Download - A Coaching Dialogue: The Future of Executive Coaching and ......The Future of Executive Coaching and Leadership Val Williams, MCC and Joan Wright, MCC This article first appeared in

A Coaching Dialogue:The Future of Executive Coaching

and Leadership

Val Williams, MCC and Joan Wright, MCC

This article first appeared in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, 2005, 3(3), 37-49. It can only be reprinted and distributed with prior written permission from Professional Coaching

Publications, Inc. (PCPI). Email John Lazar at [email protected] for such permission.

ISSN 1553-3735

2005

© Copyright 2005 PCPI. All rights reserved worldwide.

Journal information:

www.ijco.info

Purchases:www.pcpionline.com

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A Coaching Dialogue

A Note from the Co-Executive Editors

The following article represents a special feature in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations. Inorder to further the indepth exploration of central issues in the field of organizational coaching, IJCO will occa-sionally be offering extended two or three person interviews among senior members of the organizational coachingprofession. Rather than featuring interviews with individual coaches (which IJCO often publishes), these Coach-ing Dialogue articles will feature interviews among two or more coaches, with the coaches themselves interview-ing one another.

In this issue of IJCO, in the previous issue (2005/Number 2) and in the remaining 2005 issue of this journal, weoffer dialogues among participants in two panels held at annual meetings of the International Coach Federation(ICF). Each of the interviews involves two or three senior coaches who have been working for many years in thefield and have been active participants in the Executive Coaching Summit meetings which have been held eachyear for the past six years in conjunction with the ICF annual meeting. Proceedings from the first of these two panelpresentations were published in the fourth issue of the 2004 IJCO. Proceedings from the second panel presentationwill be published in the fourth issue of the 2005 IJCO.

Following these two successful presentations, panel participants felt that it would be of value to continue the richconversations begun during the two panel presentations by scheduling (and recording) two and three personinterviews among the panelists.The first of these joint interviews, conducted by Mary Beth O’Neill and WilliamBergquist, was presented in Issue Two (2005). The second joint interview, conducted by Val Williams and JoanWright, is published in abridged form in this issue of IJCO. The third joint interview (to be published in the fourthissue of 2005 IJCO) was conducted by Bob Johnson, Jeannine Sandstrom and Linda Miller. We believe you willfind all three “Dialogues” to be sources of insight regarding the complex processes of organizational coaching.

William Bergquist John Lazar

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Future of Executive Coaching and Leadership

Val Williams, MCC and Joan Wright, MCC

This article is an abridged version of a joint interview executed in November of 2004 between senior executive coaches ValWilliams and Joan Wright. The interview resulted from a commitment these senior executive coaches made months priorwhile serving on a seven-member team that organized and led two highly successful panel. With Val Williams in New Yorkand Joan Wright in North Carolina, the coaches entered into a lively “virtual interview discussion” focused on the future.Specifically, they offered viewpoints and shared opinions on how the future will affect both executive coaches and executiveleadership in the areas of strategic direction, leadership capacity, and work-life balance. We enter their conversation at thebeginning.

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International Journal of Coaching in Organizations

Val: Our topic is the future of coaching. We have focusedon where our client needs and our executive coachingprofession intersect. Joan, I can’t help but quote a signthat I used to see every day in the lobby of a buildingwhere I worked. It was etched in granite on the walland it read, “The future belongs to those who preparefor it.”

Joan: What a powerful quote.

Val: It’s perfect for today. We will be talking about howto prepare for the future from two perspectives. Becausecoaching is a partnership, we are looking at the futurefrom both sides of that partnership. Joan, you will bereflecting on the future from the perspective of the seniorexecutive leader. Specifically, what will senior leadershave as challenges in the future? What will seniorleaders’ needs be in the future? I will be looking at thefuture from the perspective of the executive coach. Toserve senior leaders in the future, what is it thatexecutive coaches are going to have to do to be prepared?Perhaps the bigger question, who will executive coachesneed to be in the future? Joan, for the benefit of ourreaders, lets give a little summary concerning ourrespective backgrounds.

The Coaches’ BackgroundsJoan: Val Williams is a Master Certified Coach andpresident of her own company, Professional Coachingand Training. Additionally, she comes to our executivecoaching profession from real-world experience as anexecutive coach in the healthcare field, leading staffs aslarge as 700. You know Val, often what makes us credibleis not just our experience. Our style also determines ourcredibility. In my mind, your style stands out becauseof the clarity and practical approach you create withyour clients. You are all about helping leaders achievetheir business results, while also developing the leadersthat work for them. I believe that executives are drawnto your particular style, and so are coaches, myselfincluded. Lastly, I think people need to know that youare a successful author, having written Get the Best Outof Your People and Yourself,1 Virtual Leadership,2 ExecutiveThink Time,3and Executive Foundation.4 You should knowthat I have given several copies of one of these books tomy clients, because I think clients find it useful to havesimple models and tools for building outstandingleadership.

