(Adapted extracts from book ’Behavioral Coaching’
by Zeus and Skiffington – published and copyrighted by McGraw-Hill, New York)
Executive Coaching has become the critical success factor for organizations that are extending their reach internationally. Leading professionals engaged in global executive coaching and leadership development programs have typically employed the coaching model of change and learning as the platform for an leadership development as well as a set of key relevant global executive competencies. However, executive coaching has had to rapidly evolve in the last few years to meet the corporate ’bottom-line’ need to obtain sustainable, measurable (accountable) behavioural change.
Today, executive coaching is no longer a suitable domain for employing outdated, un-scientific, unproven, simplistic leadership coaching models, user fits all personality profiling, tools and techniques etc. Successful leadership development coaching programs are built upon validated, behavioural scientific models and accelerated behavioural change techniques. Organizations now understand that success is all about unleashing the full personal power of their executives. By using a behavioural based executive coaching approach the executive can be shown how to self manage himself and significantly upgrade his personal and professional skill sets, feel balanced, alert, in control and powerful and be able to make the greatest contribution to the organization. The empowered individual acts and not reacts, thinks creatively, works well under pressure, makes good decisions and communicates clearly. Global executive qualities also emerge. When an organization’s people move into a zone of optimum, sustainable best performance, so does the organization.
Developing a Behavioural Based Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Program can provide a relatively quick and cost effective increase in individual and organizational productivity and well being. Using industry proven behaviour based coaching models, well trained coaches can develop a Leadership Development Program to assist people to develop competence by identifying the key aspects such as; beliefs, values, attitudes, thinking processes etc. that affect professional and cultural expertise. The first step is to recognize that developing a behavioural based executive coaching program depends on both the rigor with which the methodology is used and the rigor with which the necessary behaviours are identified and addressed. Hence the need to use psychologically based and workplace proven, valid and reliable behavioural assessment instruments, change models and techniques. However, the key to success in any leadership development initiative is the selection of the appropriate behavioural based change model to fit the individual’s specific change needs.
Dr Skiffington’s industry-proven Global Leadership Certified Master Coach Course meets the critical needs for professional leadership developers to be trained and mentored in the use of a range of validated, reliable behaviour based leadership coaching models, tools and techniques. Global executive coaching is now recognized as the critical platform for executives to achieve successful behavioral change and learning. Executive behaviour (first seen as actions) is the sum of professional skills affected by personal skills and behavioral aspects such as; beliefs, values, attitudes, motivation, thoughts, and unconscious drives.
The unique demands of the Professional Global Executive Developer as Coach transcend the typical executive coaching role in three critical ways:
- Behavioural Perspective
The leadership developer as an executive coach, strives to recognize the assumptions and values that affect the executive’s professional choices and behaviours. They employ valid behavioural change models and techniques to assist executives through the process of self-awareness, self-understanding and skill building to achieve lasting, measurable behaviour change, self-development and performance enhancement. This is critical, because through out-of-awareness, cultural conflicts and misunderstandings arise. - Tailored Approach
Each leadership developer as coach, monitors their own cultural perspectives, beliefs etc, striving to develop a personalized, objective working relationship with the executive. - Just-in-Time Intercultural Knowledge
The developer, in a leadership development role should apply this knowledge of successful interactions across cultures, just in time, to the executive’s behavioural and performance issues to be addressed.
Executive coaching and leadership development equips and encourages executives to meet their challenges by helping them to:
- develop self-awareness of their behaviour and patterns
- cultivate awareness of how others perceive them
- capitalize on their leadership strengths
- bridge gaps
- acquire new leadership strategies and tactics
- in turn deliver and surpass their executive and corporate goals.