Q1: What is Executive Coaching?

Executive Coaching is a professional partnership between a qualified coach and an executive or team in a corporate environment that supports the achievement of significantly improved business results, based on goals set by the executive, his organization or team. Through the process of coaching, executive focuses on the skills and actions needed to successfully produce the desired results. The executive or team chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions as well as concepts and principles, which can assist in generating possibilities and identifying actions. Through the coaching process the clarity that is needed to support the most effective actions is achieved. Coaching accelerates the executive or team's progress by providing greater focus and awareness of possibilities leading to more effective choices. Coaching concentrates on where executives are now and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be in the future.  

In executive coaching,

• The client is the executive
• The sponsor of the coaching engagement may be the executive's supervisor or other stakeholders
• The objectives are agreed in consultation with the client and the sponsor

Q2:  Is there a structured process for coaching? 

An effective coaching relationship produces results and follows a systematic process called the Coaching Conversation. It is a remarkably simple 4-step model consisting of: 

Setting Goals

Checking Reality

Exploring Options

Charting the Way Forward 

We call this the GROW process. 

Q3. What are the benefits of coaching?  

From the point of view of corporate leaders and shareholders, the ultimate reason for running an executive coaching program is to improve business results. This means increasing profits, reducing cost, or achieving both within a defined time frame. Executives who are coached can expect to experience fresh perspectives on leadership challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased effectiveness in carrying out their chosen work and life roles. Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal effectiveness, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals.

Q4:  What are the broad areas that are covered in coaching?

The following are some typical applications: 

 - Preparing a high-potential executive for a promotion

 - Developing /enhancing competencies after 360 degree feedback process

 - Integrating expatriates into a new environment and culture

 - Transforming organizational culture to unleash commitment and creativity

 - Developing leaders to lead high-performance business teams

 - Re-building teamwork after a company's M&A

 - Building a highly effective and cohesive Executive Team.

 - Facilitating  the discovery of blind-spots in senior executives and helping them make critical leadership and behavioral shifts

Q5: What will be the results of coaching? Are they measurable?

A number of surveys done internationally have indicated that there is correlation between coaching and increased business productivity.  Manchester, Inc, a human resources consulting firm in the US, recently surveyed 100 executives from Fortune 1000 companies and found that coaching resulted in improved productivity, quality, customer service, cost reduction, staff retention and reduction in customer complaints leading to a 22% improvement in profitability. These companies witnessed an average return of investment of 6 times the initial investment in typical executive coaching program. Half of these executives held positions of VPs or higher. Almost 60% of the executives were aged 40 to 49 and one-third earned US$200k or more per year. ( Fortune, Feb 19, 2001) 

A Sibson and McKinsey report ( 1998) mentioned that firms with more capable people at the top have 70% higher returns to shareholders. 

In our firm , our coaches have undertaken numerous assignments  with various MNC and government-linked organizations through the Asia-Pacific. We have helped individual executives and their organizations become more collaborative, innovative  and effective.  The results that we have achieved are much like those  mentioned in the two preceding surveys. 

Q6: Why is coaching necessary? Isn't it part and parcel of the responsibilities of all managers and supervisors?  

Coaching is not new. Traditionally, for hundreds of years in the trades and professions, an older and more experienced senior would pass on personalized and specific knowledge and skills to a younger person through a one-on-one relationship. As society advanced and the business environment became more complex, the art of coaching became lost. 

Nowadays, managers, supervisors and bosses who find the time to systematically coach their people are few and far between. Successful coaching also requires a greater understanding of human behavior and deployment of certain competencies and proficiencies that may take a long period of training to acquire. And in the 21^st century, leaders will need to make a paradigm shift in the way they lead. The business environment calls for a more collaborative, open, empowered and networked relationship, which will be facilitated by a "coaching culture".   

Q7: Who will benefit from coaching? 

In this era of the knowledge workers, development and retention of talent-rich staff frequently makes the difference between failure and success for companies around the world. To stay ahead of the competition, the phenomenon of constant and accelerating change makes it vital for organizations to keep reinventing themselves by continually learning. The key to success in this process lies with the executives themselves. Ultimately, the company's ability to learn   and apply their learning faster than the rest of the field is the company's primary sustainable competitive advantage. 

