Integrity is a characteristic essential for success. Some describe integrity as “the oil in an engine” making it “run smoothly” and without it “everything is in danger of a breakdown” (Anderson, n.d.). But what exactly is integrity, what are the benefits of it, and how can executive coaches inspire the growth of integrity in their clients? “Integrity is like the oil in an engine. It makes the whole thing run smoothly. Without it, everything is in danger of a breakdown.” - Danny Anderson What is integrity? Genuine character The heart of integrity can be found in its Latin derivative: integritas. Integritas means “whole or complete” and is related to other English words such as “integrate” (Taibbi, 2017). Individuals with integrity have integrated their values and morals into their whole being. Their “outer life”: what they do, who they associate with, and what they say, aligns with their “inner life”: what they believe, the values they ascribe to, and the morals they hold (Taibbi, 2013). They have a strong moral compass and have a “bold honesty about themselves” (Taibbi, 2017). Individuals with integrity are purely themselves no matter their audience. “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” - Thomas Jefferson Honesty and morality Integrity is closely related to honesty, fairness, and steadfastness to a moral or ethical code. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and fair... firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” Without integrity, an individual can manipulate their moral code to fit the environment that they are in or for temporary benefit. For example, an individual with integrity that values kindness, wouldn’t share embarrassing news about their friend behind their back. If they didn’t have integrity they could share the embarrassing news despite claiming that they value honesty. Those with integrity have a single identity and personality that is steadfast despite circumstance. Without integrity, individuals can have a tendency to be two-faced, changing their personality and values to match those around them regardless of their own moral beliefs. Benefits of integrity Integrity can greatly impact a business’s corporate culture and business leaders’ lives. When executive coaches encourage their clients to invest in their own integrity, they can expect to see the following results in their clients’ lives. “The glue that holds all relationships together is trust, and trust is based on integrity.” - Brian Tracy Better relationships with others Research shows that individuals with integrity have better relationships with others and are generally “well-liked” (Dean, n.d.). This ultimately increases the positive benefits of having good relationships with others such as lower blood pressure, better immune system (decreased need to take sick days), less stress, increased motivation, increased confidence, and increased engagement (Angshuman, 2021; Northwestern Medicine, 2021; University of Utah, 2017). By having integrity, business leaders can create better relationships with others, which causes a cascading effect of positivity. Less energy waste Individuals that have integrity, waste less time and energy keeping up multiple appearances. Dishonest individuals without integrity can get caught in their own lies and it takes “mental effort to keep” their multiple lies straight (Kimmel, n.d.). Business leaders with integrity don’t have to waste time ensuring they say the right things at the right time. Instead, they have the same standards and moral code for all of their interactions. This frees their mental energy to focus on their goals and career. Increased focus Because individuals with integrity don’t waste energy organizing their lies, they have a greater focus on their current work and goals (IDS, 2019). This increased focus can improve the productivity and quality levels in an organization and for a business leader as well. By encouraging business leaders to invest in their integrity, executive coaches can further support the ROI that their clients receive. “Integrity gives you real freedom because you have nothing to fear since you have nothing to hide.” - Zig Ziglar More trust and less stress Integrity is often associated with honesty. Those with integrity are more likely to be trustworthy because their morals and values are true to who they are and do not vary based on the potential reward for dishonest behavior. Integrity “fosters respect and trust” in the relationships that business leaders have with their employees (IDS, 2019). Employees know that they can trust business leaders with integrity. Because of this, it is less likely for there to be animosity between business leaders and their employees, ultimately reducing the overall stress in the workplace. Leaders with integrity can build trusting relationships with their employees, decreasing stress, increasing the overall peace, and supporting the wellbeing of the workplace. Workplace success Integrity is also closely associated with conscientiousness, a strong predictor of workplace success (OPM, n.d.). Business leaders with high levels of integrity and conscientiousness are more likely to be successful as they are more aware of their schedules, goals, and commitments than those without integrity or conscientiousness (Human Capital, 2017). By developing integrity, business leaders can achieve more of their workplace goals, increase their profit, and improve their leadership. Integrity assessments Executive coaches can use integrity assessments to assess their clients’ “tendency to be honest, trustworthy, and dependable”. These tests can also indicate how emotionally stable and agreeable their clients are as well (OPM, n.d.). The USA Office of Personnel Management supports the use of high-quality integrity assessments as they can add additional validity to other psychometric assessments and show little score differences between men and women on average. Tips on using integrity tests “It is essential to have good tools, but it is also essential that the tools should be used in the right way.” - Wallace D. Wattles Demonstrate clarity Although integrity assessments offer executive coaches additional insight to their clients’ character, there are concerns with the validity of assessments. If integrity tests include questions that are not directly related to leadership and a client’s career, clients may view the test as “unnecessarily invasive” and have strong negative reactions to being tested; ultimately affecting the validity of the test. These negative reactions are generally rare, but it is important for executive coaches to explain why the test is being administered and what it will be used for, potentially curbing some negative reactions (OPM, n.d.). Referencing tool It is important to incorporate integrity assessments into your coaching toolkit. Integrity assessments are best used in conjunction with conversation, insight, other psychometric tests, and the remaining tools in your coaching toolkit. Reviewing assessment results and questions with clients can open the door to additional conversations about what integrity means to a client and potential mistakes or misunderstandings that could have altered the test’s validity (Bika, n.d.). “When you are able to maintain your own highest standard of integrity… you are destined for greatness.” - Napoleon Hill How to inspire integrity Because of the immense benefits that integrity can give business leaders, executive coaches should consider ways they can inspire integrity in their clients. Doing so can increase their clients’ business success, improve their relationships with others, and help them achieve their goals with greater success. Help clients clarify their identity In order for a client to develop integrity, clients must first understand their own internal sense of self. Executive coaches can do this by asking powerful questions that inspire their clients to intentionally ponder their purpose and goals in life (Taibbi, 2017). One question asked in each episode of the Arete Coach podcast is “What is your why?” This question can be used to inspire clients to dream big, clarify their own identity, and intentionally seek to fulfill their self-identified purpose. “Peace of mind comes when your life is in harmony with true principles and values…” - Stephen Covey Help clients identify their values When business leaders have integrity, their internal values match their external behavior (Taibbi, 2013). Without an understanding of their internal values, it is impossible for a business leader to behave in ways that align with them. Because of this, executive coaches who wish to inspire integrity in their clients must help them identify their own values and morals. By asking questions about these morals and values, they can be identified and further refined down into “clear behavioral principles” (Taibbi, 2017). For example, if a business leader says they value family, executive coaches should discover what that means with their clients. Does it mean not working on the weekends or does it mean working extended hours for his/her family’s financial wellbeing? Questions like these are essential for identifying values and condensing them to specific behaviors and actions. Identify behaviors that don’t match values After clearly identifying a client’s identity, values, and the behaviors that support these values, executive coaches and their clients can begin examining behaviors that do not align with their previously stated values. This step is key to building integrity as it challenges the business leader to examine areas of their life and business lacking in integrity and intentionally work to build integrity. When these areas of value-behavior inconsistencies are found, executive coaches can then work with clients on establishing new goals that better suit their values and identity. The main takeaway Integrity is a characteristic ripe with positive outcomes that can be tested and inspired by skilled executive coaches. To have integrity means to live in a way that matches your claimed values and beliefs. When executive coaches inspire their clients towards integrity, they support their clients’ business relationships, focus, stress levels, and overall business success. “Success without integrity is failure.” - Anonymous References Anderson, D. (n.d.). 4 Benefits of Integrity. Retrieved from http://www.dannyanderson.net/4-benefits-of-integrity/ Angshuman. (2021, May 18). 7 Benefits of Having Strong Employee Relations in your Organization. Retrieved from https://blog.vantagecircle.com/strong-employee-relations/ Bika Contributor, N. (2020, August 11). The problems with employee integrity tests. Retrieved from https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/employee-integrity-tests Cherry, K. (2020, July 02). Cognitive Dissonance and Ways to Resolve It. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-2795012 Dean, B. (n.d.). Authentic Happiness. Retrieved from https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/newsletters/authentichappinesscoaching/integrity Human Capital. (2017, January 21). Conscientiousness: A Successful Leadership Trait. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@humancapitalmagazine10/conscientiousness-a-successful-leadership-trait-99f1f0238362 IDS. (2019, October 07). The Importance of Integrity in the Workplace. Retrieved from https://idscreate.com/2019/10/07/the-importance-of-integrity-in-the-workplace/ Kimmel. (n.d.). The Values of Honesty and Integrity! Retrieved from https://kimmelpsychology.com/values-honesty-integrity/ Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Integrity. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity Northwestern Medicine. (2021). 5 Benefits of Healthy Relationships. Retrieved from https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/5-benefits-of-healthy-relationships OPM. (n.d.). Policy, Data, Oversight Assessment & Selection. Retrieved from https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/other-assessment-methods/integrityhonesty-tests/ Taibbi, R. (2013). Creating Integrity: Having Your Life Fully Represent You. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fixing-families/201303/creating-integrity-having-your-life-fully-represent-you Taibbi, R. (2017). 6 Steps to Leading a Life of Integrity. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fixing-families/201707/6-steps-leading-life-integrity University of Utah. (2017, February 14). Seven Reasons Why Loving Relationships Are Good For You. Retrieved from https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2017/02/relationships.php Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

