The Influential Edge Blog | Pathos Leadership Group

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 9 of 12: I Won’t Take Vanilla!

April 1, 2011 By Pathos Admin

The following parable, or myth, is one in a series of twelve, which we’ve identified at Pathos Leadership Group that accounts for executive coaching to fail! Our results-focused executive coaching is contrary to these parables, leaving executives and their organizations in a position to succeed when it comes to organization development, operational improvement, and financial success! For more information on our Executive Coaching or Organization Development initiatives contact us at info@pathosleadershipgroup.com or call 877.455.3133.

Executive Coaching Parable 9 – I Won’t Take Vanilla!

Robert was a successful Chief Operations Officer (COO) working for a major hospital. He was looking for a way in which he could move himself, and his staff to higher levels of performance. He was recently hired into the organization to assume the COO post from a competing healthcare system, and knew that there were tremendous opportunities present. His staff on the other hand, apparently didn’t hold such rosy forecasts. Comprised of long-tenured associates, his senior leadership looked like the “Who’s Who” of corporate legend. They had helped sure up the operations in a skillful manner over the years, but operated as much through knee-jerk reactions as they did according to their goals/business plan for the year. It was obvious to Robert why none of them were considered for the COO position. Furthermore, they operated in silos instead of pulling together the collaborative strengths that could have propelled them further faster. “My next position is going to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) chair, and my staff is going to screw that up for me if I don’t reign them in and coordinate their activities” he told the Chief People Officer (CPO). When the CPO recommended that they bring in an external executive coach to work with Robert on these issues, he said “An Executive Coach? I’ve looked at that in the past and found their programs to be all the same. What I need is a customized approach to solve the situations that are unique to this operation and to me as their leader. I won’t take vanilla!”

The parable above indicates Robert’s goal of making the best operation possible, including bringing his staff to new heights, while all the while progressing towards his real goal of the CEO seat in the organization. His perspective that he has a rather unique situation is a good one. Each organization has their own way of operating. While they may operate within the same industry, be regulated by certain judiciary laws and rules, the way in which they go about operating can and should be unique.

Robert had his work cut out for him. His team alone would make his future ascent in the organization challenging. Known for their “We’re not really certain what they do, but they tell us they do it better than anywhere else” posture started them off in the hole. Furthermore, their perception that “We’re the best part of this operation!” was damaging, if not delusional.

When we met Robert, we found a newly hired leader who realized that the career ladder he had jumped over to wasn’t quite made of the same material he was used to. Furthermore, he needed specific help quickly in getting things turned around. However, his sticking point regarding getting assistance in help was that he didn’t want a “generic” or over the counter prescription. Robert thought that his situation was so unique that he couldn’t get from “here” to “there” without a customized offering.

We explained to Robert that while his situation (the hospital, his team, their operation, etc.) was unique the opportunity was one that presented itself time and again in the organizations we worked with. We had experience in helping other corporate officers achieve success in similar situations through customizing our approach given their current business landscape, and considering what their future should look like.

In the end, we worked with Robert and his team for over a year. We performed a series of assessments (behavioral assessments and 360 degree assessments) for each leader and their teams, held department team building sessions, implemented a consultancy based approach to their operational dealings with other hospital organizations, performance coached the individual senior leaders, and customized our coaching efforts with Robert to identify where he wanted the department to go.

The Operations team is now seen as a group the organization can call on when they need assistance, and they deliver results! Furthermore, Robert is well on his way to achieving the CEO seat in the organization!

The Moral of the Story: While the particular situation may be unique, rarely is the problem. Realizing that you’re not the first leader to face such situations is crucial (There have been others before you… You’re not the first one!) However typical the situation though, a customized approach is needed for maximum benefit for the organization and individuals combined.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: 360 degree assessment, behavioral assessment, CEO, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, COO, customized coaching, executive coach, executive coaching, leadership development, organization development

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 8 of 12: They Won’t Understand!

March 31, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 8 – They Won’t Understand!

