Criteria to evaluate an executive coach.

Evaluation quickly becomes an issue when clients seek out or engage an executive coach. For many executives, how to carry out that evaluation is not a question they will have considered before. In most organisations, business executives will defer to the HR or Talent Management team to take the lead and introduce a competent coach. But what criteria might they be considering? And what relevance have they got for the executive client.

Last week I engaged in a discussion with some colleague coaches from the UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School where this topic surfaced in the context of what large organisations examine during coach selection. The outputs are useful when I consider how professionally qualified executive coaches can differentiate our service in the corporate market.

We discussed some key selection criteria that corporates might apply, and I have captured these, but it struck me that there might be more to consider when you take on the perspective of the executive coachee.

Professional Practice:

• What is the coach’s approach to contracting, third party involvement, practice evaluation and disengagement?
• How does the coach describe their coaching approach and how do they apply it? Do they use alternative styles and how knowledgeable are they about their practice?
• Is the coach psychologically minded?
• How does the coach deal with the issue of confidentiality?
• Do the coach’s values include honesty and integrity and do they embrace diversity and equality?

Credibility

• How does the coach present in terms of confidence, presence, impact and personal style?
• Has the coach a business focus and is he/she results oriented.
• Does the coach appear both self aware and mindful of others’ emotional needs.
• Has the coach an understanding of how large complex organisations work and has he/she a good appreciation of executive agendas at this level.

Competence

• How much coaching experience does the coach have at executive level and what type of coaching has been practiced in the past?
• How effective is the coach at questioning, listening, challenging and giving feedback?
• What is the coach’s approach to assessment and profiling? Is profiling part of the service or will the coach work with assessments already completed by the client?

Qualifications

• What coaching qualification does the coach hold? Is it from a reputable educational institution, perhaps post graduate level and is the course recognised by one of the professional bodies.
• Is the coach a current member of a professional coaching body?
• The coaching profession has developed high standards of practice for professional coaches. Does the coach engage in professional supervision and CPD?  

All of these criteria are indeed relevant to coach selection but there is one last imperative for an effective coaching relationship. From the perspective of the executive, this one often comes down to personality and getting the right fit. While coach and coachee don’t have to hit it off as the best of friends, there must be a mutual respect between them. The coach should approach the coaching assignment with an unconditional positive regard for the client and the client must have respect for the professional role played by the coach. It will be hard for the HR team to assess this final point, so this final call is one for the executive client.

Who are you now?

“Who are you now?”
David Rude, MA, CPC
May 16, 2011

I struggle with faith; often more than I’d like to admit. Why can’t I trust that between my efforts, the laws of Nature and God watching over me all will work out for the best? I sometimes find myself struggling just to get motivated to go about my daily activities. Fortunately, I am usually able to catch myself before I slip too deeply into this place of doubt, impatience and frustration.

It confuses me that I can still lose faith in things. I mean after all these years, why don’t I trust that things will always work out. They always do. Sometimes I feel like I am so far off course, that I have drifted miles from my original goal. It’s hard for me to accept that an experience is good and helpful when I am late for an appointment or when I have to redo some project. But then I realize that no matter how many times my plans are interrupted or changed I somehow am still on the right course for me.

When I am able to remain open-minded and flexible I find that I can overcome most any obstacle that comes up. It’s been suggested that experience is what we get when we don’t get what we want. So, if I don’t get what I want I instead get something more valuable, I get experience. Experience, for me, is opportunity. It allows me to recognize what could be if I tried again with a different approach or a different attitude. Experience encourages growth, too.

Once we are able to trust ourselves and the world around us and practice faith we can find our way back to our goals and hopes.

We do, though, have to make a decision, to move forward. I know it’s not easy to do this because we’ll have leave the comfort of our past (yes, even the negative and yucky stuff) behind. Many of us will doubt our decision to move forward. We’ll second-guess and wonder “what if?” Moving towards your “real,” purposeful and mature goals (versus towards those easy, lazy, unhealthy ones) means work. It means giving up our childish and doubting ways. It means choosing growth which will bring you back to people whether that group is a family, a boy/girlfriend, an office setting or even a whole community. In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho describes the experience of one choosing to move back towards a healthier and more productive life. “He still had doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision is only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

Sounds good, doesn’t it? When we make the decision to move forward with our lives we are inadvertently deciding to have faith, too. The two go hand in hand. They say that “faith can move mountains.” Faith, in my life, has moved me well along my life’s path to places I never dreamed possible. Faith and a healthy outlook will restore a sense of possibility and potential to your life. When I am in this pattern of growth I am happier and healthier. I am not alone either. My connection to people is stronger as is my connection to God.

Think about who you are right now. Are your choices based on faith and growth or are they stuck in fear and unhappiness? We have lots of choices to make in our busy lives. We can choose to trust ourselves and our God, we can choose to move forward in our lives’ pursuits and we can choose to live honest and open-minded lives.

