Taking Care of Business

The Holbrow Group is on a mission to help leaders and teams achieve even more than they ever thought possible, to help them stand courageously upright despite the riptides of conflict and challenge, to get more done in less time, and to develop the best possible relationships with others, inside and external to their organization.

We suspect that’s a mission you can get behind, as well. There’s a lot at stake in every decision you make, and we invite you to consider us as partners in your efforts to help your organization reach its goals.

What to look for in an Executive Coach

The Holbrow Group has helped hundreds of Human Resource professionals throughout Canada and around the world find the right coaches for their organization. We specialize in executive, team, leadership training and retirement readiness coaching, and we recognize that not everyone is familiar with the power of strong coaching in generating off-the-charts results for a company. So, we’ve put together this a list of priorities you might find valuable in finding the right coach for your organization.

1. Learn more about what coaching is designed to do
Although coaching has been around for many years, it’s becoming more widely recognized as an organization’s “secret weapon” in the drive to benefit the bottom line. The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” You may want to visit the ICF website to further familiarize yourself with coaching before you start looking for the right coach for your employees.

2. Select the type of coaching that will best serve your organization’s needs
Coaching has become more widely recognized as an organization’s “secret weapon,” and you can bet that if an executive is maximizing their potential, your company will benefit. Allocating a portion of your organizational development budget to a coaching program is a serious commitment and although the ROI has been estimated at nearly six times the dollars spent, it’s important to choose wisely. There are a number of broad areas of coaching and you’ll want to think carefully about which type is most likely to meet your organization’s goals:

• Executive/Business/Corporate/Leadership Coaching
• Team Development Coaching
• Career/Transition Coaching
• Health and Wellness Coaching
• Personal and Life Coaching
• Team Leadership Development Coaching
• Retirement Readiness

3. Look for Professional Training and Experience
There are countless coaches advertising their services on the Internet and it’s important to have some search criteria to help narrow down your list of candidates. Even if you’ve received a few referrals from satisfied clients, you still need to determine which coach will work best with your organization. We recommend you start by asking what training the coach has completed, and with which program. What certifications have they obtained? How does the coach demonstrate continuous learning through ongoing professional training? The answers to these questions will help differentiate the highly professional coaches from those who take a less-dedicated approach to the field.

4. Background and related experience
Find out what relevant experience each coach has. Ask yourself if the coach has the experience, skill set and finesse to help meet your organization’s performance or developmental needs. How will the coach challenge targeted coachees to achieve real growth in themselves and the organization? Have they had any experience in a company or industry similar to yours?

5. Make a short list of coaches and interview them to see how they rate in terms of chemistry and fit.
Proper credentials and strong background experience are just starting points. You’ll want to listen to each coach’s tone of voice, as well as the questions he or she each asks, to help give you a sense of how well they will fit with your organizational culture, and the needs of current and future leaders within it. Trust your gut.

6. Does their philosophy and approach feel aligned with organizational values?
Determine the coach’s philosophy on coaching. Does he or she appear willing to make your organization’s agenda, the agenda?

7. Coaching process/program
Discuss the anticipated process the coach will follow to help guide the coachee (or team) through a rich learning and action-oriented journey. Beware of jargon; get clear on expectations.

8. Tool kit
Find out how extensive the leadership assessment tools the coach offers are. Is he or she a trained and an authorized facilitator? How does the coach debrief assessment tools and integrate the results into the coaching process?

9. Success stories…and have they “been there”?
What other organizations or companies have the coach worked with? What examples can he or she share (without breaking confidentiality) to show how other clients have moved forward in their leadership or career? Note that because of confidentiality agreements, the coach may not be able to post names of former clients on his or her website. However, he or she should be willing to share the names of those who have agreed to offer a reference on a confidential basis.

10. Has the coach “been there”?
If you are arranging coaching for the CEO, a member of senior management, or a team, it’s especially important to find out if the coach has experience in management. The individual being coached will be more comfortable and more receptive if he or she feels the coach has “been in his or her shoes.”

That should give you a place to start. But perhaps you’d rather cut to the chase and speak with us directly? The Holbrow Group offers executive coaching for CEOs and senior managers, and we offer team coaching and leadership development coaching by the best coaches in the business. Is someone in your organization heading towards retirement? Our retirement readiness coaching will help make that transition a positive and successful experience for the individual and for your organization.

In other words, we’ll be in your corner. We won’t let you down.

And we’ll be pleased to help you take care of your business.

Contact Us Today
Are we the right fit for helping you map out and maintain your path to a thriving career and rewarding personal life? Finding out is simple. Call The Holbrow Group at 905-301-2264 to schedule an exploratory phone conversation so you can determine if we’re aligned with your objectives.