Executive Coaching
"When two men in business always agree," said chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr., "one of them is unnecessary." And yet too many small business owners find themselves lacking colleagues who feel free to express disagreement with the boss.
It's hard to say which is the greater challenge for executives and small business owners: recognizing when they need honest input from an informed but objective outsider, or finding someone who's qualified and willing to provide that counsel. Particularly for entrepreneurs who feel a strong connection between their business vision and the company's success, it can be difficult to yield a measure of control and invite frank critiques of how the implementation of that vision may need improvement.
Executive coaches can offer that independent feedback. By introducing an outside perspective to the CEO's or entrepreneur's thinking, executive coaches can help identify and address impediments to growth. Like SBDC counselors, their strengths include experience working with executives in a variety of organizations, industries, and markets. That diverse background allows them to do what business owners often cannot: see beyond their current circumstances and know which strategies have worked best for companies that have advanced to the next level.
Veterans agree that it's essential to establish a relationship with an executive coach before an emergency arises. That allows the business owner and coach time to gain one another's trust and become comfortable working together before they need to tackle a crisis communications challenge or major transition.
Successful relationships depend in part on executives' ability to shift gears and get out of their comfort zones. Many are accustomed to telling subordinates what to do, and coaching doesn't work that way. A productive coaching engagement begins with an assessment whose findings may contradict the executive's perception of the problems that are holding the company back. The business owner has to be open to accepting that assessment and its implications for the organizational and behavioral adjustments required in order to help the company achieve the change it seeks.
The initial elements of that change may come into play as soon as the coaching engagement begins, although it often takes longer for those changes to be widely recognized by people within and outside the organization. This is particularly true of gradual shifts in the corporate culture, the way subordinates interact with executives, and the level of authority staff members are granted to participate in the process of affecting change.
The Academy of Executive Coaching offers a podcast on finding a coach to meet your needs and a video on why you need an executive coach.
