Executive Coaching
and the Process of Change

Although dozens of books and articles have been written about executive coaching, it is still a profession in uncharted territory. Confusion exists about the role of executive coaches, which allows for the emergence of what I call “pseudo-coaches,” or people who are poorly trained to coach. What is missing in most writing about executive coaching is the link between coaching and change. In my book, I present a clear model of how change takes place in a coaching relationship. Using the methods I describe, an executive coach will be able to help create lasting change.

A central theme of the book is the critical role of tension or dissonance to trigger change. Effective coaching creates this tension between a desirable goal or aspiration and current reality. The stronger the tension, the higher the likelihood of finding resolution. In other words, tension is uncomfortable, and change is necessary to lower the tension in the direction of the desirable goal.

Another major tool for coaching borrows the concept of a financial balance sheet and applies it to a person’s “balance sheet” of assets and liabilities. Understanding one’s personal balance sheet allows coaches to help coachees consciously leverage their assets, which come naturally, while managing their liabilities, which may be obstacles for lasting change.

Assessments can be useful to understand how leaders approach leadership. Most assessments are offered online. The best assessments have research to back up their claims of validity. The book reviews several types of assessments, including “360s,” which are assessments based on perceptions of those who have contact with the coachee from all perspectives. Assessments can be a reality check that frees a leader to embrace change.

Executive Coaching and the Process of Change identifies tools to enhance coaching. One such tool is reframing, or restating a goal that is more consistent with reality and a coachee’s assets. Reframing allows coaches to create tension in a way that is more natural for the coachee. The book provides examples of how coaches facilitate reframing.

Reflection is a tool that also enhances coaching. By having coachees reflect upon their experiences, particularly those that led to poor outcomes, new ways of approaching the experience can be offered with a higher probability of success. By trying alternatives to failed experiences, coachees will learn, implement, and review novel approaches that use their own experience as the starting point toward change.

Executive coaches need to be knowledgeable about business if they expect to help executives become more effective. The book offers examples of how a coach, by framing questions about a business problem, allows the coachee to gain insights that lead to change. Without understanding business, the coach will be unable to frame questions in a way that facilitates tension and change.

One of the challenges for executive coaches is how to prepare for a coaching session. There is no magic guide to preparation, but there is a process that will enhance coaching. Coaches are most effective when they ask questions rather than offer advice. Active listening provides the coach with information to frame questions that will gain clarity and facilitate deeper probing. Active listening is an iterative process, relying more on intuition than prescribed or preplanned questions.

While executive coaches can help leaders to be more effective, the ultimate coach is a leader who uses coaching to guide the associates who report to him or her. However, leadership does not exist in a vacuum. A healthy culture will not only enhance coaching but will also demand coaching as the most effective method of leading change. Traditional leadership focuses on task accomplishment, which is important. The key to effective coaching is to create tension between goals and reality, and not between people. The latter creates negative attitudes, resistance to change, and withholding energy needed to accomplish positive organizational outcomes.