John was a successful small business owner. He left behind a great position with a Fortune 500 company to start off on his own five years ago because he wanted to “call the shots” all by himself. This strategy, and his unparalleled level of service made him a favorite with his clients. However, the highs/lows in business typically caused John’s head to explode! The people that he employed were great, but he wanted a “confidant” who he could explain his business situations to and have them provide guidance/coaching towards. In putting back together his exploded head, John set out on a path to hire the best coach possible. He was a “quick trigger puller” who once he found something, or someone, he liked would take action. However John’s search for an executive coach was stymied by his belief that he had to have someone with an exactly similar background to assist him. This “walk in my shoes” philosophy lead John to turn down many successful coaches who wanted to work with him. When we met John, we inquired as to how long he’d been search for and how many executive coaches he had interviewed. John was approaching the five (5) month mark in his search. When we asked what the number one aspect of the coaches he interviewed thus far that was holding him back from moving forward, he simply replied “The coaches I met with were very qualified people, but my situation is unique. They won’t understand!”

The parable above indicates John’s sincere desire to work with an executive coach, but his delusional thought that they wouldn’t understand because they hadn’t gone through the exact same situations that he had. While it might be a “perfect storm” situation for John to identify/locate a coach who had the exact same background as him, he was leaving many a talented coach who could have assisted him in the dust. Furthermore, that all too important aspect of business (Time is money!) was being wasted. He would never get those five (5) months back. Furthermore, his business could be miles further down the road if he had just chosen the most successful.

Often times in business, and this is typical of those who have achieved results, we want to put together the best possible scenario. We will take the time to identify what is truly important to satisfy the situation at hand. We’ll analyze from umpteen different perspectives, get feedback from people we know inside, and sometimes external, to the organization, research on the net (Drink the “Google-juice”), and delay making a decision. This “analysis paralysis” causes the leader to become the lagger and make no decision.

When selecting an executive coach you want to identify the most qualified person who you believe can deliver the results you’re attempting to accomplish. While you should do your due diligence during the selection process to identify this “best fit” executive coach, you may be doing yourself a disservice by being to nit-picky. Identifying someone who has the same exact experience will provide you with a consultative approach to your situation (They’ve “been there, done that!”), however you may gain much more value from someone with business savvy who can ask you the right questions to make you think/act differently. Furthermore, because they have a different background, they can provide you with a totally different perspective from which to solve your situation.

The Moral of the Story: Picking the “same” or “sure thing” rarely allows one to replicate results exactly. Differing situations, styles, and times lead to different results. Selecting a coach with a different background may propel you further and help you accomplish your goals faster.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: entrepreneur coaching, executive coaching, organization development, pathos leadership group, small business coaching, small business consulting, walk in my shoes

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 7 of 12: I Don’t Need a Coach… I Have a Mentor!

March 30, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 7 – I Don’t Need a Coach… I Have a Mentor!

Patty was your typical overachiever… She recently had graduated with honors from college (Summa Cum Laude), sat on a board of directors for her favorite charity, and breezed through the interview process at her current organization where she’d been employed for nearly a year. Identified as a high-potential candidate for the organization’s leadership development program, she embodied what the organization believed to be the type of “corporate mentality” that they desired future leaders to possess. As a new employee, the organization established a “shadowing” or mentor for Patty to ensure that she got off on the right foot during her onboarding experience. She enjoyed her mentoring experience, as it provided the “real world” experience that she craved after he academic experiences. When she was informed that as a high-potential and participant in the leadership development program there would be a formal executive coach assigned to work with her, Patty had a bit of a disconnect! She thought that this was a duplication of efforts on the organization’s behalf, stating “I Don’t Need a Coach… I Have a Mentor!”

We were working with high-potential associates within Patty’s organization when we first met her. The parable above indicates Patty’s willful participation in her organization’s mentoring program, as well as her ascent up the corporate ladder through the acceptance into the high-potential leadership development program. Patty was a fiscally responsible individual, who always looked to spend the organization’s money as if it was her own. As such, when she was informed of the executive coaching portion of the leadership development program she thought that this was perhaps double-jeopardy spending.

“Why do I need an executive coach when I already have a mentor?” she inquired with the leadership development program coordinator. “I am really seeing tremendous value in the relationship I have with my mentor, and don’t want to take away from that” she said.

