1. What is Leadership Coaching?
- by Andy Scantland, Managing Partner, Upside Partners
Coaching is about identifying goals and working collaboratively to identify how to reach those
goals. It provides a structured approach for problem resolution, improved performance, better
communication or reaching an objective. Coaching is about the transformation that occurs in an
individual when the individual’s innate gifts, skills, and perspectives are leveraged to improve his
or her effectiveness.
Coaching starts with goalsetting, based on those things in life or at work that hold you back or a
goal that you would like to achieve. Then, through facilitated discussion and accountability, you
will find new perspectives, ideas, approaches and habits which can result in improved
performance or concrete progress toward the goal. It’s about moving from point A to point B,
always around behavior and action.
Leadership (or Executive) Coaching involves working
with organizational leaders to understand the impact
the Leader is having and to learn to bring his or her
most effective self to the practice of Leadership. In
other words, improving your team’s performance by
bring your whole and best self to your work as a
Leader. Typical areas of focus for Leadership
Coaching are increasing engagement, improved team
dynamics, better decision-making, building
resourcefulness and creativity.
Coaching can take many forms but a typical Coaching
session is simply a structured, confidential discussion, either face-to-face or via phone or web
conference. The session is tightly focused on the Coachee and his or her goals. Often, the
initial conversation focuses on identifying the individual’s core values, strengths and limiting
beliefs that affect performance.
Over time, new perspectives emerge and new ideas come forth on how to deal with issues.
Generally, each coaching session ends with some homework or inquiry. At this point, the
Coach’s job is to hold the Coachee accountable for meeting his/her commitments and
championing the Coachee in pursuit of reaching the goals.
At the end of a coaching engagement, the Coachee and the Coach (and often a sponsoring
Executive or Manager) will review the original goals and the progress toward reaching those
goals.
Coaching can have a powerful, positive impact. A 2013 meta-analysis performed by researchers
at the University of Amsterdam said that ‘..coaching has significant positive effects on
performance and skills, well-being, coping, work attitudes, and goal-directed self-regulation. In
general, our meta-analytic findings indicate that coaching is an effective tool for improving the
functioning of individuals in organizations.’1
“Coaching can sometimes be the only
modality that identifies and removes
the barriers getting in the way of the
success of the leader or team.” —Lead
Consultant, Culture, Change &
Engagement, from PWC 2013 ICF
Organizational Coaching Study

2. The involvement of a highly-trained and certified coach is important because the training allows
the Coach to create a successful framework for the coaching. Good coaching incorporates a
discipline which keeps the discussion on task and creates the environment where the Coachee
feels challenged yet safe exploring new options and ideas. And a trained coach can listen for
small changes in the energy of the Coachee which indicate either issues that need to be
addressed or areas of real strength which can be leveraged.
Coaching is not therapy. This is not about identifying the original sources of behaviors
(although it may come up). The coaching process focuses purely on identifying goals and
working collaboratively to identify ways to attain those goals. The result is a Leader more
empowered to make positive contributions to the organization.
Andy Scantland is a principal at Upside Partners, which provides leadership development and
executive coaching for growing businesses. Andy can be reached at ascantland@upside-partners.com.
Copyright 2015 Upside Partners
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1
Does Coaching Work? - A Meta-analysis on the Effects of Coaching on Individual Level Outcomes in an
Organizational Context. A summary for the International Coach Federation Tim Theeboom University of
Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Bianca Beersma University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Annelies E.M. van Vianen University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands