Executive Coaching
3D Group’s three-phase coaching method is designed to help leaders get the most out of a 360-degree feedback process. Coaching is an essential ingredient in any multi-source feedback process. Without coaching, leaders may see their 360 feedback as interesting, but with coaching, 360 degree feedback becomes a powerful leadership development tool that pushes leaders to take a serious look at their own skills and make meaningful changes with benefits for them individually and for the company.
By using the 360 employee feedback report as an initial and ongoing reference point, 3D Group coaches help leaders:
- Become aware of their leadership competencies
- Prioritize development needs based on present day issues and forward looking opportunities
- Stay accountable for making changes to improve
At each of these phases, an effective coach is the difference between success and mediocrity.
Phase I: Awareness (Understanding + Insight)
The first step in any 360-degree feedback process is for executives to become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. 3D Group coaches focus leaders on exploring and understanding their feedback by emphasizing the subjective nature of the ratings. If peers rate low and direct reports rate high, who is right? They both are! The key in Phase I is for the leader to explore why the ratings differ and to gain insight into how their behavior has lead others to their perceptions.
Phase II: Planning (Intent to Change + Planful Action)
Once leaders have gained some insight into their leadership skills and the perceptions of their coworkers, the 3D Group coach will help them explore current and future career needs in order to begin prioritizing for development. It is quite common for 360 reports to list 10 or more “development needs” so consideration of the leader’s current situation is essential for creating a development plan that will get the best results. This phase also requires focusing leaders on what is most important and setting realistic development goals. The essential ingredient in this phase is the leader’s motivation to change – a coach can only help structure effort, we can’t actually do the work! Without a clear motivation for the effort, planning is meaningless, and so part of prioritizing development is choosing areas the leader is motivated to change. 3G Group’s developmental action plan is based on Lewin’s force field analysis approach to change and involves articulating very specific behavioral goals and a detailed consideration of obstacles and facilitators that may affect the change effort.
Phase III: Results (Accountability)
You won’t change that which you don’t measure. One of the most valuable things a coach can do is to provide a regular on-going reference for measuring progress. Sometimes leaders will put effort into development simply because they know they have a meeting upcoming with their coach and they will hear about their lack of action if they don’t act now. For every leader, 3D Group coaches individualize an accountability plan that helps them stay on track and provides a clear ongoing assessment of progress on their development goals.
Resources
Throughout the coaching process, 3D Group coaches leverage a wide range of resources that include reading material, coursework, and on-the job activities that can help leaders learn new skills. Additionally, leaders have their coach’s personal contact information and can call them directly to discuss ongoing or acute concerns as needed.
