84 50 TOPEXECUTIVECOACHES

client’s calendar. A critical by-product of my coaching is to create focus on
what’s really important. I often assign a not-to-do list for my most oversched-
uled clients.
It is easy to write action plans, but I hold my clients accountable for results.
They know I am going to check the metrics with their boss, peers, and direct
reports, and I am not going to cut them any slack if they do not take coaching
ser iously or can’t find the time. I look for a return on the company’s invest-
ment and a “return on the individual.” They have to desire change and sustain
the change in order for me to report that they have moved the needle on their
action items. I interview key stakeholders after an agreed period of time to
check how they are doing. I ask for the quantitative as well as the qualitative
impact of any changes made. It is very powerful to document their progress
and give them feedback. This is when I know I have made a difference.
I think I have been successful because I have honed my skills over a long
period of time with very diverse clients. My leadership role with PDI keeps
me current on business issues and gives me peer status with many senior ex-
ecutives. I have run my own business, and I can talk their language. I can
empathize with some of the tough situations they face, and I can also be
tough myself. I don’t let them get away with much. They have to make a com-
mitment to making a change that will benefit not only them but also their or-
ganization, and we have firm deadlines. I do not want to create codependent
relationships.
My creative and f lexible personality allows me to enable my clients to see
themselves differently. I ask a lot of open-ended questions to help them gain
critical insights about themselves. I challenge them to see things differently,
using my sense of humor to lighten up some of my more serious executives.
Most ofall, I provide a confidential safe place where we can discuss their
progress against the backdrop of what’s going on in their company at that
time. It is not unusual for me to read about the people I coach in the WSJor
New York Times.They are often stressed, high achievers who, despite their
many talents, can be very vulnerable in today’s economic churn. I like to be-
lieve that I can increase not only their leadership effectiveness, but also their
confidence to deal with whatever comes next.