| Are you working in a company or law firm where | | | | work with effectively? |
| leaders appreciate the importance of leadership | | | | There are three essential competencies of the |
| development and executive coaching? How do | | | | effective executive coach. They must be |
| leaders in your company or law firm improve their | | | | interpersonally skilled at coaching and influencing |
| leadership skills? | | | | others. This requires an extreme self-awareness, |
| One of the most powerful questions one can ask | | | | excellent listening and observing skills, empathy, |
| is "Does our company culture encourage leaders | | | | and ability to deliver feedback in a tough yet |
| to fully develop their leadership capability?" | | | | non-judgmental way. Secondly, they must be |
| Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent leaders | | | | highly trustworthy. This becomes particularly |
| are intrinsically motivated to improve their | | | | important when navigating complex confidentiality |
| leadership skills. | | | | boundaries. Thirdly, good coaches must have a |
| Finding the Right Executive CoachWhether | | | | sufficient understanding of business practices and |
| executive coaching services are used to explore | | | | organizational politics to help their clients decipher, |
| deficits in competencies or to expand potential, | | | | understand, and address organizational |
| there remains a challenge in finding and acquiring | | | | complexities. |
| the right professionals to provide excellent | | | | A provocative article in the Harvard Business |
| executive coaching. As a newly emerging | | | | Review (Berglas, 2002) laments the fact that too |
| profession, there is a lack of standardization of | | | | many executive coaches lack training in human |
| practice. Practitioners come from fields as diverse | | | | psychology. Berglas asserts that some coaching |
| as psychology, management consulting, training | | | | professionals may come from the sports and |
| and human resources. Some have never had any | | | | motivational speaking fields with not enough |
| coach training per se, but have adopted their own | | | | competency in dealing with the complexities of |
| personal styles of coaching. Unfortunately, some | | | | personalities and behavior. In such cases, the |
| have simply changed their professional titles and | | | | coaching experience can actually be harmful. It |
| are doing consulting or counseling and calling it | | | | could be compared to coaching someone to |
| "executive coaching." | | | | change seats on the Titanic. Unless the underlying |
| Organizations seeking to employ executive | | | | problems are addressed, the ship is still sinking. |
| coaches can turn to consulting firms or | | | | Working with a seasoned executive coach trained |
| independent practitioners. There are advantages | | | | in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership |
| and disadvantages with both. Selecting coaches | | | | assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI |
| requires that an organization assess for skills, | | | | 260 can help you become a leader who develops |
| organizational fit and perspectives, a daunting task. | | | | effective interpersonal relationships. You can |
| Great executive coaches often come from very | | | | become a leader who models emotional |
| eclectic career paths. Two effective questions to | | | | intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires |
| ask in interviewing for executive coaches are: | | | | people to become happily engaged and aligned |
| 1. What particular types of clients do you work | | | | with the vision and mission of your company or |
| with effectively? | | | | law firm. |
| 2. What particular types of clients do you not | | | | |