Resolutions are a popular way to ring in the New Year with positivity and goals. However, few individuals actually maintain their New Year's resolutions. Research indicates that most individuals, as many as two-thirds, will quit their New Year's resolution within the first month (Dickson et al., 2021). Clearly, resolutions aren’t the most effective method for self-improvement. Instead of lofty goals and instant changes, perhaps small habits built over time can be a greater aid in goal accomplishment. In this Insight article, we explore how small habits can produce big changes that lead to greater growth and goal accomplishment. Join us as we discover the science behind habits, success, and growth. “All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits.” -William James Why choose small habits? Small habits start a chain reaction Domino Chain Reaction (geometric growth in action) The video above provides a great example of the impact that seemingly small choices can have on big goals. The smallest domino in this video is only 5 millimeters tall and 1 millimeter thick. It’s so small it must be picked up with a pair of tweezers. Through a chain reaction involving only 13 dominos, this tiny domino is able to start the process of knocking down the largest domino that weighs over 100 lbs and is over 1 meter tall. Small habits can have the same effect on our lives. By making small but intentional daily choices that support our goals, we can increase our chance of achieving larger more substantial goals. Researchers Shnayder‑Adams and Sekhar state that small habits or “micro-habits” can make “habit formation more manageable and sustainable, allowing small actions to compound over time and to strengthen your values and identity” (2021). Other researchers indicate that ”routines and beneficial habits largely explain high self-control people's success at goal pursuit” (Kokkoris & a Stavrova, 2021). Furthermore, researchers Galla and Duckworth propose that individuals with high levels of self-control are not more successful at goal attainment only because of their self-control, but also because of their “rely on beneficial habits” (2015). The small daily habits we instill in our lives can compound themselves, ultimately helping us achieve our most difficult challenges. Small habits are easier to maintain Small habits are easier to maintain than larger ones we might consider setting as New Year’s resolutions. While big goals are made in moments of great motivation, these moments of motivation can fade with time. A behavior scientist at Stanford University and author of “Tiny Habits,” states in an interview with Maria Godoy that, “our motivation won't always be high, and the way we get around that is to make the behavior really, really easy to do…” (2021). Small habits are easier to maintain than large long-term and broad goals because they take less motivation and immediate effort. By achieving these small milestones and slowly working our way towards larger milestones, we can take advantage of the momentum that small habits provide when looking to achieve our goals. “Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” -Brian Tracy Small habits are more rewarding One of the reasons that small habits are easier to maintain is because they are more rewarding than large goals that are immediately integrated into schedules. Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, Mark Griffiths, explains that “manageable short-term goals can be beneficial and more rewarding” than larger long-term goals such as New Year’s resolutions. Instead of holding out for the feelings of accomplishment that a long-term goal can bring, small habits integrate feelings of accomplishment into daily life. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” -Jim Rohn Examples of small habits with big results Data and insight both point to the power of small habits that produce big results. But what do these small habits look like? There are many small changes that we can make in our lives that produce big results. Physical wellness Consider the small habit of going on a 30-minute walk a day. Walking 30 minutes a day can “increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers” (BetterHealth, n.d.). Previously, we have discussed the importance of physical wellness and healthy habits such as exercise and how they can have great effects on business leaders, employees, and the productivity of a business. “Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.” -Octavia Butler Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Consider Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” These 7 habits are small but compound over time for great results. Covey’s book has been considered as the number 1 “most influential business book of the 20th century” and has sold more than “40 million copies” in over 50 languages (Schwantes, 2020). Covey’s 7 habits are an excellent example of the compounding benefits that small habits can have on business leaders worldwide. Reading Another small habit that can produce big results is reading. Many highly successful business leaders are also avid readers. For example, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Cuban, David Rubenstein, Phil Knight, and Elon Musk are all avid readers (Weller, 2017). These individuals have the daily and weekly habit of reading to gain more knowledge about the world around them. Warren Buffet is quoted as saying, “that’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it” to a class at Columbia University (Weller, 2017). Time management There are several small habits within time management that increase the productivity of those who practice them. Consider the time management habit of creating visual reminders and cues. By placing small reminders via sticky notes or calendar notifications, the chance of important to-dos and tasks falling through the cracks of a busy day is greatly reduced (Strayer University, 2014). When business leaders and employees do not have small but effective time management strategies in place they can waste time at work on unimportant and non-urgent tasks. By investing in small habits of time management, business leaders can reap the compounded benefits of “improved focus, higher quality of work, reduced stress levels, and a better sleep pattern” (Clockify, 2021). “Your habits will determine your future.” -Jack Canfield Creating small habits Clearly, small habits can produce big results. But how do we create these rewarding small habits? First, we must understand the overall goal we want to achieve such as being a better leader. Secondly, we must examine what actions or tasks will get us close to achieving that specific goal. For the executive who wants to be a better business leader, some habits might be listening to leadership TEDTalks, going to workshops, and reading more leadership books. Lastly, these small habits must be implemented into daily, weekly, and monthly life. Implementing small habits When implementing these high-impact habits, BJ Fogg, Ph.D., author of “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything,” recommends taking the following steps: Identify the habit you want to develop. Create a starter step that will remind you to do the activity. Shrink the behavior into a habit that is manageable to do every day. Attach it to a current habit. Increase time, distance or amount, for example, until you’re meeting the bigger habit. (Martinez, 2021) Let’s use the example created above and outline how one might begin to implement these steps. Goal: Become a Better Leader Habit: Read More Leadership Books Starter step: Place the book I will read on my desk Shrink the habit: Read 5 pages a day Attach it to a current habit: I will read 5 pages a day during my lunch break Increase: Each week I will increase the amount I read by 5 pages Main takeaway By harnessing the power of small habits, we can produce great waves of change and accomplishment in our lives. What goals do you have that remain unattained? What small habits can you implement to get you closer to achieving these goals? How will you implement these habits into your schedule? “All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.” -James Clear, Atomic Habits References Andrew, E. (2019, March 11). The Psychology Of New Year’s Resolutions. IFLScience. https://www.iflscience.com/brain/psychology-new-year-s-resolutions/ BetterHealth. (n.d.). Walking for good health - Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/walking-for-good-health Clockify. (2021). Time Management Statistics. https://clockify.me/time-management-statistics#:%7E:text=General%20and%20global%20statistics%20of%20time%20management,-%22They%20always%20say&text=Improved%20focus%2C%20higher%20quality%20of,to%20statistics%20on%20the%20subject. Dickson, J. M., Moberly, N. J., Preece, D., Dodd, A., & Huntley, C. D. (2021). Self-Regulatory Goal Motivational Processes in Sustained New Year Resolution Pursuit and Mental Wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3084. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063084. Galla, B. M., & Duckworth, A. L. (2015). More than resisting temptation: Beneficial habits mediate the relationship between self-control and positive life outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(3), 508–525. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000026. Godoy, M. (2021, December 28). Instead of New Year’s resolutions, start and stick with “Tiny Habits.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/02/25/809256398/tiny-habits-are-the-key-to-behavioral-change. Martinez, S. (2021, September 1). Creating Micro Habits to Achieve Big Goals. MIBluesPerspectives. https://www.mibluesperspectives.com/2021/08/25/creating-micro-habits-to-achieve-big-goals/#:%7E:text=When%20adding%20new%20habits%20to,your%20micro%20habit%20over%20time. PsychNewsDaily. (2021, December 21). 64% abandon their New Years resolutions within a month, study finds. https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/most-abandon-new-years-resolutions-in-month/. Schwantes, M. (2020, May 20). How Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits” Guides Leaders in Times of Challenge and Uncertainty. Inc.Com. https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/stephen-covey-the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-leaders.html. Shnayder-Adams, M. M., & Sekhar, A. (2021). Micro-habits for life-long learning. Abdominal Radiology, 46(12), 5509–5512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-021-03185-7. StrayerUniversity. (n.d.). 10 Habits of Highly Effective Time Managers. Retrieved September 29, 2014, from https://www.strayer.edu/buzz/10-habits-highly-effective-time-managers. Weller. (2017, July 20). 9 of the most successful people share their reading habits. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-read-2017-7?international=true&r=US&IR=T#warren-buffett-1. Copyright © 2022 by Arete Coach™ LLC. All rights reserved.

