174 50 TOPEXECUTIVECOACHES
for how that change will take place, and we discover the critical action steps
needed to travel that path.
All coaching is a process of dialogue. When coaching for change, the
coach elicits the individual’s implicit and explicit understanding of the chal-
lenges that will get in the way. These can include forces of resistance,
systemic or technical issues, internal politics, the dynamics of power, and
the organization’s own embedded values. Once we’ve surfaced all potential
blockers, we do some analysis of the systemic elements of the change process
and put a change plan in place. Although I am agnostic about change models,
I am particularly fond of John Kotter ’s, Noel Tichy’s, Meg Wheatley’s,
Warner Burke’s and David Nadler ’s methodologies for driving change.
Usually, the person I am coaching ends up subscribing to one of those ap-
proaches in his or her own words.
There are four levels, or coaching goals, at which a coach can work with
someone during the change process. The first level is self-awareness. A coach
can be very helpful in giving an individual, especially at senior levels, a per-
spective that others in the organization can’t or won’t provide. This involves
developing an understanding of strengths and weaknesses, motivations and
the general makeup of emotional intelligence—essentially holding a mirror
for the individual to take a good look at him or herself. Although valuable, a
lot of coaching starts at this level and goes no deeper.
The second level of coaching is improvement. Improvement concerns
mov ing from self-awareness to a higher performance level. This movement
can be measured in any number of ways from major metrics like revenue
growth and operating profits to individual goals such as a change in com-
munication habits, a longer attention span, or an improvement in the level
of personal engagement.
The third level of coaching is about breakthroughs. Good leaders such as
Jack Welch and others have taught us that it really is possible to reconcep-
tualize what we’re doing in a truly radical way. In coaching for break-
throughs, much of what I do is provide information about what leaders are
doing in the field. I ask provocative questions and help people think about
things differently. I might ask: “ Why notcut inventory by 40 percent?” or
“Why can’tyou run three shifts instead of two?” In my experience, simple,
provocative questions and ideas can sometimes seem inconceivable to a
person who comes from within the system.
The fourth level of coaching for change is about transformation. Transfor-
mations are rare and difficult, but always significant. They can involve a
transformation of the individual, the organization or the way the leader
thinks about things. An executive may move from being a functional manager
to a general manager, and require an entirely different outlook or approach.