Val: Thank you, Joan. I think everyone would appreciateknowing that you are also a Master Certified Coach,and president of your own company, O’Sullivan-WrightConsulting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Joan, what Ilike about your focus is that you help companies getresults by doing one thing really well: attracting,developing, and keeping key leadership talent. I’m

certain every senior executive knows how difficult thatis today. You are also distinctive in our field because ofyour real-world experience. You have been a corporateexec with twenty-one years of leadership in HumanResources at various corporations. I am impressed bythe fact that you have also been head of an executiveleadership development program and I really appreciatethe fact that your approach is to remind organizationsthat if they want to keep top talent, they have to create aculture that supports retention. I like your view thatpeople don’t just leave companies. They leave poorleaders and cultures that don’t fit their values. This isan important viewpoint for senior executives.

Three Questions from Senior ExecutiveClients

Val: Now that we have shared a bit on our backgrounds,our next requirement should be explaining how weselected the future of executive coaching as a discussiontopic. Since the future is such a huge topic, I like whatwe did, Joan. We decided to get our arms around it byaddressing three prominent questions that we havereceived from senior executive clients. These are:

* In the future, how will I, as a senior leader, set strategic direction?”* How will I develop leadership capacity to meet the needs that the future presents?”* How will I create the work-life balance that I’m going to need in order to be agile and resilient in meeting the demands of changes in the future?”

The first question focuses on strategic direction. Thesecond one involves the development of leadershipcapacity, and the third question addresses creatingwork-life balance. Before we explore each of these areas,why don’t we start by sharing our overall viewpoint on“the future?” Since you are looking at these questionsfrom the perspective of the senior executive leader andI am looking at it from the perspective of the seniorexecutive coach, can you start us off by sharing yourobservations about what leaders will be facing in thefuture?

Future Challenges for Senior ExecutivesJoan: In my mind, the future for leaders will be tougherthan it has ever been. I think it is critical to understandseveral general themes and observations, as they relateto the future and how we, as coaches, must seek to bemore relevant. I believe leaders will need to step up in abigger, more dramatic way. Some leaders will need tofill the CEO role before they think they have to. We seethis theme play out in the business headlines today. Idon’t know whether you have had a chance to trackwith this, but more CEOs than ever before in our historyare leaving at their own wishes or being asked to leaveby their Boards. Second, I believe leaders are going toneed to lead and manage a much more diverse

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Ancient Wisdom and Coaching (2005/Issue Three)

workforce. The demographics are changing as we speak.Something that gets my clients’ attention is when I sharethe statistic that in the next three to five years, 40% ofthe workforce will be eligible to retire.5 The final themeconcerns the ability of a leader to engage both the heartsand minds of the people they lead. I was impressedwith the work Gallup did several years ago when itreported that less than 50% of our workers have theirhearts and minds engaged in their work.6 This is reallya compelling statistic, don’t you think?

Future Challenges for Executive CoachesVal: Yes, amazing. When I listen to what you described—the scene that the executive leader is going to be facingin the future— I ask, “What is my general viewpointabout executive coaches, and what are they going tohave to do in the future to be ready for such a complexworld?” Here is what I’ve decided. To serve futureleaders, we as executive coaches have to become strongerleaders in our own right. We are going to have to bebolder and lead in a much fuller way. I believe we willhave to work on strengthening our own personalleadership development. As coaches we use leadershipmodels with senior executives to help them becomestronger leaders. I think the same models we use astools for our clients to prepare for the future should beapplied to our own profession.

Here is an example. We all have leadership models. Mymodel and the way I coach senior executives is basedon a simple model that I developed called “The ThreeCs of Leadership.”7 Simply put, when I look at my mostsuccessful clients over the last several years, I’veobserved three things that successful leaders seem tohave in common. The Three Cs of Leadership are Clarity,Courage, and Connection. I believe as executive coachesthat we need to develop these three Cs. We need moreclarity about how we add value to organizations bylooking at outcomes. We need the courage to tell thefuller truth to our clients sooner and more assertively.We are also going to need more courage with each otheras fellow coaches as we insist on continually raisingthe standards of high quality in executive coaching.Finally, there is connection. As executive coaches, weneed more connection with each other so we can benefitfrom collaboration. A perfect example is this dialogue.In the future, we will need to work with each other todevelop better solutions with clients. We must developmore connection with the total organization, not justthe leader.

Question #1 – Strategic DirectionVal: Now that we have each shared our generalviewpoint on this topic, we can address our threequestions in detail. Our first question asked by seniorleaders was, “In the future, how will I set strategicdirection?” Will you start, Joan? What are some of your

thoughts on what leaders are going to have to thinkabout when it comes to the topic of strategic direction?

Joan: Executives are going to need to do a better job ofevaluating their leadership style. Much like they mightstrategically plan to evaluate a new market, a newproduct line or a new strategic alliance. They are goingto have to ask themselves, “How good am I at thisparticular style? Does it really match my uniqueabilities? How will this unique ability be predictive forthe future?” As we discuss the future for our executiveclients, it makes sense to think of our leadership styleand unique ability much like our own DNA. It too, canbe very predictive. For example, “people-driven” leaderswhom we might find in the consumer-productsindustries are focused on people and how they consume.“Idea” leaders, like the leaders in our technology sector,might have an interest in future innovation. Leaderswho are “operationally driven,” like those fromfinancial institutions, will base their future on theirability to leverage execution, enabling mergers to be trulyprofitable. In addition to understanding their style,future executives will also have to be able to capture theoutgoing wisdom as people retire. At the same time,they must make sure their culture is an inclusive onethat ensures they are attracting and retaining the best.

