SelfhelpMagazine

by John E. Glass, Ph.D.

Question

How do you structure the first executive coaching session?

Answer

Present the executive with a checklist of the issues contained in the informed consent agreement (this was sent to the executive prior to the meeting). These need to be discussed and agreed upon to prepare the ground for a professional consulting relationship. Invite the executive to add issues and to choose the order in which they are reviewed. Also request that they "chair" this meeting in which the two of you work through the consulting understandings.

At a minimum, include in your informed consent agreement:

• privacy and confidentiality issues (describe your reporting responsibilities to the company)
• arrange a meeting schedule
• decide on the location of meetings (discuss the feasibility of e-mail or telephone meetings)
• establish a procedure for re-scheduling or terminating meetings
• establish initial goals for your meetings
• explicitly state communication assumptions
• clarify the role(s) the executive and the executive coach play (the interaction assumptions for each actor)
• (if the executive is paying for the services) discuss the business terms and conditions

The executive is required to sign this agreement in this, or the second, session.

Reserve at least ten minutes for the executive to bring up any issue they care to. If there is no pressing issue, ask them to describe their executive duties.

The levels of trust and motivation of executives who request executive enhancement are significantly higher than for executives requested to participate in executive remediation. This makes for very different initial levels of openness and cooperation between the two programs. Specifically, in setting goals for executive remediation , the executive coach needs to supportively state the performance goals set by the executive's superiors.

The executive is encourage to express their feelings and concerns about these goals and about the relatively involuntary nature of executive remediation. These issues have to be dealt with over and over again, until they don't have to be dealt with.

About the Author:

John E. Glass, Ph.D. is a sociological practitioner with over 11 yearsexperience as a consultant, educator, counselor, educator, and researcher.He is on the Board of the American Academy of Sociological Practitioners, on the faculty of the Institute for Integral Development, a member of the Sociological Practice Association, and a member of the International Coach Federation.

Behavioral Dynamics Consulting, "Stay Whole, Feed Your Soul", 3520 Cedar Springs Avenue, Suite B, Dallas, Texas 75219, Voice: 214.526.8676 Fax: 214.526.0500