Coaching for Impact

The Evolution of Leadership

Vassilis Antonas

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351615952
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Industrial & Organizational Psychology
• Index: Psychology

The world is changing. The first century of the third millennium has seen exponential growth and advancement in almost all areas, and makes the last century of the second millennium look like a rusty old steam train by comparison.

The 'digital revolution' is no longer a revolution. Practically anyone can publicise their outlook, whilst having access to a wealth of information at the click of a button. And this levels out the playing field in an unprecedented and unpredictable way.

So how can anyone stand out? How can anyone gain a competitive advantage? How can anyone master more influence?

How can anyone lead?

The answer lies in coaching: a discipline that enhances performance by generating meaning through the art of relating.

In Coaching for Impact, Vassilis Antonas brings together his dual expertise in executive coaching and psychotherapy to present a transformative, evolutionary approach. The book examines methodology, presence and fundamental skills and includes a new, innovative model of leadership. Antonas also uses Jungian concepts to address the coach's internal disposition, supporting their evolution and transformation.

Coaching for Impact equips trainee and beginner coaches with an A to Z of executive coaching and engages seasoned practitioners to an uncompromised pursuit of excellence by pushing the boundaries of leadership coaching. It will appeal to executive and leadership coaches at all levels, including those in training.

Chapter 1

Becoming a coach

Take your eyes off the problem … don’t even focus on the solution. Just seek the opportunity.

Whereas there is a fair amount of literature on how to coach, some of it particularly good, I feel some other questions are slightly overlooked, avoided or even sugar coated under a thin, politically correct frosting of “anyone can coach” or something to that effect. It may sound harsh; however, coaching is not for everybody, it is not suitable for all circumstances, it can be done in the wrong way and timing matters. Below I will try to present some answers, as my experience and expertise dictate, on four important questions, which you may wish to also ask yourselves before reading on, especially if you have not yet fully committed to becoming an executive coach: Who, why, when and how?

Who can become an executive coach?

“I’m (chronically) vulnerable”, eventually turns into a blackmailing mandate; compelling that one’s emotion, controls another’s behaviour.

I find it easier to begin answering this question in an anticlockwise direction. Who should not become an executive coach? Psychotherapists whose sole reason for moving into the corporate world is to supplement their income; counsellors who perceive the notion of profitability or even success as anathema; leftists, anarchists and anachronistic socialists (in the confined, absolutist sense of the terms) who feel the same, unless they feel they can offer their services to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), “for good” organisations, charities, etc. (which is a beautiful thing); executives who have hit a hard wall in their career and are driven by desperation; “romantics” or those wearing the Persona of a romantic, who just want to “help someone” and/or “change the world”, when in fact all they are craving is a few crumbs of authority (fortunately and despite all the risks it poses, “life coaching” has absorbed the majority of these individuals); anyone who feels that their existing knowledge and expertise, regardless of the level of proficiency, will suffice to practise coaching and that there is no need for further training; anyone who practises coaching after a couple of weekend seminars. The list could go on; however, I am confident that by now you get the point.

So, who does that leave? It leaves all of the above and many more, provided that they re-examine their motives and fulfil the criteria listed below. See if you can recognise yourself:

1 You strongly believe in unlocking potential and optimising performance: (If you find yourself questioning or philosophising around the terms “potential” and “performance”, then you may be suitable for a career that focuses more on meaning and fulfilment [such as counselling or “life coaching”]). Even though executive coaching takes these factors seriously into consideration, performance remains its primary deliverable. For those still wondering, performance in the corporate world is numerically assessed and it means bigger, better, faster and any other comparative, which will put the executive and their organisation in the driver’s seat and maximise influence.

2 You have undertaken some personal work, which has generated sufficient self-awareness: We all come with our set of assumptions, limiting beliefs, (please see Chapter 4: Fundamental skills: “Generating data”: “The Gestalt Cycle”: Introjects), bias, principles, etc. We will be leaking and projecting some of those onto our clients, no matter what and this will have a considerable impact on our work. The important thing is to keep this distortion within a manageable context, employ damage limitation and perhaps even use who we are to the advantage of the coachee. Since the enhancement of awareness and self-awareness is a fundamental aspect of coaching (any kind of coaching), we need to be able to model this effectively and implicitly by walking the talk. Most serious coaching training programs incorporate a fundamental element of self-exploration even though for those wishing to take matters even further, personal psychotherapy or psychoanalysis can provide an even richer, wider, solid base and I strongly recommend it for coaches who take their work seriously.

3 You have a basic understanding of psychological principles: This does not necessarily mean being a qualified psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor. Even though such qualifications can give you a head start in one direction, they may constrict you in another, as already discussed. At the same time, you need a basic understanding of “what gets people going”, an ability to read between the lines and beyond the obvious and the capacity to separate process from content (please see Chapter 4: Fundamental skills: “Generating data”: “Psychodynamic competencies and the use of self”: “Process versus content”).

4 You have a fair grasp of business principles: Again, this does not necessarily restrict coaching to those from a business background, though it can be just as helpful as having a background in psychology. Executive coaching aims primarily at increasing performance in order to increase profitability. Understanding how a business works and coming to terms with its commercial nature is of the essence.

