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responsively. If, in the end, the person we are coaching has been diminished

by the exper ience, then shame on us.

What I do, I don’t call coaching. I talk with people. I advise and discuss.

It’s circular. My “coaching” is based on what each person needs. That need

is always different and must be discovered through the course of our work-

ing together. It’s a partnership. Together, we draw closer to answers that are

meaningful.

When we define coaching in such human and respectful terms, then that

definition w ill carry us with its sense of moral and ethical obligations. We

have an enormous responsibility to the people whose lives we are inf luenc-

ing. The job cannot be done lightly. We need to answer for ourselves, can we

do this? If we lack that clear imperative, then we should refrain. Out of such

introspection and deep self-assessment comes our answer, our definition, and

our mission.

Jay Conger

Coaching Leaders

I

n my view, executive coaching meets a very basic need. All managers

eventually finds that certain strengths that were extremely valuable early

in their careers can become powerful liabilities with a rise in level and

Jay Conger received his bachelor ’s degree from Dart-

mouth College, his masters from the University of Vir-

ginia, and his doctorate of business administration from

the Harvard Business School. Currently, Dr. Conger is a

Professor of Organizational Behavior at the London

Business School and a senior research scientist at the

Center for Effective Organizations at the University of

Southern California in Los Angeles. Jay is the author of

11 books including Building Leaders: How Successful

Companies Develop the Next Generationand Winning ‘Em Over: A New

Model for Managing in the Age of Persuasion.He can be reached by e-mail at

[email protected].