Marshall Goldsmith spoke at our annual conference in September. As you probably already know, Marshall is one of the best-known executive coaches in the world. He is also a masterful marketer and has contributed to dozens of books and articles on leadership and coaching. Much of his work is available through his library, www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com.
In his session at our conference he talked about his initial assessment of a coaching opportunity and how he spends time determining if the essential elements are in place for a successful outcome. When he considers working with a senior leader on developing more effective behaviors, he wants to know upfront if the company is supportive of this person, or whether they´re using coaching as a step toward the exit door. He also wants to know if the leader is willing and committed to making change. If not, no go. Here´s the really interesting part for me. He also talks to co-workers and direct reports to see if they are willing to release their disappointments and assumptions based on past transgressions and be open to seeing change in the leader in question. He talked about the fact that what is required for a leader to be more effective is not just a change of his or her behavior, but also a change in the perceptions of the people with whom the leader works. If direct reports and peers are unwilling to be here now and modify their views of the leader based on the new behaviors being demonstrated and the efforts being made, the leader´s investment in coaching will not lead to a positive impact for the organization. This is more of a ´systems theory´ of coaching than I have seen elsewhere in the coaching literature, and it really resonates with me.
After all, leaders don´t behave in a vacuum. It is their interaction with others that turns the wheels that help drive the business forward. If they are going to commit to change, only to have the rest of the system unwilling to recognize the change, why bother?
Gaining agreements from all parties at the start of the process paves the way for success.