At Pathos Leadership Group, we sometimes see confusion between mentoring and coaching. After a conversation with Patty, we were able to clearly state the intentions of the formal executive coaching arrangement. NOTE – The formal executive coaching aspect of the leadership development program was not intended to replace/alter her mentoring participation. It’s focus was to assist in implementing/sustaining the leadership development program initiatives. As such, here are a few of the key elements for Mentoring versus Coaching which we discussed with Patty:

MENTORING

Structure – An informal relationship (non-org chart oriented) between a superior (high on org chart) and a subordinate (low on org chart)

Orientation – An agreed to relationship from the superiors perspective (either willful participation or seen as a necessary evil). One in which the subordinate is looking to receive either technical/non-technical knowledge from the subject matter expert

Frequency – Meetings held at agreed to time intervals (Can get modified/manipulated based upon superiors organizational commitments)

Fee – Frequently there is no compensation for the superior in such an arrangement. However, the subordinate may be held responsible for providing coffee/scone)

Goal – Transfer subject matter expertise to from superior to subordinate so that subordinate can “navigate” the corporate environment with great efficiencies

COACHING

Structure – An formal relationship between a coachee (the person receiving the coaching), coach (the person doing the coaching), and organization (the party coordinating the coaching activity, typically the point person who’s responsible for paying the bill)

Orientation – An agreed to formal relationship between/amongst all three parties (Coachee, Coach, and Organization)

Frequency – Meetings held at consistently agreed upon time intervals and of consistent length (For example, meet three -3- times per month for forty-five -45- minutes per session)

Timeline – Typical timelines can be relatively short (“spot” or focused mentoring in which specific knowledge is to be transferred) or long-term (typical when general knowledge of business savvy is to be expounded). Therefore coaching arrangements can vary from as little as three (3) to twelve (12) months on average

Fee – There is a compensation structure arranged from the Coachee or Organization to the Coach.

Goal – Ensure that goal/objective attainment is accomplished within a given timeframe. The coaching process builds upon responsibility/accountability for plan implementation/sustainment

The Moral of the Story: Executive Coaching isn’t mentoring. While a mentoring program can have tremendous value for an organization and its participants, executive coaching when performed with an external coach has greater impact on the organization. When measurements are taken regarding executive coaching effectiveness, the results show a nearly 94% implementation/sustainment rate.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: executive coach, executive coaching, high potentials, high-potentials program, leadership development, leadership development program, mentor versus coach, mentor vs coach, mentoring versus coaching, mentoring vs coaching, organization development, pathos leadership group, talent management

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 6 of 12: I’ll Use Coaching as a Last Resort!

March 28, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 6 – I’ll Use Coaching as a Last Resort!

David was your typical “go big or go home” leader! Identified as a high-potential candidate for his organization’s leadership development program, he embodied the excitement that was emblazoned within this young-start up. However, also accompanying this “go big or go home” leadership style was an accompanying “if we’re going to be wrong, let’s be wrong strong!” As a result, when the group won in business, the payoffs were huge. Conversely, when they lost, the losses were legendary! To help hedge their business bets, we were brought in to the organization to work with the high-potentials so that they could make their best decisions, and get their best results! However David was not exactly thrilled with the idea of working with an executive coach! “I’ll work with an executive coach when I hit rock bottom, as a last resort!” he told one of us.

We were working with high-potential mid-level managers within David’s organization when we first met. The parable above indicates David’s alignment with the accepted corporate culture at his organization. Leadership was known for their “legendary” stunts when starting-up the company, and growing it to their current success-level. Unfortunately, what was good during the “growth” days was not acceptable to leadership today. In fact, leadership now with increasing pressure from venture capitalists and bank funding leaders, wanted their next group of leaders to come from a much more scientific-basis, as opposed to the “seat of the pants” school from which they came. Unfortunately, bad habits die a long, slow death in some instances!

When we first met with David he explained that he really didn’t see what the need was for executive coaching. After all, he had done what every other leader who sat in his chair did. Furthermore, he also saw where those leaders were today… a place of success that he desperately wanted to get to. David viewed himself as a Formula 1 race car… one that simply needed open track for him to “gobble up!” If he was to hit the wall, there was always another backup car waiting for him. He saw executive coaching as something that was necessary in the event he needed more gas, or a modification to his vehicle, or some other sort of pit stop.

Unfortunately, great performance in Formula 1 rarely occurs as a result of the pit stop alone. What is needed is alignment of machine, all of its corresponding parts, working in unison with the elements of the track conditions and driver. If our friend David was to act as a Formula 1 race car, he would not only need to have a better alignment with corporate direction (mission, vision, values and corresponding objectives/goals), but inject himself into the situation with accountability and responsibility. These actions should be monitored on every lap, and modifications made when the vehicle performs outside of acceptable tolerances.

David was in a great position to fully capitalize on executive coaching. He did not need to wait until the last possible moment, before the crash (and especially before the burn!) Instead, David capitalized on executive coaching to help him get better directional focus on where he wanted his group to go within the organizational structure. He also was able to transfer the knowledge learned both upstream in the organization, as well as horizontally to his peers (Of which they were greatly appreciative for the perspective).

The Moral of the Story: Executive Coaching isn’t a “last call” event… If you wait until the last call, it’s probably too late. Instead, engage executive coaches into the performance initiatives of your organization sooner, rather than later in an effort to accomplish them in less time and with better results.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: executive coach, executive coaching, high potentials, leadership development, learning & development, organization development, pathos leadership group

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 5 of 12: I’ll Try Coaching for a Little While!

March 25, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 5 – I’ll Try It for a Little While!

Alison was brought into leadership in her organization because of her pessimism! Highly talented, her negative views lead her to tell the truth when others would not. While this “truth-speak” element of her was hurtful for some, it was seen as necessary by the leaders in the organization. Sometimes the truth hurts, right? When it came time to work with her in the organization’s High-Potential program, she viewed the organizational development path laid out in front of her as a “necessary evil” and one that was a series of “programs of the month” that she needed to take in order to accomplish her goals of leadership. When asked why she was participating in such a “hostage” program she exclaimed “I’ll try anything for a little while if it will assist me in accomplishing my professional goals!”

We were working with high-potential mid-level managers within Alison’s organization when we first met. The parable above indicates Alison’s insincere passion for accomplishing the organization’s goals, and overall general bad attitude. Now we get to work with a lot of talented people, and most recognize the value in executive coaching and organization development programs for their assistance in ease of operations, goal attainment, teamwork cohesion, and result orientation.

Alison viewed the high-potential program as a necessary evil… one in which she needed to participate in against her will. She also viewed the accompanying executive coaching as a waste of her time, and she wanted to spend as little time/effort in the coaching “space” as possible.

We couldn’t disagree with her more. Obviously coaching is a passion of ours here at Pathos. We’ve seen the benefits of it firsthand as we’ve worked with organizations and their leaders around the globe. Alison’s fate was sealed when during our first interaction she exclaimed “Now just how long is this going to take? I’ve got a lot of important things I need to attend to this morning!” This short-term focus surprised us, as the screening process for inclusion into the high-potential program was difficult. Unfortunately, it became abundantly clear to us that not only was Alison NOT the best-fit for the high-potential program, but a poor choice for leadership in the organization considering the goals/objectives at hand and overall mission, vision and values.

We met with organizational senior leadership and informed them of our findings from this initial meeting, or lack thereof. We then conducted a joint-meeting with leadership and Alison to see if perhaps we were missing something? This turned out not be the case, as evidenced by Alison saying “Why don’t you stop wasting my time with this stuff and let me do my job?” Leadership determined to let Alison go do her job in another organization!

The Moral of the Story: Executive Coaching takes a series of consistent, challenging, goal oriented sessions structured over a period of time in order to achieve results. Even in “targeted” or “spot” executive coaching programs where goal attainment is paramount (think increase sales), there needs to be a series of sessions to build upon the accountability and responsibility model. Alison was not interested in trying things for a little while, instead she didn’t want to participate at all. Her bad attitude, or limited beliefs in development, were seen as red flags which ultimately caused her departure.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: 360 degree review, behavioral assessment, executive coach, executive coaching, high potential, leadership development, organization development, pathos leadership group

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 4 of 12: I Don’t Need Any Help!

