When used for the right reasons and with competent practitioners, executive
coaching can provide significant and lasting benefits for both individuals and
organizations. But like other innovations, coaching is in danger of becoming
just another business fad. When not effective, it can cause harm to individuals
and organizations and waste large amounts of money.
Whether coaching services are used to fix a problem with a person or to expand
potential, there remains a challenge in finding and acquiring the right
professionals to provide excellent coaching.
A recent article in the Harvard Business Review (Berglas 2002) laments the fact
that too many executive coaches are untrained in human psychology. Berglas
asserts that some coaching professionals may come from the sports and
motivational speaking fields with little background or competency in dealing
with the complexities of personalities.
Great coaches often come from very eclectic career paths.
There are three essential competencies of the effective coach. They must be
interpersonally skilled at coaching and influencing others. Secondly, they must
be high in trustworthiness. Thirdly, good coaches must have a sufficient
understanding of business and organizational politics to help their clients
decipher and understand complex situations.
Here are the important concepts covered in this article:
Finding the right executive coach
Some principles of the masterful coaching experience
Linking Coaching To Business Results
Should coaching be mandatory?
Linking personal and business goals
Moving into action
Planning for Resistance: the Power of Homeostasis
Maximizing Resources and Coaching
When Coaching Goes Wrong…
Factors Contributing to Failure and Negative Coaching Outcomes
In Clients and In the Coach
Recommended Reading and Resources
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