Years ago, someone gave me a great mental picture thatI still think about today. The picture was that the trueassets of a company literally come and go, up and downthe elevator every day. Lastly, there is a need for leadersto engage the hearts and minds of people they lead.Executives must see this as a process. Peter Block, amentor of mine, talks about it as a three-step process.8

The leader initially casts the vision and the values. Thenin a second step, he or she enrolls the vision and thevalues of his or her leadership team. Finally, in the thirdstep, the leader casts a net and pulls the collectivevisions and values together. Therefore, I believe in reallyengaging and linking the hearts and minds of the peoplein the organization.

Val: Well put, Joan. I especially like what you just saidabout those three steps. I think that gives leaders asimple, clear way to look at it, when we start to thinkabout this whole question of strategic direction. If thatis what leaders are going to be up against when it comesto setting strategic direction, what do coaches have tostart thinking about and how are we going to help? Ibelieve that we, as coaches, need to be stronger leadersin the future in our own right. Clarity would be one ofthe places I would start in becoming stronger. We needmuch more clarity about our own role with our clients.When I hear some of the things you are talking aboutJoan, I think our role in the future is going to have toexpand. I am proud to be an executive coach and proudof our industry as well. We have come to realize that we

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do more than just help executives achieve their goals. Abig part of coaching is about goal setting and goal-achievement and we do that well. However, I think wehave evolved as coaches to the point where we realizethat we are also “thought-partners.” I like that term:“thought-partners.” I heard it earlier this year. We arehelping executives think of things and go well beyondjust goal-attainment. We are also experts in executivedevelopment, and that is working very well. In the future,I think we are going to have to go beyond even that. Acolleague and I have been working on the distinctionbetween executive development and executive mastery.Here is what we are thinking. As coaches, we work a loton executive development, but development has theconnotation of progress, getting better. So, for example,on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being the best, if wehelp an executive improve from a six to an eight that isexecutive development. That’s good, that’s positive, andwe are going to continue to do that.

Joan: Feels like success.

Val: Yes, it does feel like success and I think it workswell today. However, in the future, I think we will haveto get executives into mastery. Mastery implies morethan development. Mastery is about being a 10. It is allabout having full command of a skill like settingstrategic direction. It might also be about people beingclear on their leadership style. In either case, executivemastery will require mastery around one’s ownleadership style. As executive coaches we are going tohave to be very clear that our role includes gettingexecutives to mastery. This again brings up the Claritypart of the “3 C’s”. We will also need the Courage tomake a request of an executive that they go all the wayto mastery, versus stopping at some lesser level ofprogress.

Joan: We can really be excited about progress in success.I like the fact that you are encouraging them tounderstand the term mastery.

Val: I have a perfect example of the courage that is neededto step up as an executive coach. I have a client who isthe president of a manufacturing company. His visionis doubling the company’s revenue over the next 10years. His company is currently a $10 millionorganization and he wants to grow to about $20 million.He has a very clear objective. Now, as his coach I needto deliver the clarity so he understands that my role isgoing to include helping him develop mastery in certainareas. When he does, he will reach his objective andrealize his vision. Because his vision requires a bigadvancement, my coaching will not be about him doingthings a little better. He is really going to have to stepup, because as we all know, running a $20 million

company is not the same as what you have to do tobuild a company up to $5 million or $10 million. I’vebeen struggling with this and trying to get up thecourage to ask him the key questions that will help himidentify what is missing in the organization. This willbe a discussion about strategic direction. For thisparticular client, it is going to require huge changes,not just in him, but also in the people around him.

Moreover, as you often say, Joan, sometimes you haveto look at the entire system, not just the individual. I amgoing to have to be a leader in my own right, in a muchfuller way, going forward. I won’t tell him what to do,but I must lead him to question some of the assumptionsthat have worked well for him in the past but may notwork for him in the future. He has a big goal in a complexworld. As executive coaches in the future, we need tolook at Clarity about our role. This not only includesdeveloping, it also includes going beyond executivedevelopment to executive mastery. We will need thecourage to request big actions from clients.

Joan: We also need to conduct conversations like thesein the context of mastery with your executive client.

Val: Absolutely, Joan. When we were talking aboutstrategic direction in general, you make an importantpoint. When we talk about strategic direction, we alsohave to look at meaning, higher purpose, and values.

Joan: I firmly believe in the concept of engaging the heartsand minds. Last week I was talking to a client whoreally illustrated for me what larger purpose means. Hewas talking about being grateful for the financial resultsthat he and his executive team were achieving in theirorganization. During his commentary, I saw this smileemerge on his face and I said, “What else is there foryou?” He replied, “You know, I really feel like we areimproving the quality of life for the people who workfor us.” That is such a strong purpose and one of theprimary reasons he set out to establish this companyeighteen years ago. It was meaningful for me just to seehis facial expressions because I knew that he had gottenthere. I know that the partners who support them ingetting their products and services out and thecommunity in which they do business can all beconnected to that purpose for this leader. He is reallymaking it happen in a purposeful way.

