Coaching is typically requested when a company wants a level of change that managers cannot help to create. One of the only ways that we can effect change is by having a strong level of confidentiality. In over a decade, we’ve worked with over 1,250 founders and executives and we have found that there needs to be a very high degree of trust between the leader and their coach to have the requisite amount of safety necessary to help the executive make important changes in their behavior. If we share their 360 or details about a leader's coaching sessions, we become less their coach and more like extensions of their management.

A coach is able to create this kind of change in part because they help the leader achieve psychological breakthroughs, which can result in new behaviors and significant shifts in their leadership abilities. In order to do this, leaders need to explore their blindspots and vulnerabilities. The coach partners with the leader to overcome some of their weaknesses and acquire new skill sets necessary to be successful.

The place where the coach and the company and/or the executive’s manager sync up is at the calibration meeting. In this meeting, the coach, executive, and superior can review the leadership plan in detail and ensure everyone is aligned on the objectives. This is also an opportunity to generally explore how we design an even stronger alliance between the executive and the superior.