March 25, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 4 – I Don’t Need Any Help!

Mike was a mid-level manager in an organization whose claim to fame was that he “might not be the sharpest tool in the tool drawer, but he could always get the job done!” This “no one will outwork me” mentality caused Mike to put in tremendous hours in (He claimed that he worked 24×7!), even working while on vacation with his family. This caused the people that worked for him to resent him, simply because he didn’t believe that they should have a “life” outside of work either. Mike would say “If you cut me, I’ll bleed the company colors instead of blood-red!” Working as many hours as he did, and with such a lack of support from his perspective, caused him to do the tasks routinely handled by his staff members. It wasn’t that his staff was incapable of performing the tasks, it was just that they weren’t working at 2:00am in the morning when Mike was and he wanted the information right then and there. As a result, Mike took on the work of three, perhaps four individuals on his team. This micro-management mentality lead Mike to the opinion that he simply didn’t need anyone else’s help, he couldn’t rely on them, and furthermore that if he wanted the job done right and on-time, he should just do it himself!

We were working with high-potential mid-level managers within Mike’s organization when we first met. The parable above indicates Mike’s sincere passion for accomplishing the organization’s goals, regardless of the cost to him in his personal life or lack of sleep. We also recognized that out of all the mid-level managers who were selected to the organization’s high potential program, Mike’s team was looked upon as the superstars within the organization. However, a deeper look would tell us that this wasn’t the case due to pure talent and execution, but instead due to the actions of a maniacal leader!

When we met with Mike he informed us that he believed he was on the fast track to the C-suite. There was nothing more important for Mike than making money in the organization (“Money never sleeps, neither do I!”) This drive for success was well received by organizational leadership, however one look at Mike and his team’s interactions and you got a totally different picture. There was relatively any positive communication amongst them, and the “love in the air” around the office was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the air was rife with contemptment. Mike resented his team because he viewed them in the classic Taylorism mentality that “people are stupid and lazy, therefore they’ll need to be told exactly what to do and when.” Mike’s team saw him simply as crazy! A guy who knew no boundaries when it came to work, and while he might be looked upon as successful he certainly was no role-model or benchmark for behavior. Talented in their own rights, they saw Mike as “in it to win it for himself” and willing to sacrifice each one of them if the need arose (as it often did!)

We identified much of this “lone wolf” mentality when we debriefed his behavioral assessment. This “reality mirror” reflected back upon Mike in a manner that he quickly dismissed, rather than taking the feedback and looking for areas of opportunity to improve. We were able to have Mike complete the follow-up individual development plan, where we focused on three primary traits that we worked on in the coming months during our executive coaching sessions.

The Moral of the Story: You may be the smartest guy in the room, but unless you’re a solopreneur working for yourself/by yourself you’ve got to rely on a team to help attain goals/objectives/results! It’s not called soloship, it’s called leadership because you are leading others. No one will follow you if they don’t like (1) where you are going, and/or (2) how you treat them! The concept of the “lone wolf” is oxymoronic, as wolves hunt in packs and mate for life… perhaps a lesson for you if you’re considering going it alone!

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 3 of 12: I’m NOT Crazy!

March 23, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 3 – I’m NOT Crazy!

Elmo was identified by the leaders in his organization as a “High Potential” candidate for leadership development (HIPO). When the High Potential program opportunity was reviewed with Elmo by his manager, he was excited about the potential to participate, as only a select few within the entire company were invited to participate in such organization development. However, when the content of the High Potential program was reviewed with him, there seemed to be a different reaction. While Elmo was very excited about the opportunity to spend upwards of 22 days in the coming 12 months in developmental program sessions delivered board-room style review session (He always enjoyed attending offsite workshops in the past), the executive coaching sessions which would bridge the gap between such sessions troubled him. To be blunt, Elmo stated that executive coaching wouldn’t be necessary for him, simply because he was NOT crazy!