Val: You are really onto something, Joan, when youdescribe his face lighting up. That translates to a higherpurpose for him. I’m glad you mentioned this, becauseit is an essential part of strategic direction. When I thinkof what you just said, I ask, “What’s that going to callforth from us as executive coaches?” When you enrollpeople in a vision that follows the strategic direction, Ithink executive leaders will be in touch with their own

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values and higher purpose. That is how they are goingto enroll people in the strategic direction. I can relatethis to a client I just started with. We are not heavilyinto coaching yet, but this client is the head of adepartment in the pharmaceutical industry. Theinteresting thing is that he does have a strategic directionfor the organization; however, to your point, he has notcaptured the hearts and minds of his people. He doesnot have enrollment, because he does not have enoughconnection with people to make it happen. As a coach,and when I think of what coaches must do in the future,this is a perfect example of the courage conversation. Ihave just started working with this client, but one of thequestions I had to ask is, “Why do you want to be aleader?”

Joan: What a powerful question, Val.

Val: Yes. I was nervous about asking this questionbecause I could be fired even before I am officially hired.You know one of our colleagues has stated, “You can’tworry about getting fired if you’re really going to go forexcellent outcomes for the company.” My client wasable to answer my tough question, but then I had toproceed with the question, “Why should people workfor you?” That question he could not answer. This iswhen I felt like I was really coaching because now wehave a context in which to work. We need to find ananswer to that question of why would people want towork for this leader. Here is where I think courage isrequired of us as coaches. Believe me, I am still workingon my courage to ask such questions. It is still aboutrealizing that if we are going to create an outcome forthe company, not just for that leader, we want thecompany to have a clear vision, clear strategy andalignment of people around that strategy. That is how,as you say, we will keep talent, and hold onto the heartsand minds of people.

Joan: Val, I also think that when you and I go out andshadow with clients (by spending time with them inaction) we can see the different ways they are enrollingtheir people. You know they should be asking questionslike, “What do you want to do next?” and “How do youwant to use your unique abilities?” rather than giving adirect order like “Mary or John, the organization needsyou to do this.” I think that leaders of the future mustalso be willing to ask, “What’s next and how do youwant to use your abilities in your own personalleadership?” As you’re asking powerful questions like,”Why would I want to work for you?” I think it isimportant to inquire about the questions that our clientsare asking of the people who work for them.

Val: That is a great build. We must model it, but theyhave to cascade it down. That brings me to another piecewhich I have been thinking about, Joan. When you talk

about the future being so complex and demanding, Ithink in addition to asking these tough questions wehave to demonstrate to senior executive leaders that weare strong enough to be with them. They need to see usas peers. This is very important because in the futurewhatever answers executives give regarding theirstrategic direction, they can not be the same oldresponses. It will definitely be something brand new. Iexpect to be an executive coach who is going to beleading her clients into the unknown. I believe ifexecutives do not feel that we as coaches are strongenough, there are many places they will not go with us.That is why we must have not only courage, but alsoclarity. In addition, it will require connection. We mustbe able to connect with senior leaders so they will trustus enough to go deep into the unknown. Only then willthey be able to come up with creative new answers forstrategic direction.

Question #2 – Leadership CapacityVal: Let’s move on to our second question. We hear seniorexecutive leaders ask us about leadership capacity. Thequestion is, “So how am I, as a senior leader, going todevelop the leadership capacity to meet the needs thatthe future presents?” What do you think will be thefuture challenges and the needs of the senior executive?

Joan: You know this one is a favorite of mine, Val. I believeexecutives will need to blend the leadershipdevelopment we have been talking about so far with theactual function of leadership. There is no doubt thatexecutives today see the importance of their owndevelopment. I am not concerned about that at all. Theyalso see the importance of developing people aroundthem. The problem is that they are quick to put suchdevelopment on hold when short-term results are atrisk or the inevitable unexpected kicks in. So I ask myselfthe question, “How can executives increase their abilityto see this conflict in priorities as an opportunity to becoaches themselves?” They constantly need to beworking through such challenges and see them as alearning mindset for themselves and for the people theylead. Ideally, we should be coaching through the crisis,helping the executive see herself or himself as a coachwith us as a partner. Throughout that process, weshould be asking, “What did you learn? What did youdo? How have you mentored and modeled what you’retrying to create in a mastery type way?”

Val: This is a great observation, Joan. I’m sure manyexecutive coaches have experienced exactly what you’retalking about. When a crisis surfaces, you get the phonecall stating, “I can’t make the appointment today.”Effective responses to this situation will be required inthe future for executive coaches. I will go back to mymodel of Clarity, Courage, and Connection. We mustknow that having crises is part of coaching. When they

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occur we can’t stop, we must continue. The coach willhave to have the courage to make the firm request thatcoaching continues to occur.

Joan: By having it as a part of the contracting discussion,we can expect that to happen.

