WJM Associates, Inc.

Executive Coaching

Leading companies around the world provide coaching to their executives. Coaching impacts a company's performance by strengthening the business's most fundamental competitive advantage: its executive talent.

Companies request executive coaching to address a variety of challenges:

• New or under performing leader
• Merger or restructuring
• Change in strategy
• Change in required competencies or job skills
• Change in management
• Succession planning
• Cultural Alignment

WJM's approach to executive coaching is aimed at improving an executive's performance and strengthening the connection between the leader and the company's objectives. Ours is a proven process that enhances the executive's value to the company and provides an attractive return on the investment in human capital.

The WJM Faculty Approach to Coaching
While many coaching companies serving senior executives offer the services of a small team, or even a single coach, WJM is able to call upon a highly experienced faculty of over 75 professional coaches, organizational psychologists and other consultants to deliver programs designed from the bottom up for the specific challenges of the executive and the organization. Our broad spectrum of coaches allows for greater flexibility in complementing personality, developmental needs, corporate culture, language and personal background.

Strategic Coaching That Delivers Results
While coaching focuses on the developmental needs of the individual, we never lose sight of the fact that the individual functions within an organization that has commissioned our services. WJM recognizes that both the executive and the company must profit from the coaching process. Our individual developmental plans are designed to deliver observable Return On Investment (ROI) (Click Here) to the company in a short period of time.

Performance

Developmental - designed to assist high potential executives in leading and accelerating corporate strategies. May also address areas of challenge: specific performance issues, unproductive board/boss/- subordinate/peer relationships, work-life balance issues and many others.

Competency - addresses a specific skill set that may be lacking in an individual. May involve communication skills, team management, meeting management, organizational skills, time management, presentation skills, financial/accounting acumen and other areas.

Assimilation (Fast Start™) - focuses directly on helping the new executive assimilate into his or her culture by providing practical solutions for building successful partnerships with peers, management and direct reports.

Executive Branding - personal coaching to address issues in establishing an "executive presence". May involve personal presentation, dress, social skills, making an "impact", etc.

Team Coaching

Group coaching that assesses working relationships, team objectives, corporate cultural alignment, meeting management, communication styles and issues, etc. Can re-define objectives, relationships and methods of interaction. May result from, or lead to, individual coaching.

Coaching Coaches/Mentors

Training, supervising and supporting internal coaches or mentors as they: provide follow-up to a coaching event; assist in sustaining developmental plans; permeate coaching through the lower levels of the organization and align individuals with the company's culture and objectives.

While each coaching assignment is highly specialized according to the type of coaching, the requirements of the individual and the organization, as well as the interaction between the executive and the assigned coach, WJM ensures a consistent approach. Our coaching process involves the following:

• Issues and Contracting - Coaching starts with the interview. A WJM representative meets with the executive's manager and the company's human resources professional to review the issues and desired outcomes. In this meeting, ground rules for the engagement and coach selection are established.
• Planning and Needs Analysis - The executive and coach meet to discuss needs and issues (business challenges, work/life balance considerations, career goals, etc.) and identify a select number of highest-priority areas for further support or development. They agree upon the role of the coach, boundaries, meeting requirements, meeting times and frequency and confidentiality.
• Assessment - The WJM Assess™ program gathers insightful behavioral, attitudinal and skill-based information about the executive. With the use of proven assessment instruments, in-depth interviews of the individual and 360° feedback interviews, we are able to provide the executive with an objective information platform on which to build an action plan. WJM career psychologists are always available to participate in the assessment process if all parties agree it is desirable.
• Strategy Development - The executive and the coach defined the areas of desired support and development. Critical issues, potential roadblocks and essential behaviors are identified, priorities are established and the action plan is written. This plan focuses on key developmental objectives and includes measurable results and time targets. The executive's manager reviews and endorses the plan.
• Implementation - Through frequent meetings, transformational thinking, practice and feedback, the desired behavior and goals are achieved. Specialty WJM coaches who are experts in areas such as image, presentation skills, general management and many others are available to participate if needed.
• Closure - A follow-on 360° interview is conducted, results are compared with established objectives and a coaching effectiveness report is generated. Closure communications are conducted with Human Resources and the executive's manager. The coach and individual establish a "continued learning" process around regularly scheduled check in times. This follow-up helps "lock in" progress made on initial developmental areas and helps identify other areas for improvement.