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Executive Coaching Process (ECP)

FAQ's

1. How is E C P different from other approaches to executive coaching?

The Executive Coaching Process uses the best practices from executive coaching and distance learning to help individuals take small, significant steps to achieve important business and personal development goals.

There are several unique features including:

• An approach based upon research in the field of individual / organizational development and grounded in the experience of working with senior leaders.
• Practicing of specific strategies for identifying and addressing business issues.
• A structured, focused outcome oriented process.
• An Internet based goal-tracking process that helps promote learning from experience.
• Regular personal contact through multiple coaching methods (face to face, phone, Internet)
  

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2. What do you mean by coaching?

For me, coaching is:

• A guided, structured experience for helping someone achieve important business and personal goals.
• A process of setting goals, creating plans, taking action and learning from those actions.
• Providing a ‘space for reflection’; to slow things down enough so that experience can be understood differently.

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3. What kinds of coaching assignments have you had?

Over the past 15 years the kinds of coaching assignments I have had fall into five general types.

1. Executives in trouble (“de-railing”).
2. Executives needing to improve their job performance in some particular area.
3. Someone taking on a new role or assignment for which they have no previous experience.
4. Some one who is about to be promoted into an executive role for the first time.
5. High potential candidates who are 3-5 years away from taking on an executive role.

While each type requires some differences in both approach and duration all employ the use of face to face, phone and virtual contact.

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4. Who is involved?

While each coaching assignment has some unique aspects generally there are four roles that are always involved.

1. Owner: (Person receiving coaching).
2. Sponsor: (Person who has organizational accountability for evaluating the quality of the Owner’s work).
3. HR: (Optional – Person who is responsible for employee development options)
4. Coach: Bruce Reed

Often times the head of HR may be involved in the initial contracting discussion, giving feedback on progress and evaluating the final result.

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5. How does the coaching happen?

There are three types of coaching contacts; face to face meetings, phone conversations and virtual (through on line exchanges via the Internet based software Development Engine). A schedule of coaching contacts is established at the beginning of the contract that includes dates and times for the three types of contacts.

Face to Face

There are typically four face to face sessions.

• An initial one day meeting that includes on site interviews, contracting, and identification of an initial goal(s) and 10 day action plan.
• A ½ day session that takes place about 30 days after the initial session.
• A ½ day mid-point progress review.
• A ½ day final session. The session begins with a 45 minute to one hour progress review with the owner and sponsor. Following that meeting there is a two and a half to three hour wrap up with the Owner to develop a going forward plan.

There may also be additional face to face sessions with the owner to address current issues or opportunities as needed.

Phone Conversations

In a 6 months period there are generally 8 scheduled phone sessions. The calls are between 1.5 to 2.0 hours and focus on real time issues and opportunities.

Virtual Coaching

The ‘virtual coaching’ component takes place through the use of an Internet based program call Development Engine™. During a 6 month coaching period there are 7 to 8 of these up-dates. DE up-dates usually require about 20 to 25 minutes to complete. As your coach I will be reading your up-dates and providing comments, suggestions and questions for you to consider.

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6. What is your experience as a coach?

For the past 10 years I have been an internal and external coach for over 100 executives and managers in a variety of businesses and industries in small, medium and large companies and organizations.

Some of the companies and organizations I have done executive coaching work for are:

I continue to be involved in research on how take the lessons of experience and turn them into tactical, practical tools for use on the job. My focus has been on ways to help companies and individuals get results from coaching and leadership development experiences.

I have a doctorate from Boston University in the area of counseling and psychological development.

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7. What can I expect from you as my coach?

I find that a balance between providing support and challenge helps people get the best results. I tend to listen, ask questions and provide observations in order to help you examine options and alternatives. I will also offer ‘tools’ you can use when addressing problems on the job or in your personal life.

In cases where I sense a person’s commitment to their development is waning, I ask for a time out to discuss if continuing makes sense.

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