Our answer? Yes. Today, on LinkedIn over 84,000+ individuals identify themselves as an "executive coach." If we apply the Pareto principle (e.g. the 80:20 rule), likely 20% representing some 16,000 executive coaches are making a good living as a coach, and of these perhaps 3,000 to 4,200 are thriving reflecting the top 5% of the executive coaching industry. What makes the top coaches great? Is it their certification? Wisdom? Know-how? Or is it something else? Most coaching schools tell you what to do, and few tell you how to get there. Arete Coach provides insightful content, context, and conversations and we invite you to learn and grow with us. Our aim is excellence, and if that sounds like we are in alignment, then please join our growing community. About the Arete Coach Podcast The Arete Coach podcast is for executive coaches and those considering a coaching path. In each episode of the Arete Coach podcast, we dive into questioning with established coaches from a broad diversity of niches, focuses, perspectives, continents, and coaching schools to explore their background, practices, and methodologies. In addition to high-performing executive coaches, we interview with behavioral and neurological scientists to develop a further understanding of human behavior and leadership sciences. By blending art and science, the Arete Coach podcast is a catalyst for simplifying, clarifying, and exploring the process and delivery of difference-making executive coaching. One of the aims of Arete Coach and its podcast is to support coaches in achieving their full potentials by widening the understanding of the core competencies, delivery, and method of executive coaching today. Our Podcast Host Severin Sorensen, CEO, Arete Coach LLC, is the curator and host of the Arete Coach Podcast where he explores the art and science of executive coaching today. In his coaching career, Severin has provided over 7,500+ hours of paid CEO and executive coaching sessions. Severin's early executive coach training was obtained at Vistage, where after completing their coaching foundations courses, and in-service training, he served as a Vistage Chair (2010-2018) of multiple high-performing Chief Executive and Key Executive Peer Groups. While at Vistage Severin was an awardee of the Rookie Chair of the Year Chair Award, and he appointed a Vistage Mentor Chair to new coaches in training, Severin continues to connect with the Vistage community where he is a Vistage Speaker to approximately 60 CEO and key executive groups per year. In terms of certifications in the coaching industry, Severin holds the IAC Masteries Practitioner designation and he has 800+ hours of ICF/ACSTH and other advanced training in Executive Coaching, Organizational Development, EOS, Life Coaching, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and Positive Intelligence (PQ) training. Suffice it to say, Severin is a ‘lifetime learner’ with keen curiosity about coaches and coaching. The inspiration “One of my executive coaching heroes was a sage lifetime learner named Pat Hyndman. He coached well into his 90s, adding wisdom, value, and powerful questioning until his last day. In thinking of my encounters with Pat, the one thing I wish I had started sooner was recording at least one conversation for reference later. This one thought is why the Arete Coach podcast exists; to serve as a chronology that explores best practices as described by executive coaches and their experiences, as well as scientists and their research” says Severin Sorensen, CEO of Arete Coach. If you’re interested in learning more about Arete Coach or joining an episode of the podcast, let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

In 2005, Samuel M. Natale and Thomas Diamante wrote an important article titled, "The Five Stages of Executive Coaching: Better Process Makes Better Practice," in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol 59, No 4 (pp 361-374). I have found great insight in this article and thought it would be a good addition to the Arete Coach core body of knowledge on executive coaching. The authors write that while there is much literature on executive coaching, that much of the material is anecdotal and not empirical. And the definitions used for coaching at the time were of loose description with no clear definition. Natale and Diamante seek to shine a light on what they they term the "Five Stages of Executive Coaching." The Alliance Check. Prior to the coaching session and early in the coaching agreement process, the coach ensures that they are in alignment with the sponsor and client (the coachee), and determine confidentiality will be maintained, and under what terms, and that there are no conflicts of interest. After these preliminaries, the client must determine if the coaching relationship with the coach will be a good one? Can they trust the coach? Do that the coach may have a hidden motive? And is this coaching session merely a ploy to for some other corporate sponsor reason. The coach seeks for an alliance check-in; declaring transparency, factuality, and a back-and-forth dialog with the client on their perceptions coming into the coaching relationship. Trust is paramount for the alliance to be confirmed and believable in the coaching relationship. The Credibility Assessment. At this stage, the executive (client) explores... why you? What are our credentials, background, and experiences. This credibility assessment occurs because and Natalie et.al puts it, "the executive is concerned about your impact on them." The coach stays in this space until the client is ready to move on to questions about the engagement, and any methods, tools, or practices to be used in the sessions. The researchers encourage Coaches to stay in this stage, until the comfort level of the client is visible or expressed. In other words, "let it simmer before rushing on." The Likability Link. This occurs as the client compares their style to the coaches style. The executive may be gauging the coaches 'self-confidence, knowledge, intensity, and focus.' Coaches are encouraged in this stage to explore what the coaching relationship will be, what it will look like, or become over time. The coach explores the operating style of the client, and may shift their approach to be more accommodating to learning styles and pace of the client. Dialogue and skill acquisition. At the time of writing of Natale et.al.'s research, the approach from here was to explore the four-factor (4F) model (as developed by Diamante and Primavera, 2004) that provides a rubric for understanding self in relation to business demands. Through dialog and practice, the client becomes more self-aware about triggered or "automatic reactions (cognitive, behavioral, or visceral) and acknowledge the opportunity to freely choose a reaction that better fits their circumstances." Executives may respond with physical state responses by attaching or attributing significance to these sensations, as part of their learning process. Whether the self-interpretation of their reactions is correct is a matter for exploration in the coaching session; regardless, all client expressions are real and matter, though they may be incorrectly aligned with a behavior, pattern, or fact. In this way, the cognitive attributions of thought, and the interpretation of actions, contributes to the narrative to be explored in the coaching session. The researchers point out a frequent error of coaches is rightly or wrongly attributing purpose, meaning, or motive to the actions; and coaches are encouraged to ask questions, and not be judgmental in the coaching session. The authors' write that 'emotions, often deemed a barometer of reality, gain immediate attention (like acting out), however interpreting emotions is challenging as emotions are complex. or perhaps, as is often the case, to justify behavior. "Skilled coaches will not shy away from feeling states and will integrate emotion (and its impact on behavior) into the coaching process." Cue-based Action Plans. The final stage is action planning. The action plan delineates in behavioral and cognitive terms the specific actions, plans, and terms that the client will seek to accomplish after the coaching session. The authors' write, "action plans that delineate 'cues' are advised since they can be written down. "The 4F model articulates the important role of cognition, affect, physiology and behavior and their interactions." The authors' write, "The 4F model views the executive as being 'personally accountable' for change -- not only responding to events in the business environment but also in a self-determination mode. Through self control (physically, intellectually, emotionally and behaviorally) the executive contributes to the nature, meaning, importance and consequences of the event to which he is 'responding.' It is important to remember, people are what they do, what they think, and what they feel, and the 4F model seeks to provide a framework for discovery of emotions and cognition in the coaching session. Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

