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A C OA C H S L E SS O N S L E A R N E D
Principles and Guidelines for Practitioners
DAVID COLEMAN

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uring the past fteen years, I have served as coach to a number of lawyers, economists, accountants, and scientists whose jobs entailed managing the work of others. Some of this work was part of a formal coaching program designed to support the management development of professionals (including those identied as high potential by their organizations). Other aspects were related to larger, organization development interventions, e.g., coaching leaders to prepare them for guiding their organizations through strategic planning processes. Still other aspects involved targeted interventions with key professionals who were highly valued for their technical contributions but were having difficulty managing others.

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EXECUTIVE COACHING

This chapter distills the key lessons learned through my work as an executive coach. It is divided into four parts:

General principles to guide thinking about a clients issues General principles to guide taking action with a client Five paradoxical guidelines for engaging in the coaching conversation Practical suggestions that are specically related to beginning coaches

Throughout, I will illustrate my points with examples from my practice, with names and situations altered to protect clients condentiality.

Principles for Thinking about a Clients Issues

There are six principles that inform how I understand my clients and the situations they face (Table 1). Some might describe these as principles of http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=1763 diagnosis, but I prefer to conceptualize them as principles for framing client issues and for identifying areas that may need to be examined more thoroughly as we begin our work together.

Ta b l e 1

Principles for Thinking about a Clients Issues

1. Some weaknesses are strengths overdone. 2. Persistent behaviors most likely have positive purposes. 3. Assuming similarities when they do not exist can lead to unrealistic expectations and conflict. 4. An outdated view of the self can lead to behaviors that are disproportionate to current reality. 5. Being both differentiated and connected is essential for effective leadership. 6. The ability to see ones responsibility in each situation and the willingness to take calculated risks are key to making progress.

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A COACH S LESSONS LEARNED

Thinking Principle 1: Some Weaknesses Are Strengths Overdone

The very behavior that was key to our survival at some point in our lives often becomes overdone, thereby becoming a decit (Atkins, 1982). This is my cardinal principle of coaching. I have observed with some regularity that a managers problems are often caused by some trait or approach that was in the past a strength and a key to success. It makes sense that a manager might overuse an area of strength, that he or she might continue, or even increase, the behaviors that led to positive outcomes and promotions in the past. The dilemma is, of course, that the contexts and the managers role within those contexts are continually changing. Thus, the behavior that was once essential to survival and/or success may be overdone (used too frequently, across too many contexts, or with inappropriate intensity) or overly relied on to the exclusion of other, more functional skills. As a result, the manager may not be able to grapple effectively with new contexts and new roles. When this happens, the once-productive behavior can actually http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=1763 begin to interfere with the managers effectiveness and thereby becomes a weakness. Framing weaknesses as overdone strengths may be comforting to clients as it normalizes the problem for them. Frequently, however, these overdone strengths are somewhat difficult to change because the managers life experience categorizes this behavior as necessary for survival or success. The coachs goal then becomes to help the manager determine when and how to use this strength. Honoring the value of the strength in past situations while shaping its application in the present can have an enormous effect. Lets illustrate this principle with an example. Gail, a senior executive, was known for her ability to shut out distractions and focus productively on work for extremely long periods. Only a few individuals truly understood the substantive issues in her highly complex and technical eld, and Gails ability to concentrate had been key to her being recognized and promoted to a managerial level, where she was responsible for other technical professionals. Yet, despite her senior position, Gail was regularly working all night to accomplish tasks. When I was asked to consult with her, her boss explained that she was isolated from her co-workers, did too much of the technical work herself, and was experiencing great personal pain due to problems that had developed with her spouse and three young children. On exploration, we discovered that Gails focusing strategy had emerged in

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