6 Key Elements in Executive Coaching for a Successful Future

Consider an executive who is recently promoted to a leadership position. Her career progression has been from being a brilliant technical expert to an effective project manager to a program manager, mentoring several project managers, delivering a lead, and becoming the chief technical officer of a Bengaluru headquartered Indian IT company. She operates from Bengaluru but travels all across the world to manage relationships with global clients. She has been influential in closing several large deals with clients by enabling client confidence in her delivery capabilities through her track record. But the high-performance brings with it the unsaid challenges of being a newly appointed executive.

Irrespective of their backgrounds, irrespective of their industries, irrespective of their geographies, senior executives face a similar challenge – the competencies that helped them attain that leadership position are not the same as those needed to be successful in that role. Maybe they need to raise the standard of their performance in the new role, which is more complex, and be better at delivering on them. Perhaps the new position requires a new way of thinking, a new set of skills, a new strategy, or more effective leadership skills. Maybe the organization is facing a crisis, and the new leader needs to manage that while also building the roadmap for the organization’s future success.

How can she ensure that she succeeds in her new executive role? The solution lies in Executive coaching. There are excellent executive, leadership as well as business coaches in Bengaluru who can enhance an individual’s ability to co-create a working space where everyone thrives.

Executive coaching is the proven method to deal with challenges and help a new executive be successful

Executive Coaching works as a powerful support for the executive by providing personalized, one-on-one development inputs promptly. She learns to find the solutions to her immediate challenges and starts building the foundations for sustainable long term success.

WHAT DOES THE EXECUTIVE COACHING PROCESS INCLUDE?

An Executive Coach can partner with the leaders (aspiring and practicing) to work on their specific Goals and Business outcomes. An Executive Coaching process includes a minimum of 6-month engagements with a senior executive. Executive Coaching process includes three critical steps:

Step 1 of Executive Coaching: A Chemistry session and Goal Setting -

All the executive coaching revolves around specific and measurable goals that the executive or the organization selects for the engagement. It is not a random series of conversations, rather every conversation is around those specific goals. Executives are thinking about manifesting those goals and a coach holds the space for the executive! A Coach also helps in setting “stretched goals” for an executive. A coach involves the senior executives in setting BHAGS (Big, Hairy Audacious Goals)

Step 2 of Executive Coaching: Deeper Exploration

Coaching differs from training and consulting because it explores deeper elements of being – like the values, beliefs, and habits of the executives. Executive Coach goes beyond the surface level to the root cause of the problems (which is usually hidden in the value and belief system) an executive, while working with the coach is made aware of these unconscious biases that may be holding himself back and impeding the organizational success. This is a critical step in the coaching journey because executive coaching includes going to the root cause and addressing the problem right there.

Step 3 of Executive Coaching: Designing the Action Plan

An Executive Coach is an accountability partner. A Coach shows the mirror and holds the space for the executives to come up with an action plan. Leaders must have bias for action. Executive coaching includes a systematic way in which action plans are co-created and the commitment is taken from the leader/executive. A coach supports and challenges along the way! Without the action plan – Executive Coaching has no meaning. Professional Coaching does not leave the executive on an intellectual high – rather concrete action steps are co-created. A coach becomes an accountable partner!

How does Executive Coaching enhance performance and creates a successful future?

The following are the 6 Key Elements critical for enhancing performance and creating a prosperous future for our CTO through executive coaching.

1. Selecting a coach

The first step in executive coaching is to find a qualified, competent, and experienced world class coach to be matched with the executive. S/he must be the right person who can help her take her performance to the next level. In the case of our newly promoted executive CTO, as she is located in Bengaluru, it would be convenient to look for those who provide executive coaching in Bengaluru and select someone she thinks can help her raise her game. To do that, she needs to choose an executive coach at Bengaluru who is credentialed and experienced, have groomed executives across industries, understands her challenges, may be able to converse in her language or preferably relate to her cultural background. It may be useful to select someone who can be a business coach for Bengaluru based IT companies.

