Common Reasons Executives Give Up on Coaching

Providing coaching is widely accepted as a solution for helping leaders succeed in their role and improve their performance. For many executives, it works, but for others, it doesn’t.

Why do some executives give up on coaching programs?

Executive coaching allows companies to take advantage of leadership resources and talent. Coaching is not restricted to helping problem leaders. It is designed to appeal to top performers, who often seek it out anyway, and is a great opportunity to any employee wishing to grow. It is offered by companies and organizations that value their management and employee growth potential. Yet sometimes, for some individuals, coaching programs just don't work. Why?

Some leaders do well as long as it’s business as usual, but do not respond well to change. They lose motivation and cannot stay with the program. Marshall Goldsmith is an executive coach who has worked with many Fortune 100 leaders. She gives several reasons why some leaders give up, even if they have a competent coach.

First, some characteristics of a leader is that he likes to take ownership of a project and responsibility for making decisions. If an executive feels like coaching is being imposed upon him, or that it is just a casual process that he must try out, the coaching process is less likely to work. A leader might relate to coaching as game playing and have no real commitment to serious learning. If so, the company has to discontinue the process for the good of the company and the coaching profession.

Second, as goal setters, executives naturally tend to underestimate the time required to accomplish an aim. Leaders who are busy and impatient can be even more sensitive to the clock than anyone else. An executive may simply feel that he doesn’t have time for the coaching process, even if he thinks it may be valuable.

Third, executives may think coaching should be fast, simple, and quickly over and done with. They may give up when they discover it takes work as well as time and commitment. Making long-term changes in leadership effectiveness takes effort. It can be very challenging to get an opinionated executive who is very busy to stop what he is doing and listen patiently, especially if the coach is saying something he doesn’t want to hear!

Fourth, distractions come up, especially for executives. Leaders not only tend to underestimate the amount of time and work the coaching process will take, but also the effect that distractions and goals competing for their attention will have. Leaders should plan as much as possible in advance for distractions. By setting realistic expectations for change, they will be less likely to reject the coaching process.

Fifth, leaders like action and instantaneous results. They tend to be disappointed when achievement doesn't quickly translate into practical terms. While they may be able to achieve the goals set in coaching, these achievements don’t help them achieve direct, concrete goals. For example, skills improvement doesn’t mean certain recognition, a promotion, securing short-term profits, or making sales. The skills have to be applied to real goals to make such things happen. Leaders like to materialize concrete results as soon as possible and not spend time talking.

Sixth, learning and maintaining new behavior is tough, especially if you’re on the run, and maybe even on a roll, and what you’ve already been doing for years seems to be working just fine. Leaders do not always recognize that professional development is an ongoing, life-long process. Once a leader has achieved a goal, it is difficult for him to incorporate changes. Leadership is necessarily involved in changing relationships, and long-term effort is required to maintain positive relationships.

Since coaching requires a willingness to open up, be vulnerable, and explore new perspectives, including self-exploration, it’s easy to see why the process can be daunting to leaders. It is an exhilarating process for the adventurous who embrace it and commit themselves to growth, but the coaching process has an element of unpredictability about it that some leaders may shy away from. By definition, a leader is the person in charge. He controls things. But coaching is an exciting interpersonal journey, unlike a course in management or academic theory. In a coaching session, there’s no telling what may come up. This can be scary to an executive whose job it is to keep things under control.

Over time, coaches and their clients form strong bonds. Trust, openness, and confidence grows and results in achievement. For coaching to work, the bond must be firm and the coaching program must operate with clear rules.

Business sources:
Business goals :: Managing people in business :: Legal help :: Advertising concepts :: Business graphic marketing

Home > Twig Executive Coaching.com

Read the articles

Disclaimers