Part of the "Art of Coaching" is changing up the business setting. Mixing Golf and Business successfully is an art form. The Masters' Tournament is the premier business golf event, where the business is not necessarily discussed but relationships are forged through business access, experience, and conversation, which later can provide invaluable intangibles and stickiness for clients. At businesses like GE, golf is a means to facilitate relationships that promote business and there is an expectation of competency. You can truly win and lose business on the golf course by your behavior. Consider this... "Eighteen holes of match or medal play will teach you more about your foe than will 18 years of dealing with him across the desk." (Grantland Rice) Congressional Country Club, Blue Course, 10th Hole In my executive coaching practice, I use golf strategically to improve client relations, to have coaching talks outside of the office, and to introduce clients to resources that might be of great value to them. I'll share with my clients, that my typical executive coaching session is 90 minutes, however, if they want to play nine holes of golf, we will go out for two hours and play a round of golf together for no additional coaching cost; except of course greens fees that are paid individually by the parties. I remind executives when mixing business and golf, that it's not about golf, nor your handicap or index... it's about your client, and making sure that you maximize the opportunity to communicate, build a relationship, show good judgment, and don't violate sage principles of prosocial behavior on the course. Here are some sage rules to live by to get more fun and results from your business golf experiences. 1. Know the rules. Get a copy of the golf rules and learn them. Kicking your ball down the fairway, 'improving your lie', grounding your club in a sand trap, or moving your ball when in play is against the rules, and can risk you getting labeled as a rule breaker. 2. Don't cheat. Mark your score and all of your penalty shots. Few things are worse than a cheater on a golf course, and just imagine what your invoices will look like with the same individual as a client or vendor. 3. Remember it's all about your client having a good time. Don't focus on posting your score from the round; focus on your client. Be pleasant. When you lose a ball in the rough, look only for a few minutes and if you don't find one, toss out another ball, and take a penalty stroke. Balls are cheap; relationships are not. Don't spoil the round by being overly obsessed with your score. 4. Golf is social, be social. Catch up on conversation with your business partner socially at first, and then ease into business. Get to you know the client and demonstrate that you are smart, competent, and likable. An article in Bloomberg News said that it would be a good idea if the business was not discussed until after the 3rd hole, and that business was wrapped up by the 15th hole, thereby not spoiling the beginning or completion of the game. 5. Be respectful and polite. Golf is a game of courtesies, and show courtesy to all around you by being pleasant, not demanding or in too much of a rush. 6. Don't be an idiot on the golf course. Don't have temper tantrums, throw clubs, break clubs, swear obsessively, or otherwise be an out of control person on a golf course. You 7. Keep your wits about you, and don't say anything that could sabotage you or your company's reputation, and to be most wise, don't consider drinking alcohol until after your round at the 19th hole. Or in the words of the famous Dean Martin, "if you drink, don't drive; don't even putt." 8. Observe golf etiquette and dress code. Be appropriate. Call ahead to the clubhouse and determine if there are any special dress codes to abide. 9. Play fair, be merciful. Unless you are in match play, consider granting a putt that is close to the hole; it speeds play and is a good reflection on you. 10. Take lessons. Don't make excuses for how you play. Learn to play better. You will enjoy the game more, be less stressed, and have more fun. Congressional Country Club, Gold Course, 12th Hole Lastly, in addition to coaching while on the course, I use golf strategically in my executive coaching practice to build relationships and grow my clientele. My use cases for golf executive coaching practice include simple rounds of golf with clients when coaching-one-to-one or in triads. Or I'll host a gathering of golfers at a beautiful golf course and invite executives and clients to drive or fly in from all over, where we mix, match, and muse together building relationships. I also sponsor golf tournaments from time to time, seeking to host the hole where we can have fun with them, with goofy and sometimes challenging games of skill at the hole. And for those who don't play golf, I often take them to Top Golf where they can have fun, learn to swing a few clubs and hit some golf balls, and we laugh, talk, and get to know each other better. So my concluding remark is this... just as in the short film, 'It's Not About the Nail," in business golf, it's not about your golf, it's about your client. Learn this and you can mix a wonderful lifestyle of incorporating golf into your business practice, find yourself enjoying much healthier and wealthier walks in the park. Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

ICF Updates Coaching Core Competencies for 2021 Q3 Implementation Download the Updated ICF Core Competencies From the ICF Website (coachingfederation.org), it was announced that the "ICF Core Competencies were developed to support greater understanding about the skills and approaches used within today’s coaching profession as defined by ICF. These competencies and the ICF definition of coaching were used as the foundation for the development of the ICF Coach Knowledge Assessment (CKA). The ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." "The Core Competencies are grouped into four domains according to those that fit together logically based on common ways of looking at the competencies in each group. The groupings and individual competencies are not weighted – they do not represent any kind of hierarchy and are all core and critical for any competent coach to demonstrate. The updated ICF Core Competencies model was released in November 2019, marking its first update since the competencies’ creation in 1998." "The updated Core Competencies will be integrated in ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs curricula beginning in January 2021. Then, updated Credentialing assessments reflecting the revised Core Competencies will launch in the second half of 2021." Learn more about this ICF update at this link: (CoachFederation.org) . You are also invited to explore a video about the ICF Core Competencies Update Here (YouTube). ON BACKGROUND, THE ICF RELEASED THE FOLLOWING OVERVIEW OF THE UPDATED CORE COMPETENCY MODEL "Following a rigorous, 24-month coaching practice analysis, the International Coach Federation is announcing an updated ICF Coaching Core Competency Model. This competency model is based on evidence collected from more than 1,300 coaches across the world, including both ICF Members and non-members and representing a diverse range of coaching disciplines, training backgrounds, coaching styles and experience levels. This large-scale research initiative validated that much of the existing ICF Core Competency Model, developed nearly 25 years ago, remains critically important to the practice of coaching today. Some new elements and themes that emerged from the data have also been integrated into the model. These include a paramount emphasis on ethical behavior and confidentiality, the importance of a coaching mindset and ongoing reflective practice, the critical distinctions between various levels of coaching agreements, the criticality of partnership between coach and client, and the importance of cultural, systemic and contextual awareness. These foundational components, combined with emerging themes, reflect the key elements of coaching practice today and will serve as stronger, more comprehensive coaching standards for the future. The ICF updated Core Competency model will go into effect in the second half of 2021." # # # Note: Arete Coach supports the values and mission of the ICF and provides this update here as an industry courtesy to executive coaches. Interested individuals are encouraged to go to the ICF website at one of the links above for more detailed information.

