For clients who have had the opportunity to experience executive coaching, these dedicated one-on-one programs are now considered to be one of the most important developmental inputs for CEOs, Business Heads and Senior Executives in South East Asia.  From my practice, I share a few examples of where I have seen Coaching be a powerful change agent:

1.  Leaders facing new and unforeseen business challenges

2. High performing Executives who need to refine their skills for further Business Growth

3.  Organisation Building

4.  Diversification

5.  Succession management

Through a process of one-on-one dialogue, the Coach helps the Client to identify their key improvement goals and set measurable outcomes. It is normally recommended that a Client works on 3 major improvement Goals that can be completed during the Coaching period. It keeps the Client focused especially as each goal set will be a stretch for them. This is when coaching becomes most effective: when the goal outcomes are measurable it gives the Client clear goal posts; success and completion are therefore certain and not vague; and with good effort and support from the coach, the goals become doable. Making each of their goals measurable becomes a co-designing journey because it needs to both fit and align with their working patterns and lifestyle, which eventually leads to a winning journey. 

Setting clear outcomes can sometimes be a challenge.

One of my Clients, a President of a large corporation set one of his goals to be “Stress Reduction”.  How does one measure Stress?  After some dialogue, we arrived at the following measurement: “Sound Sleep – 7 nights out of 7 in the week and Blood Pressure back to normal.”  Both the Client and I were delighted when this outcome was achieved.

After the initial dialogue, a Plan of Action to achieve the improvement goals was then made. These actions were reviewed and modified at each session, and the goals were achieved in about 8-10 sessions in a total period of about 8 months.

As a Coach I handhold the Client and am available on phone or email for any advice in-between sessions during the entire coaching period of 8 months.

During the Coaching Journey, the Client not only achieves his Goals but also undergoes an emotional Journey making him a changed and improved person.  All Kudos to the Client as the major effort is his!  As Coach, I am only the “catalyst”.

My reflections on ‘winning journeys’

•   For Coaching to be successful, the Client must be open to change, able to reflect and acknowledge areas for improvement, focus on future rather than on past, and have a sense of personal mission and passion. This is what I believe is an integral part of the ‘process’ of checking for in one-on-one dialogue.

•   A dialogue between Client and Coach is Confidential, and how I bring myself to each session and being available, increases trust and breaks through mental barriers.

•   Some of the other benefits I’ve noticed that the Client derives from Coaching are: 

a)    The Client gets insights which they may have otherwise struggled to envision;

b)    Dialogue with an experienced and mature Outsider produces fresh thoughts and new ways to look at problem scenarios;

c)    Some of their assumptions and blind spots are questioned.

• As a Coach, I enjoy my work as I can relate to talented Individuals from different Fields.  It keeps me alert and on my toes as no Senior Executive will sit for 60 to 75 minutes unless I am bringing value to the table.  I get to see the change I am bringing and feedback is instantaneous. 

I also learn from the interaction and make a Friend in the process.

To connect with Aubrey Rebello