Executive Coaching
We start with a single issue. An issue that is pressing on you—and that once resolved, will remove a weight from your shoulders and give you control over an important matter. This single issue never stands alone – and by solving one important problem, you will discover the links that produce exactly the company you have imagined. These links are often revealed through the lens of models, including some proven mentions (below).
How does coaching work?
Business coaching is based on the premise that no one knows your company better than you do. And no one else has the same stake in the outcome of your decisions. So why would you give anyone (“advisors”) the right to make decisions for you? Why would you give anyone else the bat to hit the ball?
As a business coach, I never tell the owner what to do. The only reason I am useful is that I am outside the system, understand its principles, and therefore can help you see things you may not otherwise see. My clients call this “mining the wisdom within you”.
We do this using the coaching model, which focuses on how your thoughts and actions “become the signal to which your company responds” (Robert Quinn). It is through you, that we get from a “here” which you wish to leave, to a “there” where you want to go. (See Examples of this below.)
Additional Reading and Resources
- Energy Leadership by Bruce Schneider
- Influencer by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
- Brain Rules by John Medina
- The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni
- Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
- Building the Bridge as You Walk on it by Robert Quinn
Some examples of what we work on
- How do I work with an employee who is talented but has a bad attitude?
- How do I work with my husband?
- How can I respond to customers who are venting and taking it out on me?
- How do I manage my temper, knowing that I can be destructive to my own business when I lose control?
- How do I bring up the tough stuff and not put it off, when I value good relations and harmony at work?
- I want the best solution, and find myself working with one who simply wants to win. So I end up losing.
- I want to scale our business up to a level where I don’t make every decision—and every decision is made exactly how I would have made it!
- Why can’t the people in my company do for me what I did for my employer: work hard and produce consistently high quality product for our customers?
Some encouraging case studies
Saving a Key Employee The owners had just witnessed an argument between two key employees. It was bad – one person walked out of the meeting announcing he was not going to take this any longer – he simply could not work with the other person in the meeting. Both employees were important for the success of the company. Both were talented. Both were head strong. One was new – and this was the variable that was throwing things out of whack.
Objective We needed someone to talk to who was outside the situation and could see things clearly – at a time when emotions were running high and we found it difficult to be objective and manage the situation. The stakes felt too high.
Outcome After three coaching sessions, the talented employee developed strategies to recognize what ‘pushed her buttons’ and how to manage herself when this occurred. She came up with a protocol on how to act on what she was seeing in a productive, responsible way. Upon completing a series of coaching meetings, the two key employees didn’t love each other: they respected each other and worked productively for the company.