Leadership in Action: Who is the Ideal Executive Coach?

Ideally the best executive coach is our own manager who is well placed to get to know our strengths and areas for development and who can be consistently providing feedback and coaching in the reality of the day to day.

In an ideal world, managers and executives would be able to squeeze everything they want to do into their working week. But the reality is that we don’t have ideal conditions. The reality is that we work in organisations that have fewer levels and fewer managers in the hierarchy. Managers are pulled in a hundred different directions. Few managers therefore have the luxury of time and space to provide executive coaching and mentoring for their emerging leaders.

Noticing and coaching in the moment is time-efficient and effective.

People Results’ philosophy is that any coaching from the manager is preferable to none at all. Here are three ways that executive coaching can be integrated and time-efficient for managers and executives day by day:

1. Look for coachable moments which arise on an ad hoc basis, i.e. when we are not expecting to “perform” coaching. Effective coaching can be brief and impromptu rather than formal and taking up a lot of valuable time. Coachable moments happen in the corridor, on a plane, at a conference or on the way to a meeting, etcetera. Something said or done will trigger a coachable moment. Provided it can be done discreetly, take the opportunity to coach then and there.

2. Stop telling and leave room for your people. Leaders are often forthright, self-assured and believe they know what’s best, i.e. they tend to be tellers. When leaders are upfront and tell others what to think and believe, they stifle an open discussion and sharing of different views and experience. They prevent others having their voices heard, acknowledged and modified. It follows that there is little chance of consensus and true engagement. A great recent article on how George Washington led in the most extraordinary way using this principle.

3. Every single person in your team is craving your attention. “Look at me! Look at me!” we are saying although you cannot actually hear our thoughts. As leaders, we must notice their good and their poor behaviours and give feedback. Rarely will she/he express their needs, but even the most self-sufficient introvert wants to be noticed by their manager. If we notice them doing good things, and give them positive reinforcement of their behaviours, then they will continue to do those same things and even more so.

If we notice them saying or doing the wrong thing, the same principle applies except that we can reinforce the behaviours that we do approve, without castigating them over their poor behaviours. If we ignore poor behaviours, unfortunately they will not fade away but will escalate in the person’s desperate efforts to gain our attention.

In our executive coaching and mentoring programs, PeopleResults understands the importance of informing and involving the manager’s manager as the key stakeholder who is the best internal and continuing coach for their direct report.

We welcome your comments and feedback on this article.

If you would like information on our executive coaching and mentoring programs, please download our executive coaching and mentoring brochure from the People Results' Home Page. We look forward to speaking to you or receiving your email at People Results.

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director