“I’m a high-performing executive. Why do I need a coach?”
This is a common disavowal when companies hire a coach to support an executive not just from the Philippines but from other countries as well. In a country where the Power Distance Index is high (Hofstede, 2001), executives are regarded as the all-mighty leader by its followers. Any form of developmental support being initiated by the higher-ups would mean a weakness in skills and leadership. Well, at least from the executive’s point of view, it is. A 2009 survey by the Harvard Business Review of 140 leading coaches showed that the three top reasons for hiring executive coaches are: to develop high potentials or facilitate transition (48%); to act as a sounding board (26%); and to address derailing behavior (12%).
In the Philippines, many of our coaching engagements are brought about by the companies’ goal to either facilitate an executive’s transition to a new position; develop the skills and leadership of managers with high potential in order to prepare them for bigger challenges; or effect behavioral change in difficult executives. There are also times when we are called upon to coach an executive group to improve the team dynamics and performance.
In an Executive Academy Forum hosted by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) this year, two successful learners (coachees) shared their coaching experience to provide insights into the benefits of executive coaching.
According to Mr. Roberto Taboada, president and managing director of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Philippines and a member of MAP who went through a DOOR executive coaching program with members of his team, there are two benefits he gained from undergoing executive coaching. First, coaching helps you improve your professional skills. He explained that usually when you are a senior manager, you do not have a mechanism that lets you know or a person who tells you what you are doing wrong or right or even what to do. Many people do not want to ask their boss about it because they are afraid of exposing a flaw to a superior. Even worse, in many cases executives are not even aware of their own weaknesses. An executive coach pinpoints and explains weaknesses and helps you find ways to eliminate them or even turn them into strengths.
Sometimes during coaching, we discover blind spots and weaknesses that may impact leadership effectiveness and that could possibly impede or even derail careers. The executive coach is able to work together with the learner to identify and exploit improvement opportunities in areas of weakness. It is important that the executive coaching process is well balanced. It must be able to leverage strengths and help and encourage executives who may be struggling in specific areas while guiding them to get back on track.
“An executive coach helps you approach the business in a way that no one else can,” said Mr. Taboada. This, according to him, is the second benefit. An executive coach is someone who improves the way you approach your challenges by engaging with you in discussions of business experiences and dilemmas, and by aiding you in exploring different alternatives and reflecting on possibilities which you may not have thought of yourself. Having an outsider’s viewpoint on your daily experiences provides you with additional insights and perspectives on situations.
Executive coaching is particularly beneficial when trying to address specific business challenges and in resolving the organizational and people issues faced by executives. A coach will not tell you what to do; after all, you are the expert in your area. Instead, an executive coach will help you to explore alternatives and choose the best course of action for a given situation. Common situation that coaches have worked with learners to resolve include major challenges, such as restructuring organizations or implementing large-scale organizational change.
GSK HR Vice President Lito de Guzman also shared his experience with executive coaching during the forum. He said that executive coaching helped him confront challenges that he would normally put aside thinking that they would eventually fade away. If there is one concrete benefit that he gained from coaching, it is critical thinking.
Executive coaching is about helping the individual to develop his/her critical thinking skills. It allows learners to look past their own views of the world, seek out all possible answers to a problem and accept an answer that is different than what was originally thought. Learners who successfully gain critical thinking during the coaching process are more likely to assume ownership of problems and challenges. Mr. de Guzman was awarded PEOPLE MANAGER OF THE YEAR by PMAP in 2010 and for the same year, GSK was given the EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR award.
There are so many benefits that can be gained from executive coaching. Even MAP recognizes it as a powerful tool in performance management. It is important for companies and individual executives interested in raising the level of leadership effectiveness and performance to find a credible professional executive coaching company they can partner with for results.
(The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author is Philippines Managing Director and Southeast Asia Operations Director of DOOR International. Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. For previous articles, visit www.map.org.ph.)