It is not uncommon for a prospective client to ask, “How can an executive coach really help someone at a senior level?” A good executive coach/advisor can help individuals (and organizations) navigate complex situations, demonstrate visible leadership, and advance business outcomes. 

However, the key to getting the most out of an executive coach or advisor is to pick the RIGHT one. 

With 30 years of experience coaching/advising C-level executives, business unit Presidents, and functional heads at Fortune 500 companies, I fall into the category of senior-level coaches. I have seen many complex business situations multiple times over. In other words, I’ve learned to see around corners and help clients avoid pitfalls that only come from experience.

I typically provide three types of solutions:

1. Assessing the situation 
2. Personal Development for C-Level Leaders
3. Tackling A Specific Business Issue

Tackling A Specific Business Issue

In my previous articles, I addressed how an executive coach/advisor can provide a valuable assessment and expedite personal development. Now, I’d like to share a few scenarios I’ve worked on recently to target a specific business issue.

1. Stand up a new function or center of excellence. 

This can daunting, but a coach who has been there before can help identify goals and objectives, determine what is realistic, help you build and socialize a plan and stand it up for success. These tend to be longer-term projects, and I have recently advised clients on setting up centers of excellence in change management, revenue growth management (RGM), and new product incubation. The RGM center of excellence added $90MM in value in their second year. This was 50% more than projected because the client worked very hard to target opportunities that would move the needle fast.

2. Figure out how to tackle or accelerate results on a large project. 

Many of the projects senior leaders are asked to tackle are large, hairy, complex projects with lots of moving parts. A coach/advisor can serve as an objective third party to help prioritize and set things up for success. They can help leaders anticipate and avoid potential pitfalls and set expectations with critical stakeholders. In my experience, these often involve organizational restructuring, strategic planning, or merger integration. I recently coached one business unit President through a major restructuring that required a significant organizational mindset shift. Another successfully implemented a downsizing she really didn’t agree with, and yet another President integrated the leadership team of several merging banks to form one company.

3. Strategize on how to have difficult conversations. 

Nearly every client I have, at some point, struggles with delivering difficult feedback, pushing back on a senior leader, challenging a peer, terminating an employee, or getting someone they don’t have authority over to do something. A good coach can work with you to help you prepare, strategize, and role-play those conversations so you are comfortable, more equipped, and ready to have them effectively.  

4. Strategize on board and stakeholder relationships. 

For a CEO, this might be the board of directors, but for another leader, this might be about identifying a group of critical stakeholders. The process is similar. For every leadership role, there are people whose opinion matters – whose voices determine their success. A coach can help identify who they are and what is important to them and can help build a plan to manage those stakeholders. One CEO with a large board reviewed the state of his relationship with every board member, identified the specific conversations that needed to happen and tailored key messages for each one. We adjusted his messaging and built a cadence of planned interactions so the most critical relationships could grow and develop appropriately. The same process has worked with a functional leader with complex cross-functional stakeholders.

These are just a few of the situations I’ve been involved in with senior leaders. There are probably twice this many more that could be relevant. If you are facing something new, an experienced executive coach-advisor (particularly one who is successful in their own right and has consulted with other clients) may be able to help accelerate your learning curve.

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