Assignment:
PLEASE READ THE BELOW ESSAY AND WRITE A SUBSTANTIVE 300 WORD REPLY Make sure that you are adding new and relevant information with each this reply.
Introduction
Organizations and executives operate within modern business environments with attributes of speed, complexity, and specialization. The dynamics of these modern business models, if left unchecked, can result in lowered effectiveness and creativity, reduced collaboration, and an overall decrease in alignment between what is said and what is done (Glunk & Follini, 2010). Executive coaching carries forward the principles of various developmental, educational, psychological, and organizational practices from the mid-1980's (Hernez-Broome & Boyce, 2011). The knowledge gained through this important field of study has revitalized effort and focus on the development of people, and organization's most vital resource.
Internalized core coaching concepts and formation of coaching relationships
The individual concepts important to effective executive coaching play a direct and supportive role to each other. Under-appreciation of one coaching concept may damage or destroy a coaching relationship established with the best of intentions. Direct alignment between the objectives of the coach and the coachee is integral to successful coaching relationships. Carter, Blackman, Hicks, Williams and Hay (2007) noted that unclear development goals and a lack of agreement with the coach were noted by participants as the single greatest barrier to coaching success. Supporting the concept of alignment is the importance of self-awareness by both the coach and the coachee. The Center for Creative Leadership, along with other studies, has confirmed that a positively correlated relationship exists between executive progression through coaching and the prevalence of self-awareness (Underhill, McAnally, & Koriath, 2007). A final critical concept, supporting both alignment and self-awareness, is the ability to re-frame situations and maintain realistic expectations with enthusiasm. Intentions that are unrealistic or possess self-serving tendencies have a higher likelihood of producing unfavorable outcomes with potentially long-term consequences (Parker, Kram, & Hall, 2012).
Executive coaching values and their role in faith integration
The study of modern executive coaching practices reveals a strong relationship between the values required to support those coaching fundamentals and the teachings of the Bible. Many qualities considered essential to executive coaching concurrently serve as anchors in daily life, self-reflection, and faith formation. Trust is one value that must be present and closely held within a coaching relationship. Today's culture may suggest that trust based on faith, as opposed to indisputable facts or the presence of a physical object, is unwarranted. In contrast, the context provided by the Bible reveals that trust in God and His teachings through faith is the common denominator of all experiences in life. The value of trust is described in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) through the message, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight". A second critical value to coaching is sincere honesty about the future. The ability of a coach to re-frame the past, articulate reality, and align future possibilities is essential to maintaining the core value of honesty, which fortifies a commitment. Loneliness, despair, and defeat that can result from unfulfilled promises and expectations can be avoided by the virtue of honesty described in Mathew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God". Coaching grounded in commitment must be regarded as a bi-directional relationship. Doctoral students have an obligation to their university, professor, and fellow students. Equally, professors must keep their promise to reciprocate with their students in an honest, logical, and developmental fashion. The necessity of commitment is articulated in Proverbs 16:3, which says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." Lastly, the value of humility is essential to the relationship. Philippians 2:3 discussed the core value of humility by stating, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves". Previous experiences form the lens in which life is observed. This requires that both the coach and the coachee appreciate the other's perspectives without prejudice and judgment.
Impact of executive coaching on organizations and leadership
An organization is the manifestation of the behaviors exercised by the individuals that it. At its core, the purpose of the executive coaching relationship is to change behavior and enhance core educational concepts (Levenson, 2009). The statement by Levenson (2009) reveals the expectation that successful executive coaching extends far beyond being simply instructional, extending its focus to behaviors, values, and beliefs that result in positive strategic outcomes. It is not a coincidence that professional sports franchises who have languished in futility find success with a change in the coaching staff, player leadership, individual behaviors, and organizational expectations. Albeit an element of continuous improvement, successful transitions are not simply about the talent of one or more individuals. Rather, it is about being able to connect talent with the confidence to look forward, align that confidence with a sense of purpose and direction, communicate intentions instructively, and focus on strengths. Foundational to making this connection is the development of a coaching culture grounded taking responsibility, self-belief, and a trust that mistakes are an essential components of the coaching and development cycle (Wilson, 2011). Lastly, executive coaching that has an enduring effect cannot be accomplished simply through words. In fact, many individuals who have coached acknowledge that only a small portion of their message is communicated verbally (Bergquist & Mura, 2011), reflecting the need for acute awareness around non-verbal communication mediums such as body-language, facial expressions, and symbolism.
Relationship concepts necessary for an effective coaching encounter
A coaching relationship based on appreciative learning should consider behavioral, decisional, and alignment-based coaching concepts. These three coaching methods require the presence of key characteristics, including effective listening, empowerment, interpersonal awareness, empathy-based interaction, motivation, and the ability to re-frame negative scenarios (Bergquist & Mura, 2011). While seemingly basic, successful executive coaches excel in their ability to deeply understand and recognize the proper concepts to deploy throughout an executive coaching process. Even the most experienced coaches may encounter challenges in appropriately identifying and measuring an effective coaching encounter. With an appreciation of these challenges, organizations and executive coaches must remain diligent in avoiding relationships where agreement on outcomes cannot be secured, emotions may obstruct perspective, or a lack commitment may exist (Carter, Blackman, Hicks, Williams, & Hay, 2007).
Conclusion
Drucker (2009) eloquently articulated the misconception held by many individuals that they know their key strengths and assume others maintain those same strengths. Further, organizations with a bias that coaching is appropriate for all individuals will continue to invest in low yield, deficit-based approaches that have a limited ability to effect long-term personal change (Dyck, 2017). By integrating the most essential concepts, values, and relationship behaviors noted above in the executive coaching process, organizations will begin to build a foundation of coaching practicality that results in intentional change.
References:
Bergquist, W., & Mura, A. (2011). Coachbook: A guide to organizational coaching strategies and practice. Seattle, WA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN: 978145652953.
Carter, A., Blackman, A., Hicks, B., Williams, M., & Hay, R. (2007). Perspectives on effective coaching by those who have been coached. International Journal of Training and Development, 21(2).
Drucker, P. F. (1999). Managing oneself. In Management challenges for the 21st century (pp. 162-195). New York, NY: Harper Business.
Dyck, L. R. (2017). Coaching with distinctive human strengths for intentional change. Journal of Leadership, Accountability, and Ethics, 14(2).
Glunk, U., & Follini, B. (2010, May 7, 2010). Polarities in executive coaching. Journal of Management Development, 30(2), 222-230.
Hernez-Broome, G., & Boyce, L. A. (2011). Advancing executive coaching: Setting the course for successful leadership coaching. G. Hernez-Broome & L. A. Boyce (Eds.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Levenson, A. (2009). Measuring and maximizing the business impact of executive coaching. Consulting Psychology Journal, 61(2), 103-121.
Parker, P., Kram, K. E., & Hall, D. T. (2012). Exploring risk factors in peer coaching: A multilevel approach. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 49(3), 361-387.
Underhill, B. O., McAnally, K., & Koriath, J. J. (2007). Executive coaching for results: The definitive guide to developing organizational leaders. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN: 9781576754481.
Wilson, C. (2011). Developing a coaching culture. Industrial and commercial training, 407-414.