5 You value being proactive over troubleshooting: Many consultants thrive on having to tackle problems and being able to provide solutions. Coaching is a different ballgame altogether. You support the generation of data for your client and then you proceed to share the accountability of co-creating alternative, multidimensional and transformational interventions. It is a frame of mind rather than a skill set and in some ways this is what this book is all about. This is also the reason why I would encourage coaches to consider themselves as consultants with executive coaching skills rather than professional executive coaches. Therefore …

6 You view individuals as part of a system rather than an isolated entity: This consideration separates the coach who can improve an individual from the coach who can create real added value for the company that recruits them. In order to be able to understand your coachee, their role, their needs and their required contribution within the corporation, you need to obtain a solid understanding of the organisation. Your primary task as a coach is to align your executive’s performance with their organisation’s strategy. In order to do that you need to be able to access organisational data (by establishing and maintaining contact with key stakeholders); you need to secure sufficient authority to be able to implement your proposals; and you need to have the know-how to be able to do so for the benefit of the system. It is my opinion that a coach is first and foremost an Organisational Development Consultant, and even though this text focuses on the individual’s development within an organisation, the material will be presented with a systemic predisposition in mind.

Why become an executive coach?

The previous section partly presented my thoughts on why you should not become an executive coach. There are, however, several good reasons as to why you should. For a start, the fundamentals for a great career (job satisfaction, work environment, pay rate and progression prospects) provide potential for excellence. More specifically:

• Supporting people’s growth and improvement is a noble cause and amounts to tons of job satisfaction.

• It is just as suitable for people wanting to change their career as it is for people who want to stay in it. Coaching is first and foremost a skill and therefore can be as useful to an executive as to a consultant.

• For an executive, it clearly increases influence. People will flock around you to benefit from the ways you can help them. In addition, you learn how to get things done easier, faster, sustainably and overall more effectively.

• For a freelancer, it encompasses all the benefits of being independent: control over your working hours, absence of a boss (though an increase in the number of people you will be reporting to) and fewer excuses regarding the internal politics and circumstances, which inhibit your career progress.

• You do not need to give up what you are doing. This is a huge advantage for a multitude of reasons: You (and your clients) continue to benefit from your existing expertise (for example, your mental health, management consulting or business background) and you can maintain your existing flow of income, thus risking less from a sudden career change.

• As a freelancer, it will not get boring. There is rotation in your work environment, colleagues, objectives, approach and methodology and challenges.

• As an executive, it will not get boring either: Coaching opens up a multitude of aspects and dimensions and generates potential and momentum which can be an excellent source of new-found interest in one’s work.

• Coaching training for executives is an express ride on the train of career advancement. I have carefully observed the career progress of more than 100 of our training’s alumni and I can testify and substantiate that their rate of ascent is much faster than that of the average executive. Middle management are now in C-level positions (e.g. CEO, CFO) and C-level executives hold regional posts or are part of the company’s central HQ.

• The pay rate can be very satisfactory. As a beginner (provided you have completed substantial training and your practice hours), your rate per session should feature three digits. As your career progresses, an hourly rate of a few or several hundred Euros, Pounds or Dollars is not unreasonable. The hourly rate for top coaches in developed markets can reach a few thousand Euros per session. In addition, conducting sessions via web conference, therefore gaining global access and charging global rates, is certainly possible.

When should you become an executive coach?

Timing is of the essence in almost everything we do in life. Coaching is no exception. My personal opinion is that the best time to engage with your coaching training is once you have successfully established yourself in your existing career, which for most of us amounts to approximately a decade from when we started. This renders your move a proactive quest for excellence. Going at it because you are nearing burnout, because your compromised performance got you fired or because you want to “help” people, but can’t be bothered with the long clinical training required to become a therapist constitute your choice one of necessity; and that surely can’t stand as good timing. Approaching coaching as the panacea to all your troubles (personal or professional) is also not a great idea.

At the same time, it is your internal state of affairs (i.e., how you interpret what is happening for you rather than what is actually happening) which makes choices right – or wrong. However, a certain level of professional and personal maturity is required if you are to help others improve. For instance, I would be hesitant to recruit a 23 year old, with a couple of years of work experience and a fragile sense of self and direction, on Impact’s Diploma course, simply because they are eager to gain some kind of credential or accreditation (a profile which accounts for approximately 10% of the applications we receive [and of course reject] each year for the Diploma). We maintain a cut-off point of 25 years of age, though in reality we have never recruited anyone under 30.

I trust and hope that the three previous sections (who, why and when) have challenged and supported all those interested in following the coach’s path in equal measure. So if you are still reading, here are the basics of how to equip yourself for the job.

How do you become an executive coach?

Before presenting some of the practicalities, it is worth paying attention to the required frame of mind. The seasoned coach will eventually place emphasis on “being” rather than “doing”. Even though once it becomes natural, it is difficult to regress, achieving this type of presence requires time and the travelling of significant distance – not to mention the necessity of “getting it wrong” several times. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) practitioners advocate that knowledge is achieved in four stages: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence and unconscious competence.

I feel that it is particularly useful for the apprentice coach to begin their journey with this in mind. The first stage, unconscious incompetence, is our natural state of being in relation to any craft that we have not studied – and should be taken as a given. The second stage occurs once we accumulate the minimum expertise required to provide us with an understanding of the amount of work required to achieve excellence. Experts in all fields return to the conscious incompetence stage very frequently and respectfully work towards their goals as if stuck there. Being aware of what you cannot do is vital and is the only way to pursue optimum performance.

Figure 1.1 Four stages of competence

Conscious competence is the most honest and straightforward stage. It consists of applying knowledge in an orderly and structured way so that it creates a fairly predictable outcome. The trainee coach’s anxiety to accumulate various tools (such as profilers), techniques (such as GROW; see Whitmore, 2009, p. 55) and m...