Alan Weiss interviews Wayne McKinnon in this third book in the new Million Dollar series by Alan Weiss. The book is published by McGraw-Hill and endorsed by the renowned uber-coach Marshall Goldsmith
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Alan Weiss: What is the most difficult aspect of coaching executives and senior people?
Wayne McKinnon: Ironically, or perhaps as expected, the people that can benefit the most from coaching are also the ones who make the least time for it or treat it as a quick hit that will have lasting results without taking the time to deal with their thoughts. These people tend to be more difficult to coach.
They move from meeting to meeting without leaving time in their schedule to contemplate what is going on around them, their role in the organization and the input they have received. This should not be confused with the type of person who has a quick mind, is extremely decisive, makes consistently good decisions and yet still values input from others. This second type of person consumes very little of the coaches time but seems to derive the greatest benefit.
The first type of person needs to separate the activities that require their actions or simply their presence, from those activities where their judgment and influence is really needed and is highly valuable. Almost anyone in the organization should be capable of word-smithing, grammar checking and ensuring meetings run and finish on time. Ensuring that the right things are being discussed, written about, implemented, delivered or reported on requires someone with the greater perspective and clear judgment of the senior person.
Being honest with themselves as well as with the coach about why they are not making progress can also be a challenge that is often masked by the “I have been too busy” response. If change is required and the person wants to avoid that change, keeping busy in meetings and tasks that could easily be delegated to staff seems to be a common diversionary tactic.
Sometimes the way the person is measured contributes to this behavior. The person they report to delegate to them tasks that they in turn should delegate, but the language used or the measures in place may appear to say, “this task must be done by you.” In my experience this type of misinterpretation represents a small but important subset of people. They tend to take requests and commands too literally and fail to translate it into the true intent, which goes more like “ here is a tasks I am trusting you to have your team take care of.”
Often the person simply does not have the personal or team capacity to do everything they are currently trying to do, either because they have not been decisive and strategic enough to develop the team; the fortitude to focus on the best things to do versus all the things they can try to do; or the willingness to push back when they are clear on what they can and cannot do and something has to give. This is the paradox of coaching executives who can benefit the most from coaching yet tend to be difficult to coach to the level befitting an executive.
Alan Weiss has coached over 2,000 executives and entrepreneurs all over the world.
