When a poor leadership style is
revealed by climate surveys or 360
feedback, ugly symptoms like frequent turnover and low morale may
already have a foothold in the company.
There are many ineffective leadership
styles — from being too collaborative, too
analytical, too controlling or too slow —
that can send employees running to the
exits.
“One of the most difficult styles for teams
is when the leader is perceived as arrogant
and self-serving,” says Linda Miller, global
liaison for coaching, The Ken Blanchard
Companies. “This style often results in a
team that is demoralized or stalled in its
development toward self-reliance because
the leader wants to be overly involved.”
Smart Business recently spoke with
Miller about how executive coaching, if
properly sold and embraced, can help
struggling leaders recognize behaviors like
arrogance that, when changed, create
opportunities for exponential personal and
team growth.
How is an executive best sold on a coaching
program?
Especially with high-level leaders, it’s
important to position executive coaching
as an investment, based on wanting them to
progress upward in the company. Even
when behaviors need to be addressed, positioning coaching as an investment rather
than as a punishment creates higher buy-in
from the leader.
One of the first areas to address with arrogant and self-serving leaders is their level of
self-awareness. Often with arrogance, the
level of self-awareness is low, even though
the leader may not agree that it’s low. Denial
might be another way to put it. Getting this
leader’s attention is a first step, and this can
occur through multirater (360) feedback
tools. Part of the purpose and goal of coaching is to get agreement that the leader is
behaving in a way that is having an unintended impact. If the leader doesn’t agree
that behaviors need to change, it limits the
success of the coaching. The success of the
coaching improves when the leader is fully
engaged with the process and recognizes
that behaviors must change.
What happens in the early phases of the
coach/leader relationship?
In the interview and early phases of
coaching, rapport and credibility must be
established within the first few minutes.
Whether the initial coaching contacts are
by telephone or face to face, there has to be
a sense that there is a good connection and
partnership for a working relationship. Part
of this is establishing a clear agreement
about what coaching is and is not, what to
expect, logistics, etc. It’s also important to
establish the leader’s level of buy-in. For
example, is the leader complying with the
coaching because he or she was required to
be coached, or does the leader want to be
coached, knowing that he or she is engaging in the process as a choice for his or her
own development? Once this is determined, it’s time to identify and clarify the
focus for the coaching. Identifying at least
two to three clear objectives for coaching,
based on feedback, is best. Many leaders
decide to invite their leader or HR professional into this conversation to ensure the
correct objectives are being addressed —
for the leader as well as the organization.
How do accomplished leaders first react to
the coaching experience?
There are a variety of responses. Many
have no idea what to expect. Some don’t
want the truth and are reluctant or defensive. Others embrace the coaching eagerly.
I’ve been asked, ‘What makes you credible
to coach me, and why should I talk with
you?’ Another commented, ‘I have no idea
what coaching is or why I’m here. Am I in
trouble?’ Another said, ‘I know where I
want to go in this company, but I’m not getting there. I’m committed to moving forward.’ In a best-case scenario, the leader
will be open with the coach and express
concerns, skepticism or hope so that the
responses can be addressed early.
What benefits await leaders who make the
commitment to coaching?
Leaders who embrace coaching can find
themselves growing exponentially. Remember, we are talking about high-functioning
people. When they embrace coaching, they
often recognize behaviors or results they
hadn’t seen before, and they can use this to
make substantial changes in their team.
A great example is the senior leader who
knew he was going to be tapped for an
executive position, and coaching was
offered to him for his development. Many
years before, this person had seriously
offended an executive leader in the organization and now this executive was blocking his promotion. As part of the coaching,
the leader decided that he needed to clean
up this old mess, and he spent several
coaching sessions planning his approach.
When he called the executive and took
responsibility for the situation that had
occurred, he was amazed at the executive’s
response. Several months later, the leader
was tapped for the executive position and
ultimately found out that his former adversary had become one of his biggest advocates. This is just one of the prizes that can
await those who embrace coaching.
LINDA MILLER is global liaison for coaching at The Ken Blanchard Companies and co-author of a new book entitled, “Coaching in
Organizations: Best Coaching Practices from The Ken Blanchard Companies.” Reach her through The Ken Blanchard Companies Web
site at www.kenblanchard.com/miller.