Many companies are now investing in executive coaching as a vehicle to enhance their human capital. As external executive coaching services are often an expensive undertaking, the usual practice is for only the most senior executives and the high-performers to have executive coaches. The thought here is that by developing the creme de la creme, the effects of more effective and enlightened leadership will filter down the ranks. Many companies are now taking the additional step of developing internal coaching competencies.  This is a key step to creating a coaching culture throughout the organization. When coaching pervades deeply into the company, the climate is transformed and the people develop greater commitment and are more productive and innovative. Thus the quality of the workforce is enhanced. 

Q8: Isn't it a stigma to have a coach? How will people perceive it? 

There may have been a time many years ago when coaching was treated as a last-ditch effort at remedial actions for a non-performing executive. But now attitudes to coaching have changed completely. These days being assigned a coach is viewed positively as a program accorded only to the most senior executives or to those staff with high potential. Being assigned a coach is clear evidence that your company believes in your potential and value and wants to help you develop it to the fullest.  

Q9: Are there different types of coaching? 

In a corporate environment, there are basically three types of coaching as defined by:

skills coaching

performance coaching

development coaching 

"Skills coaching" refers to development of specific skills and abilities, e.g. presenting, selling or dealing with the media. As we move right in our continuum, "performance coaching" becomes broader in scope. It is to enhance the client's performance in his current role, usually by enabling him to develop certain behaviors, or to remove blockages to his performance. Frequently, the required performance improvement is identified in the context of a development planning process and may be the result of a 360-degree feedback process. On the extreme right of the continuum is "development coaching." In this relationship the coach creates the conditions for reflective learning so that the client gains perspective on his experiences and self and on his leadership activities in the organization. This is deployed nowadays in many forward-looking companies  to groom 'hi-pos' for increasing responsibilities. It also  adds most value to the organization when it is offered to senior executives as their roles involve managing considerable complexity and a wide span of discretion. Further, they exercise substantial influence on the rest of the organization. It is an integral part of the talent development process in many companies. 

Q10: What are pre-requisites for coaching to be successful?

For a coaching relationship to be effective and successful, the following are necessary conditions: 

Willingness on the part of the client to be coached

Client's commitment to take the necessary actions identified in the coaching process 

Confidentiality of the relationship

Mutual trust and respect between coach and client

A competent, motivating and challenging coach

A supportive environment 

Q11: Are there situations where coaching may not be successfully applied?

If any of the pre-requisites mentioned above are missing, coaching will not be successful. 

Generally, if an executive is faced with a situation over which he has absolutely no control, then confining the coaching domain to the individual himself may not yield significant results to the company. To be effective, the overall situation in the larger environment will need to be addressed.  

Coaching is also not suitable in situations that require intervention by trained specialists in such fields as psychology and therapy.  Executive coaches are trained to be alert for such situations and recommend the appropriate referrals 

Q12: When a company engages a coach for their executives, how does it get regular feedback on how the executives are progressing? 

When a coach is engaged by a company, the first point of contact may be the HR VP or some other senior executive who may be the sponsor. The coach will also request to meet up with his potential client. Once there is a buy-in on the objectives of the coaching relationship by all three parties, the coach will treat his coachee as his primary client. As the whole purpose of the coaching arrangement is development of the client, the coach will focus his efforts on working directly with the client. 

The HR VP  who initiates the contract or the sponsor  will obviously want to be kept posted on progress. To meet this need, it is our recommendation that the most direct evidence of progress will come from the client himself or herself. Let the client manifest the progress he is making in the way he is leading and interfacing with co-workers and others. This is ultimately the best test.  If agreed to ahead of time, the client may also be asked to give periodic reports to the sponsor on the progress of the coaching activity.  Should the sponsor wish to meet with the coach, it is highly recommended that the client also participate in the meeting.  Confidentiality is an essential ingredient to a successful coaching experience.  Hence, the HR VP or other senior company executive in charge should respect this aspect of the process.  As confidentiality of the coaching relationship is of utmost importance, any regular reports submitted to the HR organization should be done jointly between the coach and his client.     

Q13:  How should coaches be selected? 

The most important thing to look for in selecting a coach is someone whom the client may feel he can easily relate to as this will create the most powerful partnership. A sense of trust and rapport will be very important ingredients in a coaching relationship. Here are some questions that the HR person  may want to ask the prospective coach. It is also recommended that the client may wants to meet the coach as well before formalizing the coaching contract.  

