Executives are busy people so fitting coaching into their schedule has to be achieved in a planned way and well in advance. An executive’s requirements from a coaching relationship will be varied and individual so there is no “one size fits all” approach to executive coaching. This form of coaching is fluid and dynamic and, at the same time, disciplined and focused.

Establishing a baseline is important. This is done through an assessment that has the capacity to establish levels of skill and effectiveness in areas relevant to performance, as described in role or position descriptions. Often this is a 360 degree review or a self evaluation with checking mechanisms. The time spent on establishing baselines is very valuable because it provides the coach, and the company, with a measure to apply against improvement. For this reason the assessment tool needs to be one that can be applied quickly, without too much inconvenience to other people, as it may need to be repeated from time to time. It needs to be accessible to a number of people and easy to analyse. Using online performance measurement and feedback may provide a review that has integrity. Whatever method is used it will form the basis for discussions on the reasons for coaching and the goals that need to be achieved.

Simply establishing the results of a 360 or self evaluation review is not enough to form the basis for coaching executives. Leadership and management are also about innovation and strategic skills and these are sometimes neglected in these types of reviews, or it is inappropriate for them to be assessed this way. Executive coaches need to conduct a Leadership Skills Audit to contribute to baseline knowledge. Leadership skills audits look at the social, cultural, political and strategic aspects of leadership, with emphasis on how the executive has performed historically. An approach to innovation assessment is to conduct a performance review focusing on history of innovation. A self evaluation is most appropriate for this purpose and encourages the executive to reflect on past practice in innovation and how innovation has been implemented.

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From assessment we move into coaching practice. An agreement is struck on the number of hours per week/ month and the time this will occur. How long will the program continue? It is important to discuss the finish line – the time frame for measuring the effectiveness of the coaching strategy.  It may be that over time coaching becomes part of the normal routine for an executive. A new program needs to have review dates to establish how much value is added by coaching. In agreeing the review date it is necessary to be realistic about the length of time it will take to achieve results and bed down the required changes.

 Whilst there does need to be flexibility, in deference to the busy schedules an executive may have, it is important to obtain a commitment to the coaching program. This may mean earlier starts to the day, fitting in around planned breaks in the day, or meeting at night. Most coaches would prefer to work with executives early in the morning, setting a positive and highly motivated start to the day. However it is necessary to fit schedules so coaches will be flexible on how that can be achieved. Once a time has been established it is important to subsume coaching into a regular routine. Coaching needs to become as routine as cleaning teeth and something that can’t be skipped unless in response to crisis! Two sessions each week is a good start and one that will keep the agenda at the forefront of the client’s thinking. If the program includes more than one executive from a company it may be beneficial to have fortnightly or monthly group executive coaching meetings and these need to be scheduled well in advance.