We were working with leadership in Elmo’s organization performing an organization development consulting project surrounding High Potential Advancement (HPA). The project consisted of the following phases:

PHASE I – Identify High Potential Candidates (HPC’s) based on their performance and leadership abilities through a series of leadership/manager interviews and assessments.
- (Examples of performance criteria include performance against goals, delivering results, level of performance, and level of development for direct reports. Examples of leadership abilities criteria include learning agility or resourcefulness, potential next career moves within the organization – vertically as well as horizontally, addressing weakness willingness/ability.)
PHASE II – Identify key leadership traits through the utilization of Behavioral Assessments. Compare/contrast candidates based on successful benchmarked organization leaders.
PHASE III – Rank High Potential Candidates (HPC’s) and hold meeting with leadership to “draft” a HIPO team (A way of selecting members to this exclusive club.) Invite High Potential Candidates who make the cut.
PHASE IV – Perform 24 sessions of leadership development training and development over a period of 12 months (Topics in the past include Strategic Planning, Change Management, Team Building concepts, Customer Retention/Customer Service, Sales skills, influence/persuasion techniques, etc.)
PHASE V – Perform two (2) coaching sessions per month with High Potential Candidates during the program in-between the leadership development training and development sessions. These sessions would be conducted by a senior level external executive coach who was prescreened for each candidate.

When we learned of Elmo’s resistance to executive coaching, we setout to discover why that was the case. Within the first five (5) minutes of our introductory conversation, it became abundantly clear why he was opposed to executive coaching. Elmo’s thought was that executive coaching was more like therapy than it was aimed at assisting him to achieve his business goals.

We identified the following as differentiators between coaching and therapy:

THERAPY

Assumes the client needs healing
Roots in medicine, psychiatry
Works with people to achieve self-understanding and emotional healing
Focuses on feelings and past events, past-orientation
Explores the root of problems
Works to bring the unconscious into consciousness
Works for internal resolution of pain and to let go of old patterns

COACHING

Assumes the client is highly-functional
Roots in business and personal growth venues
Works to motivate people to a higher level of functioning
Focuses on actions and the future; goal-orientation
Focuses on solving problems
Works with the conscious mind
Works for solutions to overcome barriers, learn new skills and implement effective choices

(Source: Hayden, C. J., and Whitworth, L. “Distinctions Between Coaching and Therapy.” International Association of Personal and Professional Coaches Newsletter, October 1995.)

When we explained these differences to Elmo, he now operated from a position of enlightenment entering into the High Potential Candidate program… He wasn’t crazy after all!

The Moral of the Story: Don’t be quick to discount the purpose behind executive coaching. While the similarities of technique might find common-ground in therapy and coaching, the desired results or focus are very different. Executive coaching is not therapy, and as such should be looked upon as a benefit extended to the employee by the organization to assist them in achieving their business goals.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: 360 degree review, behavioral assessment, executive coach, executive coaching, high potential, high potential candidate, HIPO program, leadership development, organization development, pathos leadership group

“Jolts” for Training & Development… Really?

March 22, 2011 By Sam Palazzolo

In Sivasailam Thiagarajan’s (“Thiagi” for short) latest authoring effort for Training & Development (T&D) professionals he puts together fifty (50) different ways in which one can “wake up and engage your participants” in training sessions. These “jolts” are described as moments that challenge training participants, asking them to “re-examine their comfortable assumptions and habitual practices” (Otherwise known as their comfort zones). While the book is a nice effort (272 pages, again 50 different tricks, and Thiagi is a legend in the T&D space), I wonder if this is a solution to the Organization Development (OD) problem, or the cause? Here are the facts:

The American Society of Training & Development (ASTD) reports in its “2010 State of the Industry” report:

Instructor lead “formal learning” initiatives took a slight dip from 2008’s 72.2% to 2009’s 70.4%
Technology based learning increased 31.4% to 36.5% from 2008 to 2009
Outsourcing is on the rise – 26.9% in 2009 versus 22.0% in 2008
Investing in learning is stable – $1,068 per employee in 2008 versus $1,081 in 2009
Decrease in Content Reuse – 59.5% in 2008 versus 56.3% in 2009
Results aren’t Tracked – 54.5% of organizations track behavioral changes, only 36.9% monitor an evaluation of results, and only 17.9% attempt to identify ROI (NOTE – 4.1% do NOTHING!)

