Last issue, we talked about the important role the boss plays in successful coaching by providing informed feedback to both the coach and the executive who is being coached. This time, we look at two more critical responsibilities: creating an environment that fosters development and change, and providing ongoing feedback.

The most accomplished executive coach in the world could not achieve results if the environment in which executives operate did not accommodate change. Unfortunately, in some organizations, senior executives who try to correct deficiencies are sometimes perceived to be weak. To avoid this situation, two things must happen:

1. People who want to change must be willing to experiment with behaviors that take them out of their comfort zone, and

2. There needs to be institutional space for change to occur.

Expanding the Comfort Zone

Let's say an executive is overly verbose, to the point that he finishes other people's sentences. It's not intentional; it's just a habit that has developed over the years out of enthusiasm for the subject being discussed.

If that executive tries to change, and begins to make progress, but then falls back on his old habits, the organization must be willing to cushion the fall. There must be room to accommodate the efforts to change, even if they're not always successful.

The boss can help create institutional space for change, even if people go "two steps forward and one step back," by acknowledging their progress and encouraging others to do the same. At the same time, people can help their own cause by acknowledging their attempts to change, even when they are not fully successful.

In our example, the loquacious executive can tell his colleagues, "I know one of the habits I've got is that I finish people's sentences, and I just want to let you know that I'm really going to work on that and try to change it. If I do that with you, or you see me doing it with somebody else, I'm actually asking you to let me know when I do it again." By giving people permission to interrupt the behavior he wants to change, the executive has managed to create more institutional space for his personal development.

Providing Ongoing Feedback

Coaching will not succeed if the individual who is being coached does not believe that the coach will maintain confidences.

Whenever a boss asks me, "So, how's it going?" I simply reply with another question: "Well, you tell me -- how it's going?" If a boss cannot observe behavioral changes, does it really matter what the coach thinks? What is important is for the boss to be paying attention to the executive who is being coached and give that person regular feedback.

Thus, the boss in our example might say to the talkative executive, "I've noticed how hard you are working at not finishing other people's sentences, and I think it's great. I know you're not going to be perfect at it. That's okay. The effort is clearly there and I just want to let you know I'm seeing some results. And, quite honestly, other people have noticed your efforts, too. Keep up the good work."

The boss cannot "outsource" this feedback to the coach. It's got to be direct and genuine. Delivered sincerely, it goes a long way toward reinforcing the behavior the executive is trying to improve, and helps create a positive environment for developmental change.
 

Newly hired executives are often so focused on meeting their managers' expectations during the on-boarding process that they frequently neglect to build strong relationships with key "stakeholders." These can include significant clients, important peers and senior executives with clout -- especially those who are not necessarily in the new hire's chain of command.

The important steps are to:

• Identify up front who the key stakeholders are;v
• Make a solid first impression on them; and
• Learn what you can do to support and work with them.

Identifying stakeholders begins during the recruiting process. Oftentimes, the people you meet when you interview include many of your important internal stakeholders. For example, a candidate for the position of chief financial officer (CFO) will likely meet the chief operating officer, chief technology officer and several board members, including those who serve on the audit committee. These individuals are all stakeholders with a vested interest in the CFO's success.

Make a list of these stakeholders as you meet them. Research their backgrounds on the Internet, looking for common ground you can use to build relationships. When you join your new organization, ask your assistant who else might be important for you to meet. Names will surface in your discussions with your direct reports as well.

As you begin to settle into your new job, call your stakeholders to introduce yourself and schedule a meeting. Remember, it's not their responsibility to seek you out (although it is nice when they do). If calling is difficult, you can introduce yourself by e-mail, but do so as a last resort and do so humbly. For example, "I've just begun in my new role and was told that you are someone I should meet. I'd like to schedule lunch or a meeting with you at your convenience." In your first few weeks, always have your assistant or your manager's assistant review your messages for content and tone before you send them - particularly your initial messages.

