I’ve been coaching c-level executives, Business Unit Presidents and Functional Leaders at Fortune 500 companies for over 30 years. I still get questions about how an executive coach/advisor can really help someone at a senior level. I’d like to provide examples of real-life client situations I’ve worked on recently. But first, there are coaches and there are coaches…and not every executive coach can or should get involved in these types of scenarios. 

I fall into a category of senior-level coaches with a tremendous amount of business experience from my career as a senior executive and my consulting career where I have seen many complex business situations multiples times. In other words, I can see around corners and help clients avoid pitfalls that only come from experience. My style of coaching is not based on the Socratic method most coaches are taught in certification programs. In other words, if you’re struggling with something I’ve seen 11 times, I’m more likely to roll up my sleeve and help you build a plan than I am to ask you to reflect on your feelings about it.

The solutions I am asked to provide typically fall into three categories:

1. Assessing the situation (addressed in today’s blog)
2. Personal Development for C-Level Leaders
3. Tackling A Specific Business Issue

Assessing The Situation

Today, I want to address how invaluable it is to have an accurate picture of your current situation. A third party advisor can be essential to gather an unbiased and complete assessment of an individual, team, or organization. A coach/executive advisor can cut through politics to identify root cause and identify untapped capabilities, ineffective systems, miscommunications, misperceptions and so much more. These are just a few of the situations I’ve been involved with in the past two years with senior leaders. 

1. Assess a team. 

When taking over a new organization, you need to identify what is needed and who has the skills to take the group to the next level. I’ve seen many situations where a leader is brought in to make changes and needs to assess the team quickly. They also frequently need to demonstrate visible leadership fast and get the group going in a different direction. A great coach/executive advisor can make this easier by helping identify organizational capabilities, establish criteria and even interview team members. Often a coach who has worked in a particular function has specific expertise to roll up their sleeves and help you do this well. I’ve worked with CEOs, CHROs, and heads of Merchandising, Marketing, Innovation, Finance, and Revenue Growth Management to do just that. This is particularly helpful in a merger or acquisition situation.  Personality assessments can also be an effective tool for assessing teams. 

2. Evaluate an organizational structure. 

Admittedly, not every coach will have the expertise to do this, but many will. There comes a point where nearly every leader must ask if the structure they have created (or inherited) is best suited to deliver the capabilities the organization needs to drive the strategy. Given that I started an organization design firm, I am frequently asked to weigh in on structure. Working with an external advisor who can ask the right questions about the structure and the way people and functions interact (and interact with your customers) can be a great relief to ensure that you’ve got the best structure in place. Of course, I would never suggest designing structure in a vacuum with any coach, but a coach can certainly help you assess whether it needs to change.

3. Gather interview-based stakeholder feedback. 

Some companies call this 360 feedback, but that is often done using a formal survey process with a lot political baggage. A coach can customize interviews to determine exactly what you need to focus your development and it can be done confidentially and safely. In my case, I share this data only with the client to drive our work together. Because it stays out of the personnel file, stakeholders are honest, and the client can receive it without fear. I start nearly all my engagements by gathering feedback. Often this reveals blind spots, and we can get busy working on changing any perceptions that are less than ideal. For many, this is the most impactful part of an engagement.  One President received feedback that relationships with his peers were holding him back from a major promotion. It didn’t take long to make progress that changed the direction of his career.

These are only a sample of the many ways an executive coach/advisor can help you clarify the real issues and get them on the table where they can​ be solved. Because you can’t solve​ what you’re not talking about.

If you would like to strategize as to whether a coach is appropriate for your situation, contact us. It’s what we do.