Episode #1001: Celebrating the life and contribution of Richard Bosworth, Founder of What if? Forums (UK). Follow the journey that took Richard Bosworth from an agricultural scientist to an admirable, successful, and unconventional Executive Coach in Episode #1001 of the Arete Coach Podcast. Continue to watch the interview, download the transcript, and read the recap. About Richard Bosworth Richard Bosworth was the founder and CEO of What it? Forums, an executive coaching practice that started in 1967, and operated from London, England. He was a self-styled “Chief Tormentor” for his clients, and they loved his candor, insightfulness, and questions. His executive coaching practice was global and he worked with national and international businesses, large and small, helping them grow. He started as an agricultural scientist but quit to be a marketer, specializing in business turnaround. In this podcast interview, Richard shares his journey into coaching, his early meet up with Thomas Leonard (the founder of the modern coaching industry), and his foray into tele-coaching, and later Zoom-based executive and peer group coaching. Richard passed away in August 2020, and this interview was recorded with Severin Sorensen, the curator and host of the Arete Coach Podcast on April 27, 2020. Watch the podcast Click here to listen to the podcast, or click below to view the podcast outline and transcript: Key highlights An unconventional journey and approach to coaching Timestamp: 1:22 Richard fell into coaching way before it was popular, and at that time, he didn’t know that what he was doing would be classed as coaching. He thought of himself as an unconventional coach because his "Why" and drive came from challenging the status quo. “I like to get people to look at things through fresh eyes and with fresh thoughts and try out new things and do them differently. And that is what drives me all the time.” He believed that, in the future, people should be more interested in the “What if?” and he would be the one promoting new ideas and asking them, “What about this new idea?” because that was an important part for him—to try and do things differently. Quoting Roselinde Torres, Richard points to the challenges for all coaches, facilitators, and ideation people: "There are three challenges for the 21st-century leader. One, how do you broaden your sources of information and ideas? Two, how do you expand and diversify your network? And three, how willing are you to let go of the past and step out into the unknown?" Over the years of coaching, he learned that he doesn't want to be what he called a business doctor or a business blood donor because some people only want to take ideas and knowledge from you without paying for it. So, with time, he realized that the vital thing is to look for the right audience. The start of his telecoaching practice Timestamp: 08:12 In 1995, after reading one of Thomas Leonard’s articles about coaching, Richard knew that he had to talk to him. So, he booked himself into the first international coach federation meeting in Houston, where he found himself surrounded by people who were all searching for the same thing. After attending it, he knew that the telecoaching was the way ahead. He was already doing it for his business development and his social-political change clients, which he had in South Africa, where he moved to in mid-seventies. Not having an opportunity to move his business from Durban to Johannesburg, telecoaching was a way to still help his clients. So, telecoaching is actually something he fell into by accident, not by design. Becoming a better coach Timestamp 12:30 The biggest learn for Richard came when, after 20 years in consulting, he realized that he needed to drop that hard wiring for consulting. He needed to get rid of the toolkit he carried around, looking for patients who needed it. Becoming a coach, or an ideation, self-discovery coach, meant to stop looking for a problem that needs to be fixed and to turn towards the "Why." Why does somebody think the way they do? One of the reasons he had a change in perspective was a program he attended in San Diego, called the 6th Level, taught by Jim Davis. There, he was confronted with a simple but in a way frightening proposition—what are you most proud of or what is your biggest disappointment? He later realized that when someone says that something is their proudest moment if you ask the right questions and ask them carefully, people start unloading and revealing themselves. The wisdom he wishes he had when he started coaching Timestamp 18:04 When asked what his wisdom is today that he wishes he had when he started coaching, Richard emphasized the wisdom to quickly discern the people who really value what you do as a coach because many are only looking for praise and reassurance. Many want to hide away from what is confronting them. There are only a few people that have enough courage to admit they need to change. When he later realized that, he took it as a lesson and applied it to his business. Right at the start, they look at people and ask themselves: “Do they get what we do? Do they want what we do? And are they prepared to graft for it?” That, he believes, is one of the reasons his team creates such successful leaders. The why and the purpose Timestamp 21:59 Richard's "Why" comes from the passionate belief in challenging the status quo. He is driven by helping people see things through fresh eyes and look at different ways of doing things. But, as Richard mentions—the why—is not the only important aspect. It is also about—the how. And his “How” was bringing together a diverse group of business leaders and engaging them in thought-provoking conversations that lead them to take decisively different action in the open. It is about having thought-provoking conversations with ideas planted in there that they haven't thought about. The best day as an Executive Coach Timestamp 25:08 For Richard, every day as an executive coach was a wonderful day because he was waking up knowing that somebody somewhere will do something different and that he had a part in it. “That's the beauty of this job. Almost every day, I wake up knowing that somewhere, somehow, I've made a difference in somebody's life, maybe not directly, but indirectly. But it's the stories that I get back that make every day so rewarding…it's just the joy of knowing that we've helped somebody see things differently, do it differently, and be successful.” The most powerful question Timestamp 26:56 When asked about the most powerful question he asked as an executive coach, Richard gave an unexpected answer. It is a question one doesn't hear being asked very often, which was exactly why he would ask it. This question opens up a whole new avenue of discovery, and almost nobody thought of asking it before. “What does your family think?” As he explains, so many people do the things they do for their families. But they never think to ask if that is what their family really wants. The most important tools Timestamp 30:10 Richard used a myriad of tools in his coaching practice. As a consultant, he never stopped looking for questions he could ask. But there are three tools that he found to be most useful. The first is what he called—an aspiration guide. Others might know it as a Be-Do-Have chart. He found it fascinating because it asks you what you want to be, do, and have both in your private life and your professional life. And once he got that information, it allowed him to ask people if what they've answered in terms of their business is going to deliver what they want in terms of their personal life, which then leads to a whole discussion about family, business, etc. The other tool is listening to your intuition when you are thinking about what questions to ask. And the third tool, which he believes a lot of the coaches tend to forget about, is the silence. “Silence is when the heavy lifting is done.” The most significant failure as a coach Timestamp 35:32 One of Richard’s biggest failures happened in the early 90s when socio-political changes were happening in South Africa. He recognized there was a lack of management development training and took it upon himself to set up a management learning center. However, it was the wrong time and place for it, and it brought him to the brink of financial ruin. That later helped shape his coaching practice because he has known failure and what it can do. He made mistakes, and he is not all about success. He was able to empathize with his clients, and that is something they would recognize. And if some of his clients wanted to take risks, he was always able to tell them to stop, think first, and think about a plan B and C. Changes in Executive Coaching practice Timestamp 39:30 Over time, Richard's executive coaching practice changed in two ways. One is the already mentioned shift toward looking for the right type of person to work with. The second one is about focusing on tomorrow and what a person needs to be where they want to be tomorrow. “What are you going to need in the way of core competencies that you haven't got? What capabilities do you need? And where's your replacement?” Adapting during the Covid-19 pandemic Timestamp 45:24 While battling serious illness, Richard was considering an idea about going digital with his business. However, back in 2015, when he first tried using Zoom with a pilot group, he realized it was still too early for something like that. When Covid-19 started, it was the perfect time for it, and it started practically overnight. Focusing on the digital is also why the second division of the What if? group is called What if? Business Accelerator. There are a lot of changes happening, and managers and leaders are faced with new challenges. People no longer want to be led. They want to be engaged and consulted. People have also discovered different advantages of working from home, and the days of working 9-to-5 are slowly starting to fade. For leaders, it is now coming down to how do they add value. Guiding mantra Timestamp 1:00:11 “No matter who you are, president of a country, president of a company, president of the local Rotary Club, we all want to talk about what's inside you and inside your head." "…Get inside people's heads. And ask them—if you've done it that way before, can we do it differently?" The legacy left behind Timestamp 1:03:00 The first time Richard measured his life, as he said, was when he was battling cancer and was on an experimental treatment that worked well but resulted in some complications that left him having a cardiac arrhythmia. One afternoon, he talked to his daughters, and he was feeling disappointed about the legacy he is leaving behind. But then, when one of his daughters expressed concern about where will they hold a funeral and a wake because there were so many people he touched, who will want to come and say something, he was stunned. What he realized then was: “I'm not leaving behind a building, an institution, or even a business. I'm leaving behind the legacy that's walking around there that will tell the stories of the time they had with me. You can't ask for more than that.” Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

