Executive Coaching helps smart people become (even) better leaders.
Your Coach is probably your only non-judgmental thinking-partner. He/She is totally committed to your agenda and your success, as he/she succeeds only if you do!
Watch a live presentation by Jean-Francois on "Executive Coaching: from pitfalls to Magic" made at the launch of Thailand Coaching Society on June 24th 2010 in Bangkok:
HOW does Executive Coaching works? After in-depth interviews, you and your coach design a coaching program together, involving your hierarchy and HR colleagues whenever relevant. Once the program is finalized, you take ownership and responsibility for its success.
At the start of a coaching program, you are usually invited to take a personality-test and launch a 360° survey. This helps you gain awareness of yourself and of others’ perceptions.
At each session (from 1 to 3 hours), you choose the subjects you want to work on. Then your coach works with you all the way to making decisions for progress and taking actions.
Your coach will follow-up the results of your actions at the next sessions, and work-out with you until you get the results you want.
Your coach :
proactively listens to what you say, how you say it and what you don’t say, then
challenges you to clarify your ideas and intentions and
We enhance your awareness on your subjects: what are your perceptions and beliefs? What are others’ perceptions? What are the facts? What are the past-consequences/results? What are the likely future results, impact on career? Etc…
Step 2: Goal-setting
We set a SMART goal/vision for progress: if necessary, brainstorm by using different perspectives (“if everything was possible…”, “worst case scenario…”, “most satisfying goal”…); we ensure you realize the full benefits of reaching the goals, so that you are fully motivated.
Step 3: Obstacles & Opportunities
We think-through obstacles, resistances, challenges, underlying fears and opportunities, so as to find the best way-forward. Questions can encompass: “what risks do you see on your way to your goal? What could derail your progress? What are you afraid of? What approach would your role-model choose? Pros and Cons of his/her approach? What opportunities do you see? What could make things easier? Who could help you? Who do you need to talk with?
Step 4: Way-forward
We help you clarify your best solution going-forward, and translate it into an action plan, with clear responsibilities, time-lines, progress-indicators, milestones; we challenge you if your plan is not effective, realistic or ambitious enough.
Step 5: Actions
You conduct the actions you have decided.
Step 6: Lessons learnt
You report on what’s going well and what is not, the coach helps you to learn from failures and successes, and optimize the action plan. The coach invites you to memorize the lessons learnt, and identify where else to apply them. Celebrating the achievements is always a good idea at that stage too! All along the process, your commitment and accountability are essential. “To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.” (Chinese proverb)
WHY does Executive Coaching deliver? When conducted by an accredited Professional Certified Coach, Executive Coaching delivers because:
it creates a safe, challenging and inspiring space for you to find-out and decide the best solutions for your challenges, and then implement them (remember: you are the best person to find the best solutions to your issues, because no one else knows as much as you do about them; in a way, you are the expert)
it leverages proven methods and techniques, all focused on results, in particular: power listening, effective feedback, powerful questioning, reframing perspective, goal setting, accountability, tools such as surveys (personality, 360, strengths, values...), methods to build self-awareness, etc…
whenever you request an opinion from your Coach, he/she speaks out truthfully, with no agenda, whereas your boss, your peers, your subordinates, your friends, your family-members might not do so at all times, due to shyness or their own agenda with you
importantly, you and your coach are fully committed to Success and Fulfillment; coaching holds you accountable for success
coaching is interactive and flexible, it adjusts to your style and your needs
WHAT does Executive Coaching deliver? Executive coaching delivers actions and results and creates a more valuable "you" within your Organization. Most often, executive coaching focuses on (1-2-WIN data):
Some common needs and results:
Take management and leadership skills to the next level
strengthened organizational skills
more accurate goal selections and more effective implementation
better focus on important priorities
improved communication skills
stronger talent at people development and retention
better motivating / inspiring skills
Strike a healthier work-life balance
Adjust resistance to frustration (emotional control)
Develop effectiveness at cross-cultural management
Test thoughts with an independent “soundboard”
Reduce stress
Align thoughts, actions and behavior
Prepare for next position
Accelerate career's progression
Shift to continuous self-development
Success is not a place at which one arrives but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey.