Individual Management and Executive Coaching:  Achieving a New Level of Effectiveness
 
We offer one-on-one coaching to leaders to help them achieve a new level of performance and effectiveness.  Often, the overall intent of individual coaching is to help the leader achieve breakthrough business results, while demonstrating highly effective leadership skills.  A variety of specific topics and issues can be addressed during the coaching process.  A sampling of possible coaching issues includes:

• Exploring current leadership and management challenges
• Understanding how to apply vision, values and purpose to engage and mobilize others
• Learning the behaviors and characteristics that must be present to build a high performance team
• Building powerful strategic relationships
• Leading others through change
• Effectively resolving workplace conflicts
• Learning how to influence, inspire and motivate others
• Improving communications skills
• Discerning how to align with changing organizational strategies and goals
• Generating innovative solutions and actions
• Increasing accountability in others

The coach often begins the process by conducting individual interviews with key “constituents” that work closely with the person being coached. In addition, we often recommend a 360 degree assessment tool to help the individual understand the impact of his/her behavior on others and gain clarity about his/her strengths and areas for improvement.

Then the coach works with the individual to create a written coaching plan which outlines the desired outcomes. In each coaching conversation, the coach draws from real situations and interactions at work and discusses ways to become more effective. The coach also provides written information and suggested reading to support the coaching work. At the end of each coaching session, the individual is asked to commit to actions to be taken in between sessions.  As follow-up, a summary of each coaching conversation is e-mailed to the individual being coached, highlighting the agreed upon actions.  This summary is reviewed at the beginning of each session and progress and obstacles are discussed.  This discussion reinforces individual accountability and commitment, a key to long-term sustainable results. 
 
We usually recommend a coaching relationship of 90-180 days and suggest two 2 hour coaching sessions per month, plus time for follow-up through e-mail.

There is also great benefit to having all of the members of a leadership team participate in an assessment and a coaching process like the one outlined above.  During a group session, the team can identify the outcomes for coaching and discuss the process for the 360 degree assessment.  One of the benefits of administering the 360 degree assessment to a team is that team members can support each other in the process and learn together how to improve their effectiveness as a leadership team, as well as individual leaders.