COACHINGLEADERS/BEHAVIORALCOACHING 61
for top executives, it can be even more useful for high-potential future lead-
ers. These are the people who have great careers in front of them. Increasing
ef fectiveness in leading people can have an even greater impact if it is a 20-
year process, instead of a one-year program.
People often ask, “Can executives reallychange their behavior?” The an-
swer is definitely yes. If they didn’t change, I would never get paid (and I al-
most always get paid). At the top of major organizations, even a small positive
change in behavior can have a big impact. From an organizational perspec-
tive, the fact that the executive is trying to change anything (and is being a
role model for personal development) may be even more important than what
the executive is trying to change. With top executives, behavior may be the
onlyleadership attribute that can be changed in a cost-effective manner. At
that level, it is usually “too late” for technical or functional education.
Jim Kouzes
Coaching for Credibility
Jim Kouzes is the coauthor with Barry Posner of the
award-winning book, The Leadership Challenge,with over
one million copies sold. The third edition ofThe Leader-
ship Challenge,released in the fall of 2002, debuted as
number 4 on the BusinessWeekbest-seller list. Jim and
Barry have also coauthored Credibility: How Leaders Gain
and Lose It, Why People Demand It, Encouraging the
Hear t,and four other books on leadership. They are also
creators of The Leadership Practices Inventory,a 360-
degree assessment tool that has been completed by over
one million individuals. Jim is not only a highly regarded leadership scholar and
experienced executive, but the Wa l l S t r eet Journalhas also cited Jim as one of
the 12 most requested “nonuniversity executive-education providers” to U.S.
companies. Jim is also the Chairman Emeritus of the Tom Peters Company, a pro-
fessional services firm that specializes in leadership development, and an execu-
tive fellow in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leavey School of
Business, Santa Clara University. He can be reached at [email protected].