What is your  corporate background before you became a coach? What kind of roles and seniority did you have? 

What is your coaching experience? (number of executives coached, their seniorities, years of experience, types of situations)

What is your coach specific training?

What is your coaching specialty or client areas you most often work in?

What are the  specialized skills or experience do you bring to your coaching?

What is your philosophy about coaching?

What is your specific process for ensuring business results?

What are some coaching success stories? (specific examples of individuals who have done well and examples of how you have added value)  

Q14:  Do we get to assess the proficiency of coaches? Can we terminate their services if we are not satisfied?

It is the objective and commitment of coaches to add value to their clients. After a few sessions working together, clients are generally in a position to assess whether there is progress made in accordance to the goals agreed.  In our firm, we have a process of asking for feedback, both verbally in writing, from clients about how their coaches are working with them.  Clients are free to discontinue the services of a coach that he feels is not meeting his needs. 

Q15:  Typically when you coach someone, how would you approach it? 

It usually starts with a preliminary getting-to-know-each-other session. In this session, the coach explains the coaching process and the kind of commitment required of both parties for a successful outcome. The client's needs and expectations are then discussed and both agree on the frequency of the coaching session and the duration. Confidentiality if the process is also discussed and affirmed.

How structured each session is depends on the types of coaching required, i.e. skills, performance or developmental. In general, the 4-step GROW model is used as a guide. Every session will be focused on helping clients to reach the agreed goals. The session ends with an action plan that the client will propose for himself. In the following session, the client will report on his progress made since the last session. Through this interactive process, the coach creates a supportive environment that enables his clients to achieve his desired objectives.    

Q16:  Tell us more about your company. Who are the coaches? What is their background and track record? 

Complete information on our company, Coaching Associates Pte Ltd, is contained in our brochure. You may also visit our website at www.coachiates.com. 

The founders of this company are all experienced senior business executives with expertise in various fields such as general management, manufacturing, banking, financial services, customer services and training.  We now have a team of  seven coaches  of various nationalities, making us one of the largest and most experienced coaching services providers in Asia. We are all certified coaches from Coach U in the US and are members of the ICF,  the International Coach Federation.  Fuller details of our individual background and track records are available upon request. 

Q17: How is coaching linked to the 360-degree feedback process? If you have not been involved in the 360-degree feedback, how can you coach our executives as a follow-on? 

In many companies around the world, the 360-degree feedback process is deployed as an integral part of the performance development process that provides meaningful feedback to the individual, coupled with systems that support actions for improvement. 

There are two separate and discrete aspects involved:  (a) the actual 360-degree feedback itself and (b) the subsequent focus on actions to bring about improvements. While there are some advantages in having the same consultants be responsible for executing both aspects, it is not absolutely necessary to do it in that manner. Many companies are doing both separately.

The end result of the 360-degree feedback is awareness and agreement on the part of the individual being assessed of opportunities for improvements in his performance. Once that is successfully achieved, the next phase is taking the necessary actions. This is where the maximum benefits to the individual and the company can be reaped. While the 360-degree feedback identifies the " gaps," closing the "gaps" is where difficulties are usually encountered. Executives who are supported by coaches in this vital phase will achieve success in their individual programs of improvement. 

Q18: We have senior executives located in our offices all over Asia. How will you deploy your coaches to  service us?" 

We currently have a team of seven experienced executive coaches. Although we are stationed in Singapore, we are all highly mobile and will travel to various parts of the world in our assignments with MNCs.  We would recommend a mixture of face-to-face sessions and tele-coaching sessions.  They are both highly effective.  We have been working with clients with offices all over Asia successfully  for many years.

Q19: Which are the companies that have implemented executive coaching? 

Globally, many of the leading MNCs have embraced executive coaching as a culture and as a leadership process. The list continues to grow. Some examples of our clients include:HP, Shell, AT&T, Pfizer, AMD, National Starch & Chemical, Equant, Lucent Technologies,, Infocomm Authority of Singapore,  Chartered  Semiconductor Manufacturing, Aviva, Honeywell, STATS, TNT, Schneider-Electric, Fuji Xerox, Microsoft, SITA, SMRT, BonusLink, NEC,et al.