet or exceed expectations early, you are guaranteed success.

The interview process is fraught with anxiety and stress — but discovering how your colleagues and bosses will judge you as a winner before you take the job is a surefire way to insure you have less stress and more success.

*****

Michele Woodward (www.lifeframeworks.com) is a Master Certified Coach, author, speaker and teacher, who helps people get clear about who they are and what they want to do – and develop a workable action plan to get where they want to go. She is the author of Lose Weight, Find Love, De-Clutter & Save Money: Essays on Happier Living, available at Amazon.com and is the founder of Career Invention Coach Training (www.careerinvention.com) – focused on training coaches to understand the new rules of work -  and Kick Ass Mentoring (www.kickassmentoring.com) – a marketing training program for coaches. She’s thrived in a number of high-level, high-pressure positions – at The White House, in corporate America – and has served as an advisor to entrepreneurs.  Michele is a sought-after speaker, leads a number of workshops and classes, teaches in Martha Beck’s well regarded coach training program, and writes a popular blog.

Executive coaching has become very popular.  An executive coach provides one-on-one assessment, evaluation, feedback, problem solving, and advice to a leader.  The goal is to increase self-awareness, identify areas for improvement, and develop an action plan to enhance personal and leadership effectiveness.  The “coachee” can be at any level in an organization but typically is mid-manager through executive with a broad and complex set of responsibilities.

Why the increased use of Executive Coaching?

Most organizations realize that investing in their managerial bench strength is a good use of resources, showing payoff for the company’s success and their bottom line.  The goal is to strengthen the leadership pipeline and develop leaders in place who will positively impact return on investment.  The cost of hiring a leader is significant, but more significant is the cost of a leader’s failure, resulting in derailment, or termination and replacement of the failed leader.  Rather than keep a poor leader who causes problems or fire a poor leader and let the corporate memory walk out the door, it is a better investment to “save” the person and institute a coaching intervention that will produce results.  It’s about results, both for the individual who directs others and for the company that is maximizing its human capital.

Some leaders resist coaching, thinking it cannot help them, they might get branded as failures, or because they are afraid to expose their weaknesses.  It requires courage to undertake a coaching experience.  Vulnerability, candid conversation, openness to feedback, and a willingness to change are all necessary.  A commitment indeed but also the possibility of enhanced self-esteem, increased capabilities, positive impact on others, and the reward of contributing more effectively to the organization.

Feedback – who needs it!

Sometimes it’s easier to continue doing things the same way, to stay with the old rather than learn the new, to be content with less than satisfactory relationships, to meet minimal expectations and stay under cover in the organization.  Yet we know that the best leaders are self-aware leaders.  They are not without flaws but they know what their flaws are and how to compensate for them.  And they gain awareness from feedback from co-workers.

What is 360º feedback?

360º, or multi-rater, feedback is getting information from all round – boss, peers, and direct reports, and occasionally other key business partners.  The feedback can come from formal written surveys, from interviews conducted by a coach, or from facilitated sessions in which feedback is captured and communicated.  Making sense of the feedback often requires the help of a coach, who can foster understanding and offer alternative explanations.  The self-awareness gained can produce a clear evaluation of the feedback and the basis for a plan of action that will build on strengths and address development areas.

A coach provides value in many ways.  One is to be an objective observer and feedback giver.  Everyone has blind spots and a coach can help clear the fog to see the real self and the impact on others.  A coach can collect information from others by guaranteeing confidentiality and anonymity, as needed, and gain deep insights as a trusted confidant.  A coach is a facilitator, helping the client to find answers to their problems.  A coach may give advice or alternatives for action, based on their own managerial and coaching experience.  A coach may confront or raise issues that the client does not acknowledge because this, too, enhances self-awareness.  A coach helps the client to develop an action plan for improvement and holds himself and the client accountable for achieving action goals.  A coach is there for the client, empowering, encouraging, advocating, and supporting development.

What Executive Coaching is Not

Coaching is not therapy.  An executive coach is not trying to change a person’s psyche or personality or solve personal problems.  Executive coaching is business focused.  There hopefully is personal gain for the client, but the emphasis is always on improving the person’s leadership effectiveness.

Coaching is not a place for the executive to hide, to avoid , or prolong the change that’s required.  This is about taking on the hard – and rewarding – work of becoming a better leader.

Coaching is not the avenue for organizations to get rid of people.  If it’s been determined that an ineffective executive cannot or will not change, then the executive should go.

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Yes! You may use this article by TCA Executive Coach Donna Riechmann in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Donna Riechmann has held executive positions in large corporations as well as being president of her own consulting firm. She’s held adjunct positions at the University of Illinois, Duke Corporate Education and the Center for Creative Leadership.   Currently, as a partner in the consulting firm Leadership Solutions LLC, Donna has designed and implemented leadership development programs and complex change management strategies for many corporate, government, and non-profit clients. She has international consulting and research experience in several  countries, including Bermuda, Bosnia, Canada, People’s Republic of China, and the United Kingdom. Donna holds B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.  Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.