Episode #1002: Discover the unexpected journey that led Ozzie Gontang from being a therapist and a runner to becoming an admirable executive coach in Episode #1002 of the Arete Coach Podcast. Continue to watch the interview, download the transcript, and read the recap. About Ozzie Gontang Ozzie Gontang is an executive coach, master coach, and a Vistage Cope Award winner. He was a longtime member of Keepers of the Flame, and he modeled excellence in abundance, caring, sharing, and radical candor. Ozzie is extremely wise and has the ability to recall many things, put them in context, and use them at the right time. In addition to being a great coach, Ozzie is an avid health promoter and marathon runner with 81 completed marathons. He operates from San Diego, California, and today works with national and international business leaders, helping them grow. Watch the podcast Click here to listen to the podcast, or click below to download the outline and transcript: Key highlights An Unexpected Journey to Becoming a Coach Timestamp 01:38 When asked about his journey into coaching, Ozzie says it was one of those serendipitous paths. While working on his master's degree, one of the courses he took was led by a psychiatrist who started a research program on psychological-physiological aspects of endurance exercise. The chosen exercise was running, and, as Ozzie says, he became one of the guinea pigs. However, he got completely hooked on running, and, after five to six months, ran his first marathon. From there, he became a running therapist. Instead of sitting and talking with his clients, he would walk or run and do counseling. Eventually, he was asked by one of his clients, who he was training to run a marathon, to come and talk to his executives. They were running multimillion-dollar companies but didn't know how to take care of themselves, which led to different health issues, from anxiety attacks to heart attacks. And that was the beginning of his journey with coaching, the most challenging and most rewarding part of his life for almost thirty-five years. Preparing Himself to be a Coach Timestamp 04:01 The most powerful gift Ozzie got that helped him to become an excellent coach he is today is the gift of collegiality. He emphasizes the importance of learning not only from your teachers and mentors but also from your cohort. As he mentions, having great teachers and mentors ready to share their experiences was of great help to him. But it is the way they guided him, without telling him what to do but by asking questions to help him understand what he needed to know that was vital. Lessons Learned Timestamp 05:12 One of the most important lessons Ozzie has learned is the importance of becoming a virtuoso question asker, as one of his mentors would say. In a coaching situation, it comes down to assisting the clients as they work on their goal by asking good questions, which can help them realize what they already know and need to know, instead of telling them what to do. The other important lesson is the ability to use silence to do the heavy lifting and not be afraid of silence once he asks a question. The “Why” and the Purpose Timestamp 07:51 For over 40 years, Ozzie has been a director of the San Diego Marathon Clinic, which was started to bring people with different kinds of issues, such as depression, back into the community. The goal is to be there to help them grow and not to treat them as patients. Therefore, Ozzie's "why" comes from the desire to connect people and create a community and then watch how he is not the person having to help them grow because there is a community of other people they can depend upon that can offer support. He also emphasizes the ability to ask questions as opposed to telling people what to do. “Can I ask the question where I will learn something, being curious of that person, but they will also learn some really wonderful insights into themselves?” The Most Powerful Questions Timestamp 09:16 Probably the most powerful question Ozzie uses is: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Quoting one of his mentors, Lee Thayer, he explains, “If I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, then I can do anything." But, when you ask that question as an adult, it is actually related to the idea of—can I be responsible for my life? From that seemingly easy question, another one comes up, “What is your purpose in life?” What is the unique contribution that one can give because no other person is the same, and no one else has had the same experiences that life brought? The final question is, “What legacy do you want to leave behind?” In his work, Ozzie always starts with the individual and their specific experiences. Best Day as a Coach Timestamp 11:17 When asked what his best day as a coach is, Ozzie explains that, to him, the best days are always the ones when the client walks away with the insight into themselves that, when they look back at it a year or two later, they will realize that was literally the fork in the road. Favorite Quotes that Have Impacted His Coaching Practice Timestamp 13:59 One of the most impactful quotes for Ozzie is the one that stayed with him for a long time, especially through events of losing someone: "I knew a day like this would one day come, but yesterday I didn't know it would be today." On the other hand, a quote that brings the awareness that the catastrophic and painful situations in life could also offer a gift or an opportunity for the future and become a growing point: "I can sum up life in three words. It goes on." The Most Useful Tools Timestamp 19:54 “The first tool is the awareness that I am the tool.” Another important tool is the question. A question can broaden us in many different ways. But when it comes to asking questions, it comes down to asking the right questions at the right depth because that gets the person to where they are. Realizing it and saying to a person, "I'm not my thoughts and my feelings, I have thoughts and feelings," is one more tool that Ozzie emphasizes. He also finds various kinds of assessments that give the individual insight into themselves and offer valuable information to the coach as valuable and of great help. A Significant Failure Timestamp 23:52 One of Ozzie’s most significant failures relates to a situation that created a sense of distrust from the client's side, which led to a realization that: “There is no relationship without trust as the foundation.” On Vistage Experience Timestamp 30:09 Ozzie was a part of Vistage for almost 34 years. He explains that he will always honor Vistage, TEC, and all the men and women of Vistage because he received so much from them, giving him the ability to give to others. More than that, they helped him understand what it is that is in his way. Through introspection, he realized what mindset or self-limiting beliefs he has that are stopping him. During that journey, he developed strong relationships with his peers, and in them, he has friends for the rest of his life. Impactful Experiences Timestamp 32:12 Ozzie credits his parents for showing him and teaching him that love is what it is all about. The most important thing is that people care and love each other. Being in monastic life for nine years taught him the importance of honoring and accepting another person because of who they are now and who they can become. From that perspective, the role of a coach is to guide a person and assist them in getting where they need to go to accomplish what they need to accomplish in life. Advice for Those Considering a Career in Executive Coaching Timestamp 37:52 In Ozzie's opinion, it is important to find a coaching program that is going to be of help to the individual. Not only from the teachers but also from the cohort of people that they would be interacting with. “We're all coaches, but we often forget that some of the best coaches are the people that you go for a walk with every day.” As he emphasizes, it is important to learn to listen to people. That skill can be practiced daily in situations with family and friends. It will eventually turn into the ability to be silent enough to listen to what is being said and help. On Life’s Purpose Timestamp 41:20 Talking about his daughters and how proud he is of them, he gives his own answer to one of the powerful questions he asks his clients—What is your purpose in life? “To pass on life.” Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

Episode #1004: Discover the incredible life journey that led Bill Clark, CEO of Clark Leadership Group, to find his life purpose in helping others make a better life for themselves in Episode 1004 of the Arete Coach Podcast. Continue to watch the interview, download the transcript, and read the recap. About Bill Clark Bill Clark is an executive coach, master coach, and CEO of Clark Leadership Group, where he and his colleagues provide coaching services to small and mid-market companies. Bill's journey to becoming a coach was not typical. He was a low performer in high school and finished at the bottom of his class—two years behind the class he started with. With his uncle mentoring him, he went from working in a laundromat, and later buying it, to becoming a serial entrepreneur. He began buying and selling businesses, which led him to experience many successes and failures. All of his successes and failures served as life lessons, which eventually led him to become an excellent coach whose purpose is to help others achieve. Watch the podcast Click here to listen to the podcast, or click below to view the podcast outline and transcript: Key highlights A New Path Timestamp 2:09 In his entire adult life, Bill was mentoring others because he knew the value of a good mentor. However, his executive coaching journey started about 15 years ago, when a friend of his, an executive coach himself, invited him to a meeting with a group of CEOs. Right around that time, Bill retired from his business and was wondering—what's next? After visiting that meeting, he realized coaching is something he could do. It made sense to him, and it started him on the path of executive coaching. In his coaching practice today, he and his colleagues help people explore themselves, become better at what they’re doing, and get to the next place in their life. Bill’s Story Timestamp 03:58 “I believe that every life has a journey, and every life has a story. I do not think my story is unique. I just think it happens to be my story.” Bill's school years were challenging. He didn't fit in the one-size-fits-all educational system. His academic record was poor, and he failed two grades. He didn't do well in high school either. He graduated at the bottom of his class, two years behind the class he started with. His family began to wonder what would happen to him and what his future would look like. Around that time, Bill's uncle expressed interest in paving a road for him. His uncle had a construction company, and on the side, also owned a laundromat—where Bill was initially offered a position and soon after, ownership. Bill didn’t have any money to buy it, so his uncle taught him how to leverage it. So, in his early 20s, Bill was an owner of a laundromat. He then decided to buy a bar-restaurant. The experience of owning a laundromat and then a bar-restaurant was the catalyst for Bill's future of buying and selling businesses. But, it is, as Bill emphasizes, the mentoring he had that really helped him progress through his journey. "I was fortunate to get coaches or mentors in my life, and they mentored me about how to act, what to do. And there were some things I discovered about myself. The mentoring really helped me in my journey.” Later in life, Bill learned about