Those First Meetings

If your first meetings are not breakfast or lunch, hold them in your stakeholders' offices. Use the opportunity to do a lot of listening, ask questions and take notes. Display an eagerness to work together. Learn what experiences your stakeholders have had with your team and department. Conclude by thanking them for their time and support, and follow up promptly on any inquiries, action steps or assignments they gave you.

Remember: You're not there to be an order taker, but you can still be an excellent listener and learner. Share your views sparingly, and don't dominate the discussion. The main thing you want your stakeholders to get out of these meetings is that their opinions were thoughtfully considered and their time was valued. The main thing you want to get out of this meeting is a solid footing for your relationship and good information that will help you move forward.

Pay attention to assistants, too. One of your most influential stakeholders is your manager's assistant. Be sure to enlist his or her support as you go forth. Your stakeholders' assistants are also stakeholders. Introduce yourself, address them by name and show respect for their roles in the organization.

Things to Learn from Your Stakeholders

Early on, find out how you can best work with your stakeholders. If your organization has provided you with an executive coach to help with the on-boarding process, make this subject a principal focus of your meetings.

In particular, discover your stakeholders' most pressing business challenges. Learn their business priorities, if they wish to share them; and if they are a client of yours, identify any immediate needs that they have to which you can respond. Assure them you'll look into it and get back to them quickly - and then do so post-haste. You will find that your stakeholders will quickly become your allies and biggest supporters.

CEO tenures are becoming increasingly nasty, brutish and short. Some 60% of today's Fortune 500 CEOs have held their jobs for six years or less.
- The Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2005

Extensive research into corporate leadership trends shows a significant increase in "CEO churn" - the resignations and retirements, forced or otherwise, of chief executive officers.

Unrelenting pressure from the financial markets, regulators and shareholders for top financial performance, exquisite corporate governance and an almost puritanical adherence to ethics has affected every top executive. The downstream effect of Enron, WorldCom and Sarbanes-Oxley is being felt in every C-suite.

Imagine the disruption in productivity, strategic momentum, management retention, and operational effectiveness when a CEO position suddenly becomes vacant. Separation costs alone for the departing CEO (estimated recently at $62 million for one top Wall Street executive) and acquisition costs of the search for a replacement add up to a significant expense on top of the organizational disruption.

Meanwhile, the risk of making a wrong choice for an externally hired CEO has risen. According to the Harvard Business Review, 55% of these outside hires last less than 18 months.

Agenda-Free Solution

How can these trends be reversed? Since the role of the CEO and other top executives is described as lonely, highly stressed and without enough "agenda-free" confidants available, the answer could be WJM Associates' Advisorship™ program, which provides top officers with an external advisor with extensive and relevant experience. The idea of having a trusted, objective, pragmatic, and supportive resource provides a powerful antidote to the isolation felt by CEOs and other senior executives.

Most often these kinds of resources cannot be found on the board or within the management team, given the inherent nature of boss/subordinate relationships. Ideally, an ongoing environment of respect, trust and candor should exist between the CEO and board members, but such a dynamic appears to be rare in today's corporate governance environment. Similarly, the relationship with the executive team members generally involves information flows that are heavily filtered.

The Advisorship™ differs from what is typically offered as "executive coaching" in that it pairs clients with peers who themselves have had many years of high-level management and the direct P&L experience necessary to truly empathize with and advise these top executives.

WJM Associates has identified a cadre of individuals with high-level corporate and/or board experience who are available as confidants to CEOs and other senior executives. These individuals can deliver objective and candid feedback and recommendations on an executive's leadership capabilities. They become a sounding board, and a trusted advocate who will provide advice from a unique perspective of having "been there" in a similar role. In effect, a mutual teaching/learning dynamic is created.

The value of Advisorship™ can be leveraged in a number of ways, starting with the potential to reverse these troubling trends of churn in the executive suite. This combination of trust, advocacy and advice from a fellow top executive may ultimately prove invaluable.