I believe that these figures are conservative in nature, reflecting an optimistic T&D effort. Instead, there is much effort being placed by those organizations I partner with to increase the reach of technology. Imagine the power of a 15-20 minute eLearning module which can be viewed 24/7 by participants around the globe… Think of it as a “Google-mentality” where a learner wants to know the answer to a problem they’ve encountered and they don’t know the solution right off the bat. With a quick scan of the learning management system (LMS), they can identify a short module that they can view at their desk providing them with the much needed perspective in order to solving their problem.

The disconnect that I see with the “Jolts” concept is that each jolt-experience or exercise is 15-20-30 minutes in length (Thiagi warns that a side-effect of performing “Jolts” is that there may be strong emotional reactions… Remember those Lays potato chips with Olestra and ensuing stomach cramps? Sounds like a do-over!) This would appear to be way too long, especially considering a world that wants training delivered in short time-period intervals.

Now I don’t want everyone to think that an engaging session isn’t a goal of mine or ours here at Pathos Leadership Group. But what I can say is that we let the content stand on its own, with documented research and scientific methodologies, as well as metrics implemented to track results. I believe that a trend will be reflected in delivering content in as short a time period as possible, so that the learning moment can occur, and that the participants can return to work to begin implementing what they’ve learned ASAP. Then a coaching, or follow-up, initiative will occur in which we can monitor implementation as well as sustainment.

With the caffeine studies I’ve seen, I would have to weigh in that organizations should distribute Jolt cola instead of “Jolts”!

Sam Palazzolo is a recipient of the American Society of Training & Development’s “Certified Professional in Learning & Performance” (CPLP designation). Of the society’s 35,000 world-wide members, less than 750 have achieved such designation.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: ASTD, coaching, cplp, jolts, leadership development, organization development, organizational development, pathos leadership group, sam palazzolo, thiagi, thiagi jolts, training & development, training metrics, training results, training ROI

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 2 of 12: I Know Who I Am!

March 22, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Executive Coaching Parable 2 – I Know Who I Am!

Jane was a landmark figure in the organization. She had been with the company for 30 years, and during that timeframe had held nearly every position possible on her way to the C-Suite. Her legendary status was well earned, never expecting those who worked for her to do something that she had not previously done firsthand herself, or was willing to do! Then why was it that she was so reluctant to have a 360-degree review conducted on her behalf, and furthermore adhere to an individual development plan for herself? Her pat answer was that she had “been there, done that” and that “those 360-degree assessment instruments were for everyone BUT her!” In summary, Jane believed that she knew who she was…

We were originally alerted to Jane and her “woman in the mirror” attitude by the leadership within her organization. The new leadership team that had been assembled was having a difficult time bonding with those who had been in the organization for a lengthy tenure, and Jane seemed to be carrying the flag of resistance. Having been in the organization for a number of years, there was a sense that everyone knew who Jane was, but the new regime wanted to find out if Jane knew who she really was, or was she familiar with who she thought she was? They also realized that leaders within the organization rarely held themselves accountable for learning and growing as leaders (The common thought was “We got this far without being developed… Why start now?”)

The leadership team brought us in to perform a series of organization development initiatives. Specifically four (4) coordinated waves to be exact, the initial wave had us working with the C-Suite leadership team (ten – 10 – in total). Subsequent waves would have us worth with senior leadership (eighty – 80 – in total), mid-level managers (two hundred – 200 – in total) and subsequent front-line leaders (nearly two thousand – 2,000 – in total). At each wave level we were to conduct a series of assessments (both behavioral assessments as well as 360 degree assessments). The 360-degree results for the C-Suite team would be reviewed with each individual, and then a series of subsequent individual executive coaching sessions would be planned to aid in the development of the leader based on identified improvement areas.