his severe ADD, which caused him to be easily distracted. That distraction had a significant impact on both his business and personal life. Bill sees himself as a been-there-done-that person who has had phenomenal success but also painful loss in his life. Through all of it, he was blessed with perseverance that allowed him to continue to go on and grow. In his early 50s, he discovered who he really is and realized that he isn't incapable, as he believed for so many years, but just the opposite. Coaching Practice Timestamp 10:19 Together with the other coaches in Clark Leadership Group, Bill works with people who are learners who also have the curiosity to learn a lot about themselves and are ready to answer deep questions. As he mentions, if people aren’t curious about themselves, it just won’t work. He believes that his skill set was shaped over the years by different experiences and things he had done in his life. He and the coaches at Clark Leadership use their life experiences in helping others. He believes that the fundamentals in coaching come down to a coach's ability to ask tough questions and wait to see how people answer. A Pusher Timestamp 12:57 When asked whether there was some specific event that made him switch from running businesses to helping others do it, Bill explains that it was lifelong learning that led him to become who he is today. Other people would say that he is extremely self-aware and that he pushes the boundaries. He admits that he was always a severe risk-taker. And, if anyone was to ask many people he worked with in the past about one thing they can say about him, Bill says the answer would come back as one word overwhelmingly—a pusher. He pushes people to their boundaries because he wants them to learn about themselves and to become all they can be. That is, he believes, a fundamental in coaching: “Your work really is about helping others achieve.” He pushes people to achieve. Although he is aware that sometimes it might get uncomfortable, he emphasizes that there aren’t many things in life that you can succeed at without having to go through uncomfortableness to get it. The foundation for what he does today in pushing people into personal growth and growing their organizations comes from an experience he had with one individual he mentored. By asking him questions and getting him to learn about himself and go through some other learning experiences, Bill helped him grow the company from $18 million to $400 million. That success helped Bill realize that the principles he had used with this individual really worked. The Why Timestamp 18:15 For a long time, Bill didn't understand his purpose truly. He could say that his purpose is to help others but didn't quite understand it beyond that. Then, seven years ago, he had a major health event, and the doctors told him that he probably has only hours to live. They have also told him that they feel that they could save his life, but that would require them to do certain things that would destroy his cognitive abilities. Bill’s spiritual beliefs were always strong, so he told them to let him be. If God has more for him to do on this Earth, he would survive. If not, so be it. That event helped him realize for sure that his purpose was to help others succeed. And that is exactly what he does to this day. Asking Tough Questions Timestamp 21:54 Some of the most powerful questions Bill asks his clients are: “What are you doing that you shouldn't be doing? What are you not doing that you should be doing? What should you be doing that you're not doing?" These are tough questions for people to answer. But they help them learn. Bill mentions that, in his early years as an executive coach, he struggled with rescuing. He would ask a tough question but didn't know how to deal with people stammering and struggling. So, he would jump in and rescue them and say something like: "Well, I guess what you meant was this…" But, with time, he realized something important. “Nobody learns when you rescue them. So, what I really had to learn was to ask the tough question but then let them struggle to answer it.” When they finally answer the question, they will learn from it. And you will learn about them too. Meaningful Quotes Timestamp 24:07 One of the guiding quotes for Bill is the one that says: “What got you here, won’t get you there.” He realized that in order to be a coach and to coach CEOs at a high level, you need to be growing yourself. To get to the next level, you have to continue learning. Another quote that has resonated with him is the quote that comes from the Star Wars movie: "there is no try. There is only do or don’t.” "No excuses. You either do it, or you don’t." Socratic Thinking Timestamp 25:20 When asked about the tools he uses to help inform or create a learning experience in his one-to-one coaching, Bill mentions an individual he met eight years ago who profoundly changed his life—Lee Thayer, one of the most important figures in leadership coaching. Lee Thayer taught him about the power of Socratic thinking. It is the ability to ask powerful questions, and Bill believes that in it lies the answer for learning how to be a good executive coach. Bill also mentions a powerful question that Lee would ask: “Is it the leader that makes the organization successful, or is it the organization that makes the leader successful?” Over the years, he learned that the answer to that question is: “If you really do put good people underneath you and ask them the tough questions, they are the ones that will drive your organization to be all that you want it to be. But, if you rely on you to make it happen, you will have weak people under you because then your organization—thus your company, thus you as a person, will only grow to the level you want.” Painful Failures and Powerful Lessons Timestamps 28:00 One of the most significant failures that Bill experienced is related to a business in which he had an opportunity to grow an organization from $10 million to about $150 million in revenue. He was in his 40s, and his ego was out of sight, as he describes it. A company much bigger than him wanted to buy him, and they offered a large amount of money for it, numbers he hasn't seen in his life. However, he turned them down, out of arrogance, he says. Because he believed that as successful as he was and as successful as he expected himself to become, they would eventually come back and offer him even more money. But, his plan had a flaw, and it was that he didn't actually understand the market. So, they destroyed his business by always making their price lower than his. After all, they had huge amounts of money and could afford to do it. Bill couldn't. Eventually, he tried to recover the company, which didn't work, so the company went bankrupt. Bill also had to personally declare bankruptcy. He had nothing. He has gone from living in a 7000 square foot home to a $3-a-night-motel. There was a United Parcel depot behind him. So, he got a job working in the United Parcel, washing their trucks. But then, he started over. As always, he persevered. He started again, bought another company, and continued from there. That failure brought a lot of growth for him. He realized that earlier, he thought there isn’t much more that he could learn because he had already accomplished so much. But that experience taught him that you have to always be in a learning mode. When talking about business and the market, Bill shares another interesting story, an experience that became one of the greatest business lessons for him. He was in his 30s. He had a business, he was making money, and he had a great mentor. He had won a certain contract, but he felt they don't have enough money to execute it correctly. He asked the bank for an increase in the credit line he had, but they turned him down. So, he was complaining about it to his mentor. Then, his mentor put his arms straight out and put his finger right out and said: “I want you to remember this, Bill—anybody and I mean anybody can run a company when there's money in the checkbook." Even though he didn't realize it at that point, after many years, he finally understood that that was one of the greatest lessons for him in business. The Changes in Coaching and The Coaching Industry Timestamp 39:42 Bill explains how today, there are many different tools that coaches can use. There is also more information out there, which sometimes leads to people thinking that they already know everything and need one or two coaching sessions most, and then they'll have all that they need to go forward. As Bill explains, coaching is a lifelong experience, and you always have to be in that learning mode. He also believes that today it is increasingly popular to become a coach. But, from his experience, many don't have so much to offer. As he points out, he is unsure how many actually know what it takes to move somebody from one place to another. Again, it comes down to being Socratic and able to ask a lot of tough questions. You also have to be a learner and know what you want to accomplish with people. You have to be able to be a true, authentic person when you are talking with someone. Bill is unsure, however, how many authentic people are out there nowadays. Clark Leadership Timestamp 43:30 Describing what Clark Leadership does, he explains that it comes down to helping people move from point A to point B, point C, point D… They are helping people along the journey. Clark Leadership operates in Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. However, as Bill mentions, with everything that is happening because of the COVID pandemic, there are no boundaries anymore. So, now he is looking at his practice becoming more of a practice defined only by the boundaries of the internet. Life Experiences as The Strongest Attribute Timestamp 45:11 Bill's life experiences are what makes him stand out and what helped him most. For many years, he believed the things others would say about him, such as that he is stupid and wouldn't amount to much. He has become an extreme risk-taker because nobody expected anything of him anyway. In his 30s, he owned several airplanes. He learned how to fly an airplane. He also learned how to sail a boat. He took three years off and took a journey around the world in a sailboat. There, he learned a lot. He learned that he might die. But he kept going. He learned a lot about himself in that quiet time. And he realized that he is blessed with perseverance. He doesn’t quit. That is what makes his organization different. The richness of life experiences that he and his coaches bring into it. Today, being 80 years old, he manages risk differently. To him, a risk now comes out in learning how to pivot. Measuring His Life Timestamp 49:59 “I will measure my life in the fact of knowing that I have helped others transit and make a better life for themselves.” A Piece of Advice Timestamp 50:22 For those who are considering a career in coaching, Bill’s most important advice is: “Learn about yourself… understand yourself, understand what makes you work, understand where your hot buttons are, understand what you need to do to learn more about you.” Making Sense of the Years Ahead Timestamp 51:35 Bill admits that, for many years, he had false beliefs that led him to ignore the importance of self-care. He believed that sleeping longer than four hours is a waste of time, that you can function with little food and alcohol in your body. Taking care of oneself takes time, and he didn’t have it. What he now knows is he actually didn’t want to find time for it, it just wasn’t a priority. Today, that's changed. He intends to live to be over 100 years old, so long that he can continue helping others succeed because that is his journey. Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

