Executive Coaching

What is high performance coaching?
It’s probably easier to identify what is NOT high performance coaching, and that is any form of coaching which is driven by a performance management need or a remedial need to improve on performance due to a negative review. High Performance Coaching (HPC) is targeted to individuals who are already on the road to success; they are already performing well within their current position and have most likely been earmarked for greater things in the business. Our HPC approach takes the individual on a journey to identify and develop skills which will benefit them excelling in their current position, but more importantly preparing them for the future demands.  

High Performing Coaching model.
We use a simple model which enables us to identify the areas an individual requires development in. The model utilises two axes – complexity of the work and capability of the individual.
During the early sessions we will identify the current flow of the individual, this information is used to then create a future model which explores the perceived requirements that will be placed on the individual. Two processes then follow.
Where skills are identified as being in abuse that is the complexity of the work is greater than the current capability of the individual – a process of skill development is undertaken. In our experience this usually takes the form of developing mental toughness skills and a level of resilience to grow and develop your skills under pressure.
Where skills are identified as being in disuse, that is the capability of the individual is far greater than the complexity of work being presented to them – a work calibration process is undertaken. This approach challenges the individual to fully utilise their capabilities and ensure the appropriate delegation is occurring and no “dipping down” is occurring. Dipping down is a process which many subject matter experts who make the step up into senior management roles  struggle with. It is the letting go of many of the skills that they are expert in and allowing their staff to do their own work. It is a shift in thinking from operational to strategic and often requires a kick start to get going.
Driving the behaviour change is the shift from below the line thinking to above the line thinking. High performers will always display above the line thinking and the challenge is to develop these skills to a point in which they are continually present especially under pressure.
The coaching process
We follow a semi- structured approach to coaching. The initial sessions will be very structured to ensure the capability – complexity matrix is fully populated. We often find that individuals will have areas of the work which populates both aspects of the model. Once a goal has been created the coaching then takes a more unstructured approach. Our experience tells us that talking about something is good but experiencing it is great. Therefore we employ a variety of techniques to broker the individual’s talent through the business and challenge them in ways to both highlight their hidden skills and develop the under-developed ones. This approach requires input from the individual’s direct manager and support from the business as they grow and develop their skills.

Profiling
In most instances, executives have been profiled to their hearts content and the individuals who have been selected on this program will most likely have a battery of reports sitting somewhere in a desk draw. In these cases it is unlikely that we will conduct additional profiling – we simply ask the individual to bring those profiles to the initial session. In situations where individuals do not have any recent profiles we would explore their situation and suggest the use of one or two profiling tools. We are not aligned to any particular profiling tool and will suggest the tool which is most appropriate to the situation. These are charged back to the client at cost.

Time required
In the majority of cases the coaching process takes about 6 months to complete, however given the constraints on individuals time and number of unforeseen circumstances which present, our approach to time is one of mutual flexibility. Therefore additional time needed to complete the process is allowed for.
Within the first month, the expectation would be for a weekly meeting of about an hour in length, subsequent sessions will be dictated by the individual and the coach. It is not uncommon to have a number of short duration consultations of about 5-10 minutes on a weekly basis with a longer meeting every couple of weeks.

Return on investment
The goal of the coaching engagement is to ultimately improve the individual’s performance outputs and in most cases this can be directly measured back in the business. Where possible direct and indirect methods of reporting this will be utilised.

Our clients include Olympic Gold Medallists, Senior Managers, and CEO’s from several major companies.

Contact us for more information on our coaching model and for a list of coaches.