2. Contracting and Deciding on goals

Clarifying goals, roles, and responsibilities: The executive and the coach must agree on the executive’s goals, performance goals, and developmental goals. They also need to decide what role either one will play and what they will be responsible for.
The logistics of the coaching sessions: When and how the coaching sessions will be conducted? Today executive coaches can deliver coaching through face to face meetings, virtually online or through email or WhatsApp exchanges or a combination of these. Our CTO should consider her preferences and availability to receive executive coaching at Bengaluru or while traveling and talk to her coach about his choice and mutually agree on conducting the sessions.
What kind of schedule works for both? How often should the executive coaching sessions be conducted and the executive coach’s availability at Bengaluru physically and virtually elsewhere?
How will confidentiality be managed? During executive coaching our CTO will require her to reveal a lot about herself and her organization. Should her coach report her progress to her supervisor?
How would fees and payment terms be managed? Do coaching services incur additional costs? Under what conditions are canceled appointments charged? What would be the next steps if the executive needs to discontinue the coaching engagement?

3. Assessments and Feedback

Assesses strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and impact. The executive coach would help our CTO to assess herself using assessment tools and feedback from relevant stakeholders, as needed.
Provides assistance interpreting feedback. Once the data from instruments and feedback are compiled, the coach can help her interpret the outcome and identify her development areas based on the competency gaps between her versus what she needs.
Determines roadmap for success. Based on the identified developmental goals, the executive coach would help her create the directional roadmap to overcome her success’s competency gaps.

4. Development Planning

Produces a detailed development plan. The executive coach helps our CTO develop her detailed learning plan and the actions she needs to take to achieve her learning goals. Whether they are taking courses, doing a project, or being mentored by an expert.
Clarifies development process and progress benchmarks. Her coach also helps determine the timelines and benchmarks necessary to track her progress.

5. Stakeholder Engagement

Gains commitment and support from stakeholders. She needs to ensure that her key stakeholders support her development plan. So, her coach would develop her plan to communicate and obtain buy-in for her plan.
Builds agreement on developmental priorities. With her coach, she would work towards agreeing with her stakeholders on her development priorities.
Develops critical mentoring relationships. Being mentored by more experienced and accomplished professionals is a great way to establish oneself. Her coach can help her find mentors and get into a mentoring relationship

6. Implementation and Ongoing Planning

Practices new behaviors and troubleshoots obstacles. Once her plan is detailed, and buy-in is obtained from her stakeholders, she can work with her business coach to practice new behaviors necessary in her new role, identify potential obstacles, and overcome them.
Tracks progress in developmental areas and measures outcome. She continues to work on her development goals and regularly meets with her executive coach to track her progress on her action plan and evaluate the results she has been able to obtain. If there is any shortcoming, she works out overcoming them with support from her coach.

The above six elements are essential for executive coaching to ensure success. As was in the case of the newly appointed CTO from Bengaluru, who created her plan and built her stakeholders’ support through executive coaching while at Bengaluru or while traveling across the globe to begin a successful global career

EXECUTIVE COACHING WITH REGAL UNLIMITED

“A Coach does not play the game, but s/he makes you WIN the game”

Regal Unlimited takes pride in having trained, qualified, ICF Credentialed, and Experienced Executive Coaches who can help your leadership and organizations to WIN in the marketplace. Regal Unlimited has the best pool of Executive Coaches in India, who have been there, and done that! They understand the challenges and concerns of executives and ensure the practical approach to coaching high-performing executives in India or Virtual Executive coaching across the world as well.

Executive Coaches from Regal Unlimited are the best in the category, with relevant experience of over 10 years as Leadership & Executive Coaches. Connect with the best Certified Executive Coaches here.

Write to us: info@regalunlimited.com and ensure that you have the best Executive Coach handholding you towards your success!