These days everyone seems to be adding 'Executive Coaching' to their portfolio of skills and services.
David DeHaven is an Executive Coach, Business Strategist, passionate educator and dedicated Father. When you're tasked with finding an executive coach or a team of executive coaches to work with your senior people, how do you make the best possible selection?
We explore the key points to consider when sourcing executive coaches:
Account Management
This is especially important when you are looking for coaches to work with a team. Look for a coaching company which has a structure for managing your business. On smaller projects it is possible to work with independent coaches, however when you are organizing coaching for more than 3-4 people, it can become an administrative nightmare to have to manually track who has taken their coaching sessions and when they are due to meet with their coach again. Unless managing the coaching process is part of your on-going role, it's best to find an organization that can do all of this for you. In addition, think about what would happen if the coaching isn't progressing in the way that you hoped. A well structured coaching company should be able to explain who to speak to and how any issues will be resolved.
Credibility
If you are going to 'sell' the idea of coaching within your organization, you need to be sure that the coaches you put in front of your senior have the credibility factor. Are they used to coaching at an executive level? Do they understand the language that will be used? Are the people having the coaching likely to take them seriously? In the case of particularly feisty coaches, can the coach be assertive and manage the relationship in a respectful way without either party losing face? You can usually tell this just from speaking to one of the directors/partners in the coaching company and trusting your gut.
Cultural Fit
The executive coaches you choose should be able to quickly understand the culture of your organization and adapt their style accordingly.
Relevant experience
David DeHaven, This is an interesting one because of course you would expect executive coaches to have experience, but what makes experience relevant to the individuals being coached? Despite what you might think, it is not absolutely vital for the coach to have held the same position as the person being coached. What is important however is that the coach has experience of the kinds of challenges that the coaches is facing and knows how to handle them. Ideally, look for coaches who have themselves held senior positions within organizations and can demonstrate success with similar clients.
References
Any self-respecting executive coach should be more than happy to put you in touch with other clients who you can contact for a reference. When you follow up on the reference find out about the aims and objectives of the coaching programmed they were engaged in - did they achieve the outcomes they were looking for? What was it like to be coached by them?
Chemistry
The chemistry between the executive coach and their coaches needs to be right to have an effective coaching relationship. Ask the coaching company whether they are willing to meet or talk with the individuals being coached to make sure it's right before the programmed starts.
With the right partners, the Executive Coaching process can be an incredibly effective way of developing the skills of your senior people.