Workplace conflict is an issue many executives face. Conflict and its negative consequences impact not only individuals but the whole organization. This insights article focuses on what research informs us about how to coach conflict reduction strategies inside a company. This article is informed by Hughes, S. (2019) 'How could a 3-step coaching model help executives handle workplace conflict?', International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, (S13), pp.16-31. DOI: 10.24384/jzdx-j617 There is an expression, “we can’t see the forest for the trees.” This happens when clients are so immersed in the situation that they cannot easily discriminate between multiple issues that seem to engulf them. In a business setting, this is when an executive and their teams are so close to the issues, there appears to be no prioritization of which issue to hack first, and they may be hacking at the symptoms of secondary issues, rather than hacking at the roots of the key issues. On background, in 1997, Jehn identified three categories of workplace conflict: Task conflict (what should be done), Process conflict (how to do it), and Relationship conflict (personality clash). Jehn showed that high-performing groups experience little or no relationship conflict at all. Workplace conflict has a negative impact on productivity and well-being, and it comes up often during coaching sessions. However, literature is still mostly theoretical when it comes to this issue and doesn't offer much practical guidance. Tackling the lack of practical guidance of workplace conflict, in 2019, Sarah Hughes offered a three-step model for coaches to use with executives who face workplace conflict. After reviewing the literature, Hughes suggests that, in order to manage conflict successfully, executives need to develop: Self-awareness, including an appreciation that their perspective is subjective. Other-awareness, which includes empathy and an appreciation of other perspectives. Communication skills to enable approaching others for discussion. Using McNiff’s and Whitehead’s (2011) Living Theory action research model, Hughes worked with three participants whose feedback shaped all three steps of the model. Hughes devoted one coaching session to developing each of the three areas needed to manage the conflict successfully. She evaluated each coaching session three times, once with each participant, tweaking it after each cycle. Source: Hughes, S. (2019) Source: Hughes, S. (2019) Hughes analyzed all data sources—interview transcriptions and audio recordings, participants’ questionnaire responses, her field notes, and reflective diary—and drew conclusions for each session. Self-Awareness The coaching session one, which was on self-awareness, helped the executives get valuable insights about themselves and enabled them to notice their own role in the conflict. The important realization they had is that they helped produce the conflict. Hughes used several different approaches to develop self-awareness and concluded that the eclectic approach gives coaches the flexibility to find the best fit for the individual (Bachkirova et al., 2010). The participants applied the model both to personal and professional situations. They have also applied it to task and process conflicts, not only to relationship conflicts as it was first planned. That suggests that the 3-step coaching model can be applied more widely than first thought. Other-Awareness To develop other-awareness, it is vital to develop empathy and awareness of other perspectives. Hughes used Transactional Analysis in coaching to offer insights into relationship dynamics. Two study participants realized they related to their bosses as a Child to a Parent. As Hughes explains, one of the participants discovered they were agreeing to all of their boss’s suggestions for fear of displeasing him. That resulted in a lack of boundaries such as work-life balance, consequently impacting their health and family. Creating awareness led this participant to start delegating more to others and to adopt an Adult-to-Adult approach with their boss. All participants reported increased other-awareness and self-awareness after session two. That supports the theory that the two are linked, as Goleman et al. (2013) suggested. Conflict Communication Skills The participants suggested they might know their conflict-handling skills had improved if they were able to have a constructive conversation with their fellow disputant by the end of the coaching sessions. Therefore, Hughes developed the SAYS approach to conflict communication based on participants’ feedback and understanding of their needs, combined with her experience of helping previous clients. She used it in Session 3 to start a discussion about how to approach the other disputant. Source: Hughes, S. (2019) All participants found this practical guidance valuable. The SAYS approach’s preparation stage helped the participants realize what they want from their working relationship. It also required and further developed their self-awareness and other-awareness. The SAYS approach helped participants find a way to rephrase a negative thought using positive language, such as "we'd really like to discuss this," rather than, “this relationship’s not working, you’re not doing this,” as one of the participants suggested. Using this approach also facilitated planning how to challenge the Parent-Child relationship with their boss and change it into an Adult-Adult relationship, which was particularly problematic for one of the participants. Thematic Analysis Using thematic analysis of interview transcriptions and participants’ questionnaire responses, Hughes got some other valuable insights. Emotions in Conflict It was shown that coaching raised the executives' awareness of how their emotions drove conflict and helped them manage their emotional reactions. The approach to managing emotions depended on the participant. For one of the participants, it meant pausing before reacting, which interrupted the fight/flight response and helped them manage the emotions. It also helped to forgive and let go, which enables the individual to talk constructively. However, not all participants were aware of their emotions before discussing them. This, as Hughes mentions, reinforces the importance of raising disputants' emotional awareness and helping them reappraise their interpretation to encourage resolution, as suggested by Schlaerth et al. (2013). Conflict and Self-Esteem Another important finding was that conflict coaching boosted executives’ self-esteem. During coaching, one of the executives noticed their low evaluation of their own worth compared to their seniority and longevity at the company. Coaching helped the participant develop a more balanced perspective of their value compared to their employer. That helped in setting boundaries around work, which consequently allowed the executive more family time. However, it is hard to generalize from this small study, so this finding would need more research to prove it. Avoidance Coaching helped raise the executives' awareness that avoiding conflict is an issue. Avoidance might prolong the conflict. Collaboration is crucial to solve the conflict and build relationships. Actionable Steps While Hughes' work is based on a small study, and the generalization of its results is limited, there remains value for executive coaches in coaching workplace conflict reduction in their coaching sessions. Here are some actionable insights from the research: Consider using a 3-step model like the one described above that was shown to help develop self-awareness, other-awareness, and conflict communication skills, helping executives manage the conflict more successfully. Remember Jehn’s early finding—high-performing groups experience little or no relationship conflict at all. Hughes provided an actionable three-step strategy to help coaches teach executives to manage conflict successfully, which positively impacts individuals’ well-being and can lead to a higher-performing organization. References Bachkirova, T., Cox, E. and Clutterbuck, D. (2010) 'Introduction', in Cox, E., Bachkirova, T. and Clutterbuck, D. (eds.) The Complete Handbook of Coaching. London: Sage, pp.1-20. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. and McKee, A. (2013) Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Hughes, S. (2019) 'How could a 3-step coaching model help executives handle workplace conflict?', International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, (S13), pp.16-31. DOI: 10.24384/jzdx-j617 Jehn, K. (1997) 'A Qualitative Analysis of Conflict Types and Dimensions in Organizational Groups', Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(3), pp.530-557. DOI: 10.2307/2393737. McNiff, J. and Whitehead, J. (2011) All You Need to Know About Action Research (2nd edn.). London: Sage. Schlaerth, A., Ensari, N. and Christian, J. (2013) 'A meta-analytical review of the relationship between emotional intelligence and leaders’ constructive conflict management', Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 16(1), pp.126-136. DOI: 10.1177/1368430212439907. Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

In today's increasingly demanding and competitive market, many organizations are investing in coaching to retain high performing talent, develop their skills, and motivate them to improve their performance. This study offers valuable insights into understanding what high potentials value in coaching, key factors that influence coaching outcomes, and how a client’s coaching experience might align with an organization’s perspective. Understanding how high potential employees value coaching and exploring if, and how, their experiences align with the organization’s perspective was the subject of a study published in 2018 by M. Taconis that informed this article. The study used an exploratory, qualitative methodology and was conducted in an international manufacturing organization that identified its high potentials based on their current and past performance, as well as indicative future potential. This study focused on the most senior group of high potentials that were on the verge of growing into an executive role. Their individual coaching was a part of a talent development program that lasted 13 months. The study participants were eight senior high potential employees who offered the participant’s perspectives and two HR managers who offered the organization’s perspective for commissioning the coaching program. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all participants and thematic analysis was used to encode the transcribed interviews and analyze the data. Three main themes emerged from the study: expectations, learning and outcomes, and success factors. Theme #1: Expectations When asking participants about their expectations before coaching began, they reported that, although they felt honored to be selected for the talent development program, they were reluctant to participate. Most of them weren't ready to be coached, and the attitude of participants varied from waiting to see how it goes to