When we first met with Jane and expressed to her leadership’s desire to begin the 360-degree review and executive coaching relationship, she told us “Don’t waste my time… I know who I am!” In other words, move on to those who hadn’t been there so long, or those that could better utilize and need such assessments and coaching… These 360 degree reviews and executive coaching was not for long-timers like her. Unfortunately for Jane, we listened to organizational leadership (the CEO) and she was “stuck” with us as her assessors and coach!

Jane, with much reluctance we might add, identified ten (10) subordinates, four (4) peers, as well as the CEO to perform the 360-degree review with her as the subject. While Jane might have been a good judge of who she was, apparently those that knew/worked with her were better acquainted with the perception of who she was. In other words, the Jane that the 360-degree review reflected was dramatically different from who Jane thought she was. As a result, Jane had several areas of opportunity to better acquaint those with the new/improved Jane! For example, Jane thought she as an excellent communicator (“I must be great at communicating… I give all the orders around here in order to get things done!”) However, Jane realized that while she was very good at giving direction, she was not so good at receiving input/feedback and was far from a master of listening. This was just one of the areas identified by Jane to further develop herself through continued executive coaching.

The Moral of the Story: You may think you know yourself… but people around you often see their own perception of you. This perception becomes their reality, which can be very difficult to modify/overcome (Especially when you consider the number of years one could be behaving in such a manner!) In order to get a true image of yourself, a real look in the mirror if you will, you should have a 360-degree review performed no less than annually with a comprehensive action development plan created that includes executive coaching for much needed accountability/responsibility in implementation.

Filed Under: The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: 360 degree review, behavioral assessment, executive coach, executive coaching, leadership development, organization development

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 1 of 12: Baby… I’m a Star!

March 21, 2011 By Pathos Admin

Why Executive Coaching Fails? Parable 1/12

The following parable, or myth, is one in a series of twelve, which we’ve identified at Pathos Leadership Group that accounts for executive coaching to fail! Our results-focused executive coaching is contrary to these parables, leaving executives and their organizations in a position to succeed when it comes to organization development, operational improvement, and financial success! For more information on our Executive Coaching or Organization Development initiatives contact us at info@pathosleadershipgroup.com or call 877.455.3133.

Executive Coaching Parable 1 – Baby… I’m a Star!

John was your typical “top gun” MBA school graduate who recently joined the organization. His MBA from a “top 10” ivy league school entitled him to a great starting salary, people under his command, and relatively no experience to handle the day-to-day tasks at hand. However, the one aspect which he did possess which was rarely challenged was that of confidence (or arrogance!) Whether or not John knew what to do in a given situation was up for debate. He seemed to operate best under the leadership mantra of “often wrong… never in doubt!”

We were originally alerted to John and his “top gun” attitude by the leadership within his organization. A newcomer, and a hot-shot at that, he rose the ranks within the organization with relative ease and in short order due to his passion to succeed. However, once he achieved a high enough position within the org chart, he came face to face with the leaders in the organization who were neither impressed nor bullied by his leadership style. The leaders found his skills/abilities repulsive and contrary to the mission, vision, and values that they had worked hard to establish and successfully held the organization and its members to since its inception.

When we first met with John and expressed to him leadership’s desire to begin an executive coaching relationship, he told us “Baby… I’m a star!” In other words, move on to those underlings who could better utilize and need coaching… Coaching was not for such superstars. Unfortunately for John, we listen to organizational leadership and he was “stuck” with us as his coach!

John’s belief that he operated in a space above what is needed for an executive coach engagement and to lend a helping hand within his organization is common place amongst leaders who have something to hide… the proverbial chink in the armor or Achilles heal for the organization! After our executive coaching engagement, John realized that his value to the organization was in his “new” perspective, not in his arrogant leadership style. Taking a step back and inventorying what he was truly like through assessments (behavioral assessment and 360 degree assessment) allowed him to see himself like never before.

The Moral of the Story: You may be a star… but you operate like a shooting star in that you’ll burn out quickly! Careers aren’t made overnight, but they sure are lost in short time-spans. Executive coaching is for stars who want to take over the entire solar system!

Filed Under: Featured Content, The Influential Edge Blog Tagged With: 360 degree review, behavioral assessment, executive coach, executive coaching, leadership development, organization development, pathos leadership group