The Similarities and Differences between Coaching and Therapy

As this is a question that is often asked I have searched for a suitable explanation and descriptions from those who can explain it better than I.  To my delight Peter Bluckert had already published this article outlining the differences between Coaching and Therapy.   I hope you find this article as informative as I have.

The Similarities and Differences between Coaching and Therapy

An article by Peter Bluckert

Given that coaching and mentoring¹ is still in its early stages of development as a profession it is hardly surprising that there is a lack of clarity and agreement around definitions, approaches, core competencies and several key issues. One of those issues is the difference between coaching and therapy², and it is a subject often discussed by coaches in training and by more experienced practitioners. It is one of those thorny topics which defies simple, reductionist thinking and doesn't fit neatly into two by two box system models or bullet point lists.

Read the full Article here

Books that Coaches should Read!

All, I'd like to compile a list of Books that all Coaches should read and I'm looking for inputs and reviews. I'll start with three of my favourites.

First, The inner Game of work by Timothy Gallwey. Excellent dissertation on how we are our own best enemies and how 'self limiting beliefs' are the biggest obstacle to success. Secondly, Changing for Good, Prochaska et al. A must for Coaches to help their clients to understand whether or not they are ready for change and how to move from one stage to the next. Last (but not least) Now Discover your Strengths by Buckingham and Clifton. Excellent model to help Clients to find and focus on their strengths.

These three book have helped me help more clients, I'd be very interested in hearing others top 3 (or more).

10 Management Traps – and How to Avoid Them

10 Management Traps – and How to Avoid Them

Excellent Article on the top 10 traps all managers find themselves falling into. As a manager I bet you will recognise some you have fallen into yourself.

Like Enda Kenny, high impact engagement within your first100days in a new job may define your success.

By Barry O'Sullivan, Moonbeam Consulting
087 2574136

As we watched Enda Kenny proceed through the ceremonial essentials of taking on his new role, how many were taken by the sense of joy and personal satisfaction of having achieved so much and landed the big job. Dail colleagues, support and opposition, gave him that space and joined with him in a largely light hearted and collegial manner to see through a momentus personal event. One hopes he managed to enjoy the occasion. But his first day on the job dawned and so began the very serious task of meeting the expectations of those who appointed him and take on the challenges the electorate have set out.

Without pause, he has moved on from his once primary goal of getting the job to doing the job. He can't hang about. Everyone now is wondering what will be his first100days legacy.

Like Enda, for anybody starting out on a new role, a new job, any new challenge, the elation of the win is quickly surpassed by the urgency to engage and to do so with impact. Suddenly, to deliver and to be seen to deliver becomes an imperative.

When you start a new job, what are the critical elements of your first100days strategy?

• Diagnose the situation. Understand your mandate, your challenges and your opportunities.
• Seek feedback and objective input from people you trust.
• Gain insight into your personal strengths, your weaknesses and identify any important vulnerabilites or development needs.
• Start building productive relationships from the start.
• Be confident about your ability to successfully complete the transition from your old job to the new role.
• Be sure to avail of the supports available around you. You really aren't expected to do it all by yourself.
• Develop a first100days plan that includes a strategy for personal effectiveness, engagement of others and communication.
• Set out to achieve impact, establish credibility and to build momentum to suit your style within the first100days.

Barry O'Sullivan runs the Moonbeam Consulting First100Days Programme for new or experienced executives in new jobs or who face fresh challenges. Focusing on the development of business and personal strategy it provides external objective coaching support to the individual during that critical first100day period.

http://www.first100days.ie/
http://www.moonbeam.ie/
barryosullivan@moonbeam.ie
Mobile: 087 2571436

Seven types of waste for small businesses

By: Richard Casey
0872493023

While working with Small business owners the one commonality that becomes very obvious is the lack of time that these business owners have to work on building their business. When you are the CEO, the CFO, the HR manager, the primary sales person and are in charge of budgeting, forecasting and inventory management (and many more) there is little time for anything else! Most business owners know that they should be working on building their business but just do not have the time to do so.


As there is little time to make changes, many business owners often continue to use work practices or systems that are actually stealing time from the business. These ‘time stealers’ lead to waste occurring in all aspects of the business but more importantly waste reduces profits, steals time, demoralises employees, buries people in paper work and eventually suffocates a business into submission. Waste is everywhere and can be seen in all aspects of a business.

It sometimes takes an independent set of eyes to see it but for all business owners it is necessary to be on the lookout for waste each and every day and once waste is identified, it is eliminated.

Types of waste!

So what are the seven most common types of waste and how do you see them? What follows is a short summary of the seven accepted forms of waste as defined by the Toyota Production system. They have been applied in large scale manufacturing for years but are just as applicable to business of any size and type.

1. Transportation: The transport of goods from one place to another.
Where in your business do you spend time transporting items of goods from one position to another?

