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Executive Coaching

My approach to coaching is highly specific to the client. While I am certified and I keep current with latest developments, views and approaches of other coaches, I do not apply any set “methodology”. Instead, I adapt to what my client and I perceive to be the challenges for that client. This is why an initial discussion and subsequent assessment is always so important. In my view the role of a coach is to help a client engage their inner strengths and become all they can be--and what they already are without necessarily realizing it.

Because, however, the coaching concept is so often confused with other roles, it is also important to say a few words about what coaching is not.

Coaching is not consulting. Consultants are usually engaged to provide solutions to specific or long-term challenges facing an organization and directly confronted by the client. They are an external source of expertise. Likewise, coaching is not a substitute for execution or, in its various forms, management. A coach does not offer solutions or do the work of the client. Instead he or she will work with the client to help the client develop effective approaches to whatever challenge or dilemma the client confronts. Top athletes have coaches, yet those coaches do not often actually play the game themselves.  Of course, if they have in the past then they are so much better able to empathize and coach effectively. And if the coach is a team coach, then management might well be heavily involved as well.  A coach understands the challenges faced by the athlete of help the athlete develop a new level of mindset.

Coaching is definitely not therapy. Therapy is something highly trained psychiatrists do in certain contexts. Coaches do not attempt to enter the mental and emotional pathology of the client to "fix" the problem, nor should they. We are not qualified to apply that kind of treatment. Instead, a coach spends time “co-thinking” with the client, helping the client identify what should be done. In this way the client owns the result and develops the confidence to adopt the most effective approach.

Coaching is also not leadership training, though working with a client as a coach might well help the client become a better and more mature leader. Coaching might and often does lead to that result. Similarly, coaching is not mentorship. This is done by someone in the organization who understands the politics and challenges of the institution in which the client finds herself. A coach can, of course, make external observations at the client’s request, but these observations will heavily depend on what the client says.

To be sure, coaching will often touch on these other concepts. For example, a client might be about to launch a strategic initiative and will want to think through her approach to building the right team for the task and isolating the issues that should be addressed. A coach can help with the client’s mindset and mental preparation, bringing out the strengths to which he/she can play. This might involve discussion about the triggers the client will want to avoid in order to be  most effective at her job. In this way, coaching often helps to generate the thoughtfulness and reflection necessary to reach optimal results.  On the other hand, it might involve helping the client to figure out potential success strategies.  Once again, it is the client who will ultimately own the next steps toward best performance.