Coaching Executives and Leaders

Impact

Enables senior managers to have a strategic impact on the business, use a range of influence styles with efficacy, and align professional with personal identity.

Programme of 6-12 sessions over 6-9 months.

 

Approach and philosophy

POD coaches aim to achieve an increase in the performance of their clients. This is a natural result of identifying and clarifying a client’s competencies, values and job function. When these are aligned, the client’s passion and energy is released and translates through into the bottom line.

We set clear goals for development through coaching with the client, and involve the line manager and sponsor in this through a contracting meeting. We choose some form of questionnaire or interviewing tool to assist the client to seek feedback from those in the organisation who are important to their progress.

We adopt an appreciative approach, work on critical incidents from the workplace to practice new ways of being and continuously evaluate learning and application.

We focus on the relationship developed between coach and client as key to discovering the relational dynamics that the client is creating within the organisation. This enables coach and client to identify, plan and practise changes in the client’s behaviour which will increase the client’s ability to establish and maintain effective relationships across this/her business network.

We maintain strong boundaries of confidentiality so the client is safe to explore and take risks.

 

Comments from clients

Relations between our section and the rest of the department have moved on from ‘us and them’ to ‘we’. My working together with my managing director colleague has sent subtle messages to others. This enabled us to initiate the management development programme across our functions.

– Managing Director, Fund Management

Your insightful questions provoke my thinking beyond the places I would normally go.

– Director, Internal Audit function, Investment Bank

Case Study

A managing director of fund managers reached a critical moment in her coaching programme following a process of exploration of her leader influence styles, when it was identified that she came across as deflated and different from usual.

The coach presented her with her dilemma by asking “how much on a scale of 1 to 10 do you want to relinquish some of your technical expertise in order to create space for managing others?” Scaling is a solution-focussed technique and its use here made thinking the unthinkable possible, opening up that which was censored within the client’s thoughts.

A transformational shift occurred enabling her to shift her belief system towards actively choosing to take responsibility for making it possible to manage others and perform through delegated tasks, rather than to perform mainly through individual achievement. It opened up the possibility of acknowledging that management achievements are not always as tangible and satisfying as winning new business or doing a deal and discussing the losses and gains of making this move. This client became realistically committed to her managerial role and accountability and her newly powerful energy was felt by her team.