2. Inventory: Having more inventory than is needed.
Are you ever left with inventory that cannot be used or sold? How did it get there? What can you do to prevent this from happening?

3. Motion: Excess motion required when completing a task.
What activities in your business require your staff to walk or move from their primary place of work to another place to complete their work? Can you reduce this?

4. Waiting: Waiting for something to complete before you can continue.
Where do you find yourself standing around waiting for things to happen? What can you do to eliminate this waiting?

5. Overproduction: Making more than you need.
Have you ever made more than you needed? What is leading to this and what can you do to eliminate this waste?

6. Over processing: Completing too many steps to achieve a Goal
How many occurrences of duplication are there in your business? Why are they there? Where did they come from? Why do you need them? What can you do to eliminate them?

7. Defects: Making mistakes and having to do things again.
Are there any processes that you use that are prone to mistakes? A form that is confusing for your customers or an ordering process that leads to wrong orders being taken? Is there any part of your business that you find you are doing the work twice?

Challenge 
I am confident that by reading they above descriptions that you as a business owner will have identified some form of waste in your company. My Challenge to you is to now fix that one issue. You will find that by fixing this issue you will eliminate the waste associated with the activity, removed an issue and freed up some time to work on the more important needs of your business.

“Be Vulnerable and Create Connection”

“Be Vulnerable and Create Connection”

David Rude, MA, CPC
February 19, 2011

I’ve faced many things on my personal quest to know myself as well as to understand other people. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lain awake at 2 am wondering how I got where I am and why I felt the way I did.

As a student at university I had the pleasure of taking two philosophy courses from an amazing professor. One thing I remember very clearly from those classes was the notion of transcending our current reality. As a confused and developing person the idea that I might be able to be something other than what I thought I was, made me both happy and hopeful.

I felt very vulnerable when I stacked myself, including my looks, athletic and academic abilities and financial background against my classmates. I had friends, good jobs and did very well at school, but I often struggled with my sense of worth.

I remember Kierkegaard and the idea that man must define himself. I struggled to figure myself out and would often blame my parents for who, where and what I was. And so, it was at university that I first discovered I was not the person I wanted to be.

But life has always been amazingly kind and good to me and at graduation I was given the opportunity to move to Central Mexico for two years of teaching. It was during that time, working initially as a stranger in a new land and not knowing the language or culture that I began to recognize myself.

For years prior to that trip I had tried desperately to diminish my feelings of isolation and unworthiness. But in doing so, I diminished everything else in me. Instead I created more isolation and deepened my sense of shame and fear.

Having to learn to communicate in a new language and to fit into a completely new world was the best thing that could have happened to me. The courage that I experienced and the compassion I felt from those people as they watched me struggle to connect with them in language and culture was just what I needed.

I was forced to let myself be seen with all of my imperfections. It took me a few months to master enough Spanish to really fit in. So there were laughs as I stuttered my intentions in this new language and it was okay. They appreciated me for trying and I appreciated them for supporting me as I learned.

I learned the value of connection with other people through the act of being very vulnerable. I am very grateful for this experience as it taught me so much about myself. I felt stronger and much more alive as a result.

Kierkegaard would say, I believe, that when a man chooses (to accept) himself he begins to exist. When we are vulnerable, that is, when we choose to accept ourselves with our imperfections and uncertainties, we begin the process of really connecting with the world and people around us.

"Courage and Hope"

"Courage and Hope" by David Rude,MA, CPC February 8, 2011

There are vast possibilities available to us at this time. I really believe this.

I just returned from my workshop and coaching tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland where I met some amazingly courageous and hopeful people. Times are tough, money is tight and it's cold out, but these people are empowered and motivated to create change through conversation and community.

I have always been attracted to the idea of community. I was taught very early on that my duty was to the community and that I was to be a "man (person) for others."

It's easy to feel isolated and to allow ourselves to get entrapped and to feel disempowered by negatively perceived experiences that have to deal with. We do have a choice, though. We can choose to respond or to react.

I'm often asked about the concept of journey. Many want to know if they're on the right path. I think the embarking is more important, at times, than the path itself. Just getting ourselves ready to move forward can be daunting and eventful. Choosing to respond to life and to have an awareness of the vast possibilities ahead of us is very empowering and creates hope. Sure, it takes courage to allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to take that proverbial first step, but "you can't hit the ball from the bench."

If you want to experience new ideas and possibilities you may have to look at things, including yourself, differently. You may have to allow yourself to be really seen by others and to let this vulnerable act to move you towards real connection with the people around you, your community. Vulnerability is required for any meaningful connection in life. Some degree of risk is required for any kind of growth, be it personal, financial or social.

In these days of political, economic and climatic change we may do well by ourselves in isolation and frustration, but I believe, especially after having met so many open-minded, courageously honest people in my travels, that we can do even better with the support of and connection to others.