Executive Coaching

Within three months, the MD was delighted that the Director had become "more tolerant, more receptive – actually a decent guy."
Client

London-based Director of Marketing for a rating agency

Requirement

Help for an individual needing to make behavioural changes to prevent his career stalling.

The Oakwood City approach

We believe that the coaching relationship should be a genuine partnership.

First, we get to know and understand the organisation. Then we begin a coaching relationship by getting to know each other as people. We then forge an agreement about the purpose, nature and likely duration of the coaching relationship.

In this case, the purpose was to assist somebody through behaviour change. While highly regarded by the team he managed in the UK, he was regarded as aggressive by his manager and colleagues in the US.  Indeed, people in the US had said they did not want to work directly with him on projects.

The very first phrase he used when we met was, “My boss is an idiot!”  That gave some measure of the attitude behind the apparent curt and aggressive behaviour noted on frequent conference calls and in face-to-face meetings.
Crucially, the client realized that his behaviour towards colleagues in the US was compromising his career progression, so he was open to support and guidance.

Our subsequent coaching sessions (weekly for a month, then monthly for five more months) followed a typical process of:

  • Guidance on communication skills, particularly questioning and listening.
  • Agreeing and setting small goals related to behaviours and desired outcomes.
  • Frequent positive reinforcement of success - the best thing to build on.
  • Discussion of problems and disappointments, with the emphasis on the client taking opportunities to propose and pursue alternatives.
  • The development, in the client, of techniques for self-monitoring, self-recognition and positive reinforcement.
As well as getting feedback from the client, we elicited regular feedback from his MD in New York and HR in the UK.  Within three months, the MD was delighted that the Director had become “more tolerant, more receptive – actually a decent guy.” At our six month review, the changes had been sustained and all parties involved valued the effect that differences in the client’s behaviour had on working relationships.

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