Like other professional services, executive coaching requires planning and oversight in order to be effective. But all too often, companies leave it up to the coaches and their clients to manage the process. As a result, client companies, bosses and HR may not know how effective the coaching is, where assignments stand, when they are scheduled to conclude, and if the objectives of the coaching process are being met. Often coaching can continue for long periods of time or peter out with no substantive results for the effort.

In order to enhance the long-term success of coaching and to maximize the investment in terms of time, money and resources, companies may want to follow a simple, four-step process.

1. Determine the need for coaching. How many engagements begin because someone thinks "Joe needs a coach"? Hiring an executive coach without defining the reasons and the objectives is a certain path to failure. As the saying goes, if you don't know where you are going, any road -- or coach -- will take you there. Coaching may not provide a solution if the perceived need is not clearly defined.

2. Define the type of coaching. Once you have determined that someone should have a coach, it is important to define the objective of the process. Is this a "high-potential" candidate being groomed for future leadership? Someone who is assuming a new role? Or a person who has hit the wall and may need some repositioning and refocusing? A developmental or transitional coaching assignment usually calls for six to nine months of evenly spaced meetings twice a month. A corrective situation frequently requires more time "up front" over a three-month period and fewer meetings during the last six months. Clearly defining the type of coaching, the objectives for the process and the required time and effort will ensure that the coaching process is effective, and that the company and the individual being coached receive value for money.

3. Monitor the process. Once the company, the executive and the coach have agreed to the objective and a schedule, it behooves all parties to fulfill their responsibilities to ensure success. For the coach, this means apprising the sponsor of any difficulties, including access, scheduling and information. For the executive, it means committing to the process by keeping appointments with the coach, doing assigned work and communicating with his/her staff about the coaching process. And for the company, it means checking in periodically with both coach and executive to make sure that the process is on track and efficient.

4. Close the coaching engagement. At the end of the agreed-upon time, the company, executive and coach should meet to evaluate the assignment. Did the coach deliver what was promised? Were the objectives of the process met? Was there perceived and real change in the person being coached? What results did the 360-degree feedback measure? What further support is needed in order to ensure lasting change and success of the process? And, finally, is additional coaching warranted?

By following these four steps, companies and their executives should get the most out of their investment in coaching.

Two years ago this month, Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins wrote her now-famous memo to Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lay. Watkins' letter brought to light the crisis of leadership that precipitated the downfall of both Enron and its auditing firm, Arthur Andersen, and led to passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other measures designed to protect investors from abuses of executive power.

Despite new laws and regulations, corporate America remains ensnared by a crisis of executive leadership, says William T. Redgate, a member of WJM Associates' faculty and founder of The Center for Values Based Leadership, located at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. As head of the country's first nonprofit member association dedicated to promoting values-centered leadership, Redgate believes that directors, executives and investors all need to play a role in the solution.

Enron was just the first in a series of corporate scandals resulting from abuses of executive power. Why hasn't this trend abated?

For many years, corporate cultures in many companies were based upon shared values, long-term employment, deep mutual trust and loyalty, clear accountability, and strong leadership. In too many companies today, that culture has been replaced with new cultures characterized by less commitment to a larger purpose, rapid job turnover, self-absorption, a short-term focus, and a lack of a stable, unifying vision led by top management.

The total sum of all these bad symptoms is counterproductive to the achievement of any goal or objective, especially the challenging objectives facing corporate America today. In addition, as Psychologist Kenneth Eisold has pointed out, when "rogue" CEOs are not challenged by their boards, colleagues or investors, they lose their internal conflict and unethical behavior becomes the norm.

How can businesses remedy this problem?

Enacting new laws and regulations alone will not solve the problem. Indeed, all too often, new rules fix past problems, but do little to head off new ways and means of repeating the same mistakes. History has proven that point all too clearly.

Sarbanes-Oxley and other initiatives to strengthen corporate governance will help. Some improvement has been made, but additional and stronger measures are necessary to get at the root of the problem.

Another alternative that was initiated in the early 1990s was the creation of a new corporate position of "ethics officer" or "compliance officer." This alternative helped somewhat, but did not solve the problem. In fact, many corporations that proclaimed strong values and ethics have been among the worst offenders. And even the strongest ethics officer can have little impact if the CEO undermines the code of ethics.

What other steps should be taken?