Val: You know, I had not thought about that until yousaid it, Joan, but yes, why not talk about it right upfront? We know it is going to happen. My otherobservation for executive coaches is that in addition tous making the request that coaching be engaged all thetime, I think executive coaches in the future will requestthat we expand the coaching assignment. We are goingto have to play much bigger roles and have the courageto ask the organization to create an entire coachingculture. If you are really going to retain and developtalent, it has to be more than coaching. It has to be awhole coaching culture. You know, sometimes theleaders of an organization will see that. They will cometo the table with this broader perspective. However, inthe future we as executive coaches need to make thisrequest for a coaching culture. Looking at the differentcrises a leader has may also reveal that there issomething larger in the system that needs attention.

Joan: Exactly. Val, for a minute I would like to go back toyour three Cs. In a coaching process, when our clientsare clear about what it is they are developing or tryingto master, it is at this specific point that a crisis usuallykicks in. After the crisis, there must be clarity so ourclient knows (and we as coaches know) where to refocusour attention. When execs get off track, we need to seesome patterns in the organization. You used the wordculture, but what are some of the master issues that thewhole organization is trying to achieve? In knowingthem, we will have the clarity to partner, walk throughthe crisis, and help them get back on track.

Val: That’s a good point.

Joan: You know if we are connected, they are going toget it. They are going to say, “Well of course, join withus. We are not going to cancel this meeting. In fact, weare going to invite you to join us and help troubleshoothow we are going to get back on our master track.”

Val: Exactly. Once again, this is where coaches need tobe leaders in their own right. You know, I thinksometimes we get concerned as executive coaches aboutbeing perceived as self-serving. We don’t want to askfor more business because it seems like we are being tooaggressive or selfish. In the future we are going to haveto step up. I have a good example— a client who is theSenior VP of a business unit. She pretty much functionsas the CEO of that unit and she has a great vision. Hervision includes wanting to hold onto talent. She wants

to raise the performance of her total team. She startedwith some coach-training classes. Then she added sometraining to train the managers on coaching. Now I wishI could say this was an example where I stepped upand said, “No, no, you need a much bigger training.”However, the client saw she needed more. Therefore,this Senior V.P. expanded the whole thing so it wasn’tjust training for the managers. She was also personallycoached. Lucky for me I was able to coach her. She alsoexpanded coaching to her team.

This is a good example of someone who has made animpact on the entire culture to build leadership capacity.She did want a partner—with me as coach. You aretalking about this kind of partnership. It has been agreat outcome for the company so far. They are notfinished yet, but her performance evaluation was thehighest that it has ever been. She did attribute that tomy coaching but it is not about that. It’s about theoutcome for the company. She attributed that to the factthat the senior team members are coaching themselves.

Joan: They are seeing themselves as leaders, as coachesalong the way.

Val: Right. So that’s where I think we as executivecoaches can be excellent catalysts to get that going. Inthe future, I think we’ve also got to see that we have abigger role than we probably had in the past. If the jobgets big then we need to bring in collaborators so thereis a “Connection” piece with executive coaches. Maybewith this client, as things expand, I will need to bring intwo, three, or four more other coaches to help.

Joan: There are things that happen for the client and theclient organization simultaneously.

Val: Yes, exactly. I think in the future we will be movingto more total solutions. In Information Technology (IT)they call it end-to-end solutions. We are going to havesolutions for the individual leader and solutions forthe company. I agree with you that the senior leaderwill struggle a little with this concept. So in the future Iwill respond by stating that executive coaches simplyhave to play much bigger role because we’re responsible.

Joan: Val, I have another observation. Executives mustsee that it is their role, their personal responsibility, tocreate. This is a major theme for me: target successorsand high potential talent. Right now, I am seeing almosttwo extremes. Both leaders and organizations are fartoo formal with a succession-planning process in placeor the process is non-existent. I really believe thatexecutives in the future will need to fold in successionplanning and talent-management as an ongoing process- something that is much more fluid. They are going tohave to learn how to have both conversations. I call

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these the “performance conversation” and the“development conversation.” They need to be able todistinguish between the two, so that when they aresitting down with their people they have the ability toframe it. They will need to talk openly aboutdevelopment and share when they see people who areable to move in this direction. They will also have to askthemselves how this all fits with their own personalaspirations and how it lines up with the needs of theirorganization. Executives in the future will need to beable to separate the performance feedback. As we know,the higher up in the organization, the less feedback orless truth you get.

Val: Right, the less truth.

Joan: I really want to see clients in the future be able tohave these two kinds of conversations and move forwardin a seamless way around the issue of successionplanning. They need a process that blends formal andinformal, but ultimately creates targeted successors andtruly moves potential talent into key positions.

Val: That is right on target, Joan. I wonder how I amgoing to have those types of conversations in thefuture— where we as executive coaches can really behelpful to senior leaders. It will require “Clarity” andclarity is an important aspect of our role. We are talkingabout expanding our role but it requires expansion thatincludes educating senior leaders much more oncoaching skills. We cannot become consultants or justtrainers on coaching skills. We must actually help theleader by modeling. The way we model is to coach theleader and then have the leader coach the people. Weshould help the leader become familiar with these everyday skills so they are used daily in a fluid way - not justwhen we have a performance evaluation.

