An overview of Insight Driven's approach to Executive Coaching.

1. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Executive Coaching
When organisations decide to set up and invest in a Coaching programme they usually
do so because they hope and expect the process will positively influence the leadership
style, influencing skills or motivation at work of certain key people. The reasonable logic is
that the organisation itself will also benefit from the positive behaviours that the Coaching
activity will hopefully engender or reactivate.
In line with this, our feedback is that our own Coaching work does result in people:
1) developing more effective ideas and tactics for making progress on key work issues.
2) placing a greater emphasis on building and maintaining productive relationships at
work
3) becoming more aware of the impact they may be having on others
4) feeling a renewed commitment to providing effective personal leadership behaviour
at work and having a clearer understanding of any personal behavioural changes this
may require of them.
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2. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Executive Coaching Work – An Overview
Taking time out for review and reflection can help individuals develop insight and deeper
understandings of what “is happening” in their world. Furthermore, undertaking that review
and reflection in the presence of another person, who takes on a role of “supportive
challenger”, can move a person through to insight and deeper understandings more quickly
and more enduringly than engaging alone in review and reflection.
In addition, the experience at times of being “simply listened to” by another person can
itself be beneficial psychologically and emotionally.
Coaching sessions provide an opportunity for both of these possibilities – for review and
reflection in the presence of a “supportive challenger” and for at times being “simply
listened to”. A defining feature of the Coaching process is that two people come together
to consider and seek deeper understanding of issues pertaining to only one of them.
We see there as being several core “Terrains” (outlined below) that are particularly
amenable to being worked on within a Coaching programme.
When people are encouraged to take periods of time out to think deeply about issues within
any or all of these Terrains - and are helped to do so safely and confidentially with the help
of a skilled Coach, their performance and contribution at work improves. We know this from
our experience and feedback.
The core Terrains are:
• Terrain 1 - Understanding work issues of current or enduring concern
a) Exploring work issues or problems that are of interest or concern to the individual
b) Assessing the nature of the individual’s relationships with others who also have a
stake in those issues
c) Considering how best to influence those others to bring about desired outcomes.
• Terrain 2 - Understanding Organisations
Exploring the understandings the individual has developed during their career about the
nature of organisations and how they operate. Enriching and deepening this
understanding and incorporating insights gained into their own leadership behaviour
within the workplace.
• Terrain 3 - Understanding Self and Understanding Self in Role
Gaining new and useful insights into the drivers and shapers of the individual’s own
behaviour, feelings and relationships at work.
• Terrain 4 - Career Development
Clarifying career development targets, developing plans for attaining them, and
reviewing progress towards them.
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3. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
The Coach’s role within a Coaching session
An Insight Driven Coach’s role within a Coaching session always involves, firstly, listening
closely to the other person speaking openly about a matter of interest or concern to them.
Then as a picture begins to emerge, the Coach uses skilled questioning and offers
comments designed to
a) help the person conceive of other useful ways of thinking about (or “framing”) those
issues
b) to see more clearly for themselves how their own beliefs, emotions and behaviours
may have contributed to the issues evolving into their current form.
In overall terms, the Coach helps the other person to work across the core Terrains in
pursuit of better understandings and enhanced personal effectiveness.
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4. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Our Executive Coaching work – Practicalities
When considering introducing a Coaching programme, it is important for an organisation to
be clear on its orientation to the following two important issues:
• whether participation in a Coaching programme is to be mandatory or optional. (It is
preferable for it to be optional).
• the extent to which discussions within Coaching sessions are to remain confidential and
private. Sometimes the organisation commissioning a Coaching programme is keen to
hear the opinions of the Coach on the developmental progress of an individual.
However, Coaching cannot work well unless the content of Coaching sessions is treated
as confidential between the Coach and the Coachee.
The structure of a coaching Programme can vary but an approach that seems to work well is
for a Programme to take place over a twelve month period (renewable) as follows:
•12 Coaching Sessions within a twelve month period
•One Session roughly once per month, diarised in advance.
•Sessions take around 2 hours.
In addition, the Coach endeavours to make himself/ herself available for ad-hoc sessions
and phone calls from the Coachee should these occasionally be requested.
Shorter Programmes can also be agreed, with a minimum of six sessions.
Before a Programme goes ahead, a Coach and “Coachee” would normally meet to discuss
the Coaching process and the expectations the two parties have of each other. This initial
meeting also functions as an informal “compatibility assessment” - and although it has not
yet ever actually happened, it is possible the Coachee may express a preference to work
with a different Coach following that initial meeting.
Provided that initial meeting goes well from the perspective of both parties, monthly
appointments would then be scheduled.
Experience suggests that it is better for Coaching Sessions to be held somewhere other
than the “Coachee’s” own office. It is also better if the Sessions take place away from the
actual building in which the “Coachee” is based, but it is recognised that this is not always
possible due to time constraints.
Sometimes a meeting over lunch in a restaurant may be a good option; however, Coaching
Sessions may include discussion of commercially sensitive or private matters, and this can
make some restaurant / coffee shop venues not suitable. In addition, it sometimes can be
helpful to use a flip chart or whiteboard during Coaching Sessions, which is not possible
within a restaurant / coffee shop venue.
It is sometimes feasible, after a few initial face to face Sessions, for subsequent Coaching
Sessions to take place over the telephone. Indeed with clients based abroad this can
become the most sensible option. Face to face is better of course, wherever possible.
Given all of the above, it is best if the decisions on a suitable venue for a Session get taken
as that Session approaches.
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