We coach high performing leaders who are facing headwinds. The challenging context can take many forms—a vastly increased scope, a major strategic shift, an ultra-fast growth rate, a change in organizational mission or values, a big set of opportunities and/or a new landscape of risks.
High performers could get the difficult situations on their own, but coaching makes for a faster journey with fewer errors and deeper learning. Our coaching process is done as a project—we set goals jointly at the start, dig into key concerns related to the cliff and end the coaching when the client has gained new momentum.
Outline
It is lonely at the top. In most organisations it is not encouraged that high performers pause to sort out what to do in novel and complex situations, nor can they easily admit the need for help. Leadership coaching provides a private space for taking a breath to reflect, plan and try out new ideas. Clients then implement their ideas with greater confidence, and they forge new capabilities and habits that are appropriate for their current challenges.
One of our most insightful coaching clients explained his request for coaching thus, “Every one of my strengths that has got me this far will now be in my way.” He was overstating things somewhat but leaders who do not shift behaviour during a step-change may encounter interesting difficulties.
Scope Limits
- We do not act as coach for people who are in trouble—for example people who engage coaches as part of a performance management concern.
- We always require a formal meeting between our coaching client, their boss (or their board) and us to make sure we are on the same page re priorities.
- We do not engage in ‘coach-for-life’ situations, as we think this encourages bosses to abdicate their role in interpersonal coaching.