Earlier this week, I was conducting a leadership coaching session with the managing director of a company. Professional courtesy does not permit to dive into the details of the session.
However to give you some context; he heads a company within a large and established group of businesses, and leads over one hundred employees.
I have been coaching him for some months, and find that he is energetic, insightful, driven, and by all accounts, quite successful at what he does.
In my session we talked about a range of issues and developments at his workplace. But as we chatted, it occurred to me that there was something else he wanted to broach.
After some prompting, he told me that he’d been head-hunted by a rival company, and was offered a substantially better compensation package, and a wider, more challenging role.
He wanted my opinion.
I expressly made it clear to him that I would not give him any direct advice on what he should do. This was certainly not in the remit of my engagement with him.
Instead, I drove the discussion to focus on how he felt about work, in general.
I asked him to describe what motivated him at work, and to examine the pressure points he had in his current job. I then asked him to chart a trajectory of personal growth over the next five years of being a top executive in his chosen industry.
The conversation then veered to figuring out how much excitement and challenge he needed to sustain his enthusiasm, and I invited him to forecast issues that come with changing jobs.
After a robust two hour discussion, he looked at me, and said he’d decided to take up the new job. I shook his hand, and congratulated him for his decision. He thanked me for my input.
But, did I actually help him make a decision to leave his current job?
I can say without doubt that his decision to accept the new offer had nothing to do with me. It was a choice he made purely on his own. You might argue that I influenced him. This is not the case.
So, what did I actually do for him, as his leadership coach?
My role as a leadership coach is to focus on concrete issues, such as helping my coachee to manage people more effectively, or to speak more articulately, or to think more strategically.
I usually get involved with a coachee for a short period of time, perhaps for three to four sessions. And, my engagement lasts for as long as it is needed. It also depends on the purpose of the coaching relationship.
My singular purpose at these sessions is to work with the coachee to improve their performance on the job. Often, we consider how they can enhance their current skills, or what they would need to do, to acquire new skills.
Once a coachee successfully obtains these skills, I am no longer needed.
The coaching sessions are individually designed. I coach on almost on any given topic. Sometimes, I am asked by companies to coach a group of employees. For this, I might design the sessions by considering areas of competency, and perhaps fix some assessment tools. But by and large, leadership coaching sessions are custom-made for you.
The only critical partner I need is my coachee's immediate line leader. They will provide me feedback on areas where their down liner is in need of coaching. Even then, I only use this information as a guide in my sessions.
Now that I have described what I actually do for someone as a coach, you can see that I did not help my coachee make a decision to leave his job.
In fact, my feedback was only grounded on getting him to reflect on his needs, his motivation, and his aspirations, and ultimately to think about what he really wants.
The reality is that even a top executive, like the managing director of a company, needs an accountability partner, and someone who can spur in them deeper analysis.
As coach, I offer an outsiders perspective. I have no vested interest in your day to day operations, and I cannot influence your remuneration package or bonus payments.
Any and all feedback a coach offers is purely based on their experiences. It is entirely up to you, to glean insights from the conversations you have with your coach.
Many shy away from engaging leadership or performance coaches because of the myth that coaching is only for employees, as a last grasp effort, before they are shown the door. Or, that it is about filling a leadership gap that you have but you do not want to admit.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Coaching is for winners who want to step up to the next level of personal and career growth. Coaching is also about redefining your future, by helping you recalibrate your attitude, to support your work ambitions.
So, get a coach, or better still, get in touch with me if you want results in your work life.
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”
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