An example of what I am talking about occurred theother day. I had dinner with a client who talked abouthis biggest challenge. His particular organization is notgoing to grow in the future as much as it has grown inthe past, even though the organization is verysuccessful. He worries about the lack of upward growthin the organization. He knows not every director isgoing to become a vice president and that not every vicepresident will get to the C level. He worries aboutstagnation and losing talent because his organizationcontains highly trained and educated people. If he isgoing to keep people challenged, he has to have thekind of conversations you just spoke about. As anexecutive coach, I am going to have to deliver moreClarity to help senior leaders. In addition, I will need todeliver more Connection with not only the leader butalso the entire organization so that coaching becomesjust a fluid part of doing business, just as you said.

Joan: I had an interesting situation occur about a monthago. I was in a meeting with my client and his boss. Wewere going over the action plan that this executive wascommitting to and validating with the boss. Quitesurprising to me, this boss took the opportunity toacknowledge this leader in the organization. He said,“Do you know that not only are you a high potential,but we truly value you in this company? And you areon the formal high-potential list.” As you know, thisinformation can sometimes remain a mystery. Peoplewonder if they are on the list or off it. It was great to seethe boss use that opportunity to acknowledge my clientin the moment. He additionally said, “You are reallyvalued here and you really need to know that we’regoing to be talking about you in the next couple weeks,and what do you want to do next?” He really seized themoment and took the time to acknowledge this leaderin front of me.

Val: That is so great, Joan. That executiveacknowledgement sounds a lot like coaching, doesn’tit?

Joan: Yes, it really does. As you were talking to yourclient at dinner the other night, you were able to giveyour client ideas about how he can acknowledge thepeople who work for him. This is vitally importantbecause the shape of our organization charts are muchflatter these days and career-mobility is not what it usedto be. Down at the core level there is a need for feedbackregarding how employees are making a difference inthe company.

Val: Exactly. When I look at what that means forexecutive coaches in the future it points again toCourage. As coaches, we must have the courage torequest that leaders hang in and continue coaching untilthe point when they have a sustainable outcome likethe one you described. The ability to have the executiveturn around and coach others is a sustainable outcome.That is going to benefit the team and the entireorganization for a long time. I think that is where weneed to go as coaches. It is not just that the executiveachieved his or her goals. We must be leaders in ourown right and have the courage to request thatexecutives stay in the coaching process until we cansay that what they have is sustainable. It is like youwere saying, Joan—you can see it demonstrated in theway executives interact with their people.

Joan: That is getting at the mastery you talk about, Val.

Val: Yes, that is mastery.

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Question #3 – Work-Life BalanceVal: On to our third and final question, Joan. “In thefuture, how will executive leaders and executivecoaches create work-life balance so that they can be agileand resilient in meeting demands for future changes?”What do you think will be some of the needs andchallenges of senior executives around this question ofwork-life balance?

Joan: One of my favorites in the field, Tony Schwartz,talks about how the demand in organizational life hasoutstripped capacity.9 I think that says it all. The demandin organizational life has outstripped capacity. Thatreally hits home with work-life balance. I really believethis creates a lot of fear, extreme fatigue, frustration,and conflict. Our leaders may never feel they canunplug. This new personal technology tool, theBlackberry, is quite a phenomenon. I was on an airplanegoing to an executive retreat in Las Vegas. When theplane came down the Blackberries came out. I couldfeel the stress level rising. One of the mental picturesthat Tony describes is quite vivid: in the future,executives will need to lead like corporate athletes andrun throughout their lives. Instead of marathons, dayafter day, they will need to live their lives in short sprints.As a frustrated athlete myself, playing golf and running,I understand this. Taking short sprints is somethingthat works well for my clients. I’ve brought Tony in towork with some of my clients before and they grasp thepowerful difference between sprints and marathons.

Val: That is such a great concept.

Joan: This can be a hard sell, when you ask clients tolook at where they stand on work-life balance. Theytypically respond that they don’t have time to spare.One of the responses I’ll often come back with concernsMonday morning. How well are you going to be able toproblem-solve or deal with the unexpected if you don’tgive yourself, as Tony would put it, some renewal, somerecovery time?

Val: Great question, Joan. Especially since you relate itto something employers care about: performance onMonday morning. You make it practical. I love thisanalogy of comparing work-life balance to sports. I havealso noted that executives say they don’t have time. Thatis probably one of the greatest concerns I hear from myclients.

Joan: And what do you say to that?

Val: Well, I firmly believe that executive coaches mustcontinually deal with this statement in the future. Thisis really about exercising Courage. I think if executivesare going to get to work-life balance, coaches are going

to have to remind executives and tell them the facts justas they are. I have a colleague, Jan Austin, who says,“There’s no such thing as time management, there’sonly self-management.” I think that says it all. Ascoaches, we are going to have to help leaders understandhow they are going to perform in the future. Things aregoing to be going even faster, be even more complexand be even more demanding.

As you have stated, Joan, it is not going to be aboutmarathons, it is going to be about short sprints and thatbalance is actually non-negotiable. I think we as coacheshave to have the strength to say balance is non-negotiable. If you are not balanced, you are not going tobe in the game. It has to be that strong of a message. I canthink of several clients right now where the pushback Iget as an executive coach requires me to stand firm. Theexecutive will say, “You don’t understand, I don’t havetime” or “You really don’t understand, I am underenormous pressure with this operation.” Now this iswhy, as executive coaches, it is important to have strongbusiness experience. You and I can respond to a client,when they say, “You don’t understand.” We canrespond by stating that we do understand because wewere executives. We know the kind of pressure they areexperiencing. We simply have to know that to whichwe can and cannot say “no.”

Executives think they cannot push back on certainthings. In fact, they could push back on many things.The thing I like to ask, to go to the heart of it, is why areyou really overdoing it? What is going on? Are you tryingto prove something? As the coach, I think we have tohave Courage and enough Connection with theexecutive so we can ask tough questions and then bequiet while they look for the answer. You have to tell itlike it is. I think that is what will help us with work-lifebalance.

Joan: You make a strong point about coaches needingthe Courage to be able to ask tough questions and then,as you say, be willing to remain quiet afterward.

Val: We must have Clarity about simple tools that wecan give leaders to help them with balance. That is mypassion. Giving leaders simple, short notes that theycan remember and execute is also a best practice. Wehave talked about this, Joan, on several occasions. Manyof our leaders are asking us for best practices. I think inthe case of work-life balance, executive coaches cancollect best practices from our clients. I see this as partof our job in maintaining the need to be connected.

I heard one best practice the other day. It is interestingbecause the client is a cyclist. He was talking abouthow he gets balance himself. This is a little thing, butit’s a great best practice. He said when he rides a bikefor ten or fifteen miles, invariably, just like runners, hehits some kind of a wall. Nevertheless, he has trained

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himself to respond when he hits the wall by deciding inadvance that he will not respond to it. Joan, when Iheard that it struck me as a very useful perspective toshare with my other clients at a time when they are at ameeting or facing an uncomfortable conflict. Just usethat paradigm and say I’m in a big meeting, people aretrying to sell their respective viewpoints. Remember thecyclist who said that even though he was going to get alot of stimuli, he would decide in advance not to respondto it. I don’t have to overreact in a stressful situation.That is just one tool that I learned from a client which Ican put to good use as an executive coach. I do thinkthat assisting in achieving balance is part of our role.We have to have Clarity in executing this part of ourrole so we can effectively share best practices with others.

Joan: You know, Val, I didn’t realize it, but that is a toolI want to take away for myself. I can relate to this conceptwhen I look at my daily “to do” list or when I getdistracted knowing I’ve got to clear my mind so I can befocused. I’m going to remember the idea of hitting thewall but finding a way to avoid reacting to the stimulithat show up.

Val: His approach is brilliant. You simply work ateliminating or overreacting to the stimuli. I want toremind everyone that this lesson came from a client.

Joan: You know there is another issue I want to mentionhere. I believe executives, as we look at the future, willneed to be a lot more self-aware of the risks of isolation.You just mentioned a best-practices strategy. I think ofour Executive Coaching Summit group [a collaborativegroup of senior executive coaches from around theworld that comes together once a year to share bestpractices among themselves]. We did a survey of ourclients a couple months before our Summit in QuebecCity. The number one client request of us as executivecoaches was for us to bring them best-practice strategies.I think this is coming from our clients because they areisolated.

Val: That is a great observation.

Joan: A core need for them is to be part of a community.Just this morning I was talking to a managing directorof a law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. He and Iwere interviewing each other for potential work andthe concept of isolation came up. He said, “You know, Idon’t have anybody to talk to and I can’t really talk tothe other partners here, the other attorneys.” I think heknows, inside, that this whole thing is affecting thebalance he needs to have. I learned from another mentorand colleague of mine, Julie Johnson in New York City,to set up peer networks with clients working on similardevelopment needs and put them in touch. I say, “Youpeople have a lot in common and could share some ofyour best practice strategies, especially around this

work-life balance.” Recently I was introduced to awoman with a client organization who was new to thecommunity. I got her plugged into an executive women’sgroup. She was able to be part of a group of verysuccessful women who were talking about what it islike and how they as women can manage this work-lifepace and really support each other.

Val: It’s so great that you were able to do that!

Joan: I think she was quite surprised when I offered thenetworking opportunity as part of what I do as her coach.I told her I would share my network and introduce herto a group. I told her I thought the group would bevaluable for her.

Val: Joan, that is an example of you, as an executivecoach, being a leader in your own right. That is whatleaders do. They connect with and network with eachother. Here you are demonstrating exactly what we allneed to do in the future. It is to have Clarity around ourrole and expand parts of our role, where appropriate,so we are leaders as well as their peers. Many seniorexecutives have no natural peers in their organization,so they must seek outside contacts.

Joan: Right. They don’t.

Val: You helped her establish an external link. That isadding tremendous value.

Joan: We are so much more in balance when we are partof a community of people who are in similar situationsand we are feeling that connection. Ideas that we canaccess save us time and frustration. Peers really help usthink through difficult situations. We are not the onlysource of contact for the client, so helping establish apeer network is part of a larger piece. It reminds me ofone of my client organizations with the credo that ittakes a village to develop leaders.

Val: I like the strategy you just identified because it helpsus expand and look at other ways to add value. We arenot becoming consultants. We are still being coaches ineverything we do, even if we bring best practices to theclient, since we remain focused on what the client isgoing to do with the best practice information we havedelivered. Furthermore, we can urge the client to developher or his own best practices. This is what coaching isall about.

Joan: Yes, absolutely.

Val: It sounds like we are agreeing here that balance is adecision a leader must make. In addition, as a coach,we have to request that the leader make the decision.Balance is non-negotiable.

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Summary and DebriefingVal: Well Joan we are already coming to the end of ourconversation. In summary, we have talked about thefuture in terms of three different questions. First, “Howdo leaders set strategic direction?” Second, “How doleaders develop leadership capacity?” We justaddressed the third question, “How do leaders developbalance?” In typical coaching style, at the end ofcoaching sessions we normally debrief with clients.Why don’t we debrief with each other and ask what wegot from this dialogue as two senior executive coachessharing our views? What did we find valuable?

Joan: Val, your three C’s, Clarity, Courage, andConnection, are useful for both sides of the equation.As coaches, we need to be Clear about where we aretaking our clients, since it often is an unknown place.We must provide the strategic direction for our clientsto be clear about where they want to go. Then we haveto have Courage so that we both can speak up together.We discussed ways in which we can help our clients bemore courageous and ways in which we can be morecourageous in service to our clients. In terms ofConnection, we came up with some neat strategies. Wehave talked about how we can help our leaders findmore Connection and how we as coaches can do thesame thing. We have referenced several ways in whichour panel group has connected as a team. We findourselves working together and making a difference inour field as well as a difference in our client’s world.That is my take away. I am taking your three Cs, “Clarity,Courage, and Connection.”

Val: Thank you, Joan. I’m walking away with feeling asif I’ve been coached. Your comments have helped deepenthe development of some of my own viewpoints. Youhave done for me what I am sure you do for your clientsand that is helping me think about things more fully.One of the biggest things I learned from you today isabout relevancy. Before I entered into this conversation,I had some ideas about what executive coaches need todo in the future. However, you reminded me that ourwork needs to be relevant to each individual client. Weshould know what is going on with our clients. I don’tbelieve before this conversation I connected so clearlyto the points you made. You did a great job of explainingwhat senior executives are going to need in the future.You pushed me to think, “Okay, so how do I meet theseneeds as a coach? What does the coaching need to bearound?” Relevancy is the big theme that I got out ofthis. In addition, it’s great to be bold. But if I am going tobe bold, it has to be of value to the people being served.So thank you for that.

Joan: Val, I think this is a good point to conclude.

Val: It’s been great, Joan.

Joan: Good Bye.

Val: Bye.__________________________________

Val Williams, MCC

Phone: 732. 632.9647E-mail: [email protected]

Val Williams is owner of Professional Coaching andTraining, Inc. Her company has specialized for the last10 years in Executive Coaching for senior corporateexecutives and their teams. Val works with seniorleaders on vision development, team development,strategic planning and people development strategies.Val is an experienced healthcare executive, havingworked 13 years at Prudential, including positions asExecutive Director of Prucare, the HMO of New Jersey,and Director of Customer Services Operations for theNortheast. Val has managed staffs of over 700 peoplein multiple locations. A frequent speaker at corporatemanagement retreats and industry conferences, Val iscredentialed by the International Coach Federation asa Master Certified Coach. Val has authored severalexecutive coaching books and audiotapes including Getthe Best Out of Your People and Yourself, Virtual Leadership,Executive Think Time, and Executive Foundation.

Joan O. Wright, MCC, MSW

Phone: 704.442.7363E-mail: [email protected]

Joan is President of O’Sullivan Wright Consulting, Inc.,a firm specializing in Executive Coaching, LeadershipDevelopment, and Talent Management Strategies. Herbusiness helps companies achieve targeted businessresults by attracting, developing, and retaining keyleadership talent. Prior to starting her own coachingand consulting business, Joan acquired 21 years ofcorporate experience in Human ResourcesManagement roles with Philip Morris, Citicorp, GECapital, and most recently at First Union National Bankwhere she was head of executive leadershipdevelopment. She has a passion and talent for buildingthe capacity of leaders and companies withtransformational change. Joan is an active speaker atmajor global leadership development and executivecoaching conferences such as Linkage and theInternational Coach Federation. Joan holds a B.A.Honors Degree from Rollins College and a MSW-

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Masters Degree in clinical social work from BostonCollege. Additionally, she holds the distinction ofMaster Certified Coach (MCC), issued by theInternational Coach Federation.

If you would like information concerning this or any ofthe CDs offered through the ICF, simply go to

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Endnotes

1

NJ: Shadowbrook, 2002.2

3 Val Williams and Ellen Fredericks. Executive Think Time. Edison,

4

NJ: Shadowbrook, 2004.5

p 7.6

7 Val Williams, www.valwilliams.com8

9 Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.The Power of Full Engagement.

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