Perhaps the most commonly voiced objection by sponsoring organizations and individuals to retaining or working with a coach is that nothing is “broken.” Since – as an executive coach – I only respond to requests and referrals for coaching relationships, this resistance is raised in a conversation by the very person who initiated the dialogue. What this means is something led to their reaching out to me. I’m always happy to talk through the coaching value proposition; though I do find this pull and push reaction by the same potential buyer to be interesting. Imagine, for example, that you go to a car dealership and then engage the salesperson in a debate about whether it makes sense to own a car at all. To mutually resolve the requester’s decision-making conflict, these are the things that we usually discuss and what tends to happen:
• If it ain’t broke… Often, this is the starting point, and yet it always surprises me. Let’s stay with our car analogy from above. Do you prefer to take your car in for regular service to significantly increase the likelihood that it starts every time you get in it? Or do you save your money and time, and hope that when the car does break down it’s not too inconvenient or costly? Let’s take it one step farther: if you had the option to invest a modest amount of time and money in making the car faster, more fuel-efficient, or somehow better, would you? There’s not a right answer here, but coaching is more about enhancing performance or impact – not just that of the individual, but of all the people the individual influences. Like the old auto parts ad said, “you can pay me now or pay me later.” The problem is that delayed “payment” is usually in the form of key personnel and/or client losses.
• What will you tell me to do? Coaching is not about telling or training. Although, good coaches often have a depth of knowledge in human psychology and neuroscience to better inform their questions and back up their suggestions. Coaches also have a wealth of experiential perspective that can be substantively and emotionally helpful. Productive coaching relationships are born from what the person being coached wants to achieve both measurably, and in terms of the emotional state they desire. The relationships are then driven forward more by removing obstacles (real and imagined), that have stood in the way of their progress, than by identifying the actions they already know they should take.
• How long will this take? Very often, coaching relationships begin with a specific endpoint in mind. These endpoints might be a pre- or post-promotion transition period, a project, or even a performance cycle. And, they sometimes end there. It’s very common for coach and client to move onto another opportunity and collaborate to even greater levels of contribution. Leaders are often surprised to learn that the higher the level of responsibility you take on, the fewer people they have within an organization to talk to openly. Coaches can fill that void very effectively, and their value can increase as their knowledge of the business and its actors grows. It’s also possible to evolve relationships in terms of meeting frequency and format in order to balance efficiency and impact.
The bottom line is that coaching is best applied to the most valuable or potentially valuable people in organizations. The ones demonstrating high levels of contribution, and at levels where the ripple effect of their work is significantly felt by the associates and clients. Coaching is, in a word, for “winners” – and investing in coaching enables wins for many, not just one.
Jeff Lesher, Principal at entreQuest, blends his deep knowledge of organization design, human capital, and leadership with a pragmatic approach drawn from his own business experience and eQ's philosophy to help eQ's clients focus on their core purpose and move people effectively to action.