First, boards of directors must establish the right criteria for selecting, rewarding and retaining directors and CEOs. They must deploy a valid, fail-safe selection process that uses verified past performance to meet these criteria. In addition, boards must overhaul their internal and external assessment and selection methodology for directors and CEOs with emphasis on valid leadership at the core.

Second, institutional investors must use their power to pressure boards to address the leadership problem. They need to make it clear to corporate directors that "good leadership" at the board and CEO level is a top priority for them.

Third, investment banks need to exercise their influence to assist boards in achieving the objectives of developing and applying the right selection criteria for leadership posts.

Fourth, corporations that already exemplify the behaviors that we would like to see all businesses model should speak out against the abuses of poor corporate leaders. They should influence business associations to speak out as well, take a stand and bring the required reforms to fix the leadership problem once and for all.

Finally, individuals, regardless of their stake in corporate America, need to pressure boards, CEOs, investment banks, stockbrokers, and elected officials to recognize that the problem, and therefore the accountability, rests with the leadership of the board and the manager of the business, the CEO. Efforts to resolve the problem, beyond new legislation and regulations, require their attention, support and action.

To achieve true reform, we need a revolution for accountability and leadership driven by strong values.

Locked inside the vault of every human resources department in corporate America is a list of rising stars the corporation wants to groom for leadership. For such women and men, professional development plans are drawn up, reviewed, reassessed, and tweaked at least once a year.

At the heart of these plans is the simple notion of job rotation: moving the fast-trackers from one core function to another, one professional discipline to another, one challenge to another. It's a planned progression through experience. It's also a weeding-out process: some of these anointed candidates will fail, but those who succeed will become the all-around leaders every corporation needs.

If you're not part of your company's formal rotation plan, here's how you can create your own:

Start by locking in the basics. Finance, marketing, and operations are the classic divisions within a corporation, but successful executives today also need experience in strategic planning, human resources, risk management, technology, and international business. If you're weak in any of these areas, plug a hole by taking a course, attending a workshop and seeking out mentors who have expertise to share.

Specialize in your company's driving forces. What is your company's strategic focus? An edge in technology? Dominance in foreign markets? Superiority in product development? Whatever it is, you must master the competencies that generate your company's strategic advantage. Is yours an analytical corporation? Get access to the monthly numbers and learn them cold, so that you know which divisions are growing and which ones are contributing the most to the bottom line. Or perhaps your company is an innovative organization that prizes independent thinking. Seek out opportunities to give your creative abilities a chance to shine.

Create your own development plan. Take advantage of any internal training courses that are available, and make an investment in external development opportunities, too. Then make sure your boss and other influential managers know of your interest and initiative. When the time comes for your performance review, let your boss know of your desire to grow. Ask for her recommendations. If she doesn't offer support or encouragement, perhaps it's time for you to find another employer who will take an interest in the future.

We all know every organization's success rests heavily upon having people with the right competencies, skills and behaviors.

All too often we place good people into challenging jobs and expect them to acquire the skills they need through the hard teacher called experience. Experience and practice are essential to mastering skills, but not until people have had some formal instruction. Therefore, experience alone can be a very costly teacher.

Let's say you are teaching staff members to confront situations more effectively and resolve conflict. To maximize the learning experience, organize your instruction according to the following steps:

Prepare the Person to Learn. Put your colleagues at ease. Meet in a place and at a time that is conducive to learning. Don't place undue pressure by rushing through the training. Express your confidence in them, but don't make it sound like you expect them to master the learning in no time. Explain the purpose of the behavior to be learned. Find out what is already known about the subject. Stimulate some personal interest or motivation for learning the skill. People learn best when they want to learn. Create an environment where individuals will motivate themselves.

Present the Information. Break the task or behavior into basic elements, steps or phases. People learn best when information is presented in manageable chunks. Everyone learns at a different pace. Stress key points or critical ideas. Share with the person any tips that will enhance understanding and help increase memory. Demonstrate the behavior while you explain. When you can, demonstrate and instruct at the same time. The more senses you engage, the better.

Practice -- Let the Person Try. Have people model the behavior. Don't ask them to do so until you are fairly sure they will have a successful experience. Correct mistakes and errors as they occur, then have the learner repeat the task.

Follow Up -- Check Results. Put people on their own and tell them where they can go for assistance. This will help the person remain calmer, knowing that if they forget, they have someplace to go to ask questions. Check frequently on their performance. When you do, don't appear as though you are policing them. Do so in a spirit of helpfulness.

Yes, these steps are basic, but they do work.