Coming Up Short: Patterns of Practice That Inhibit Leader Transformation

Over the years we have experienced three consistent patterns in leadership executive coaching (without context) where results fall short of aspirations. 

Our intent isn’t to debunk or bash coaching here, but rather to help ensure a more successful outcome of the investments you make into your own or others’ development by providing you with a robust set of criteria and watch-outs to consider when procuring coaching resources. 

In this series we will explore the common patterns that result in suboptimal outcomes from leader-coach relationships and share our Executive Development Intensive approach for sustained leader transformation.

  • Leadership Coaching out of context – working to build generic leadership capability that does not adequately focus on the relevant factors of effective leadership given the organization’s strategy, objectives, capabilities, and challenges
  • Weak moorings – coaching that is untethered to appropriate internal support mechanisms that can provide critical, on-going support and reinforcement
  • Organizational hypoxia – coaching that ignores the life’s blood, or oxygen supply, of an organization –  it’s working relationships – and focuses solely on the individual

We will take each of these patterns in turn and then provide a look at our holistic approach that addresses all three patterns and results in sustained leadership transformation.

Power of Leadership Coaching in Context

No organization is an island and you need leaders to train in context

Pattern 1: Leadership Coaching Out of Context

Leadership is largely about achieving outcomes with and through others, so executive coaching approaches meant to achieve leadership transformation have to work within the broader organizational context. 

All organizations are complex constellations of histories, strategies, people, tasks, structures, processes, and cultures. 

Leader effectiveness in any organization stems from three primary domains – within the leader (individual strengths, challenges, beliefs, practices), between themselves and other leaders (the quality of interactions with peers, subordinates, bosses, customers, etc.), and among the organization (the dynamics that shape leaders’ broader impact on the business). 

Ironically, the last category often gets the least amount of attention in executive coaching, but has the greatest potential impact for leader transformation.

 

3 Ways You Can Tell if Training Is in Context

There are three quick ways you can tell whether executive development work is connected to the broader business context. 

First, is the context of the leader’s role understood? Is it clear what is required of them based on the organization’s strategy, objectives, and the contribution they must make given the position they hold? 

Second, is the upfront diagnostic work structured to provide substantive insights at all three levels of leadership – within, between, among? The more individual-centric the instruments and data gathering are, the less likely true leadership transformation will be achieved and supported. 

Third, if the executive coaching work is too narrowly focused within and down the direct line of reporting to the individual leader, then the critically important relationships up to the boss and out to other peers and stakeholders are unlikely to get needed focus. 

Typically, the higher up a leader is in the organization, the more critical the lateral and superior relationships become in terms of influencing an executive’s performance and ultimate career trajectory.

Leadership coaching for leadership’s sake is rarely successful. Focused development that ensures a leader’s effectiveness increases given the context within which they lead. It is the first step to creating sustained leadership transformation.

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About

Mindy Millward

With over 25 years of experience as a veteran business advisor, Mindy has worked with a range of leaders including CEOs of Fortune 500s. Her goal is to help them and their firms navigate significant transitions in shifting strategy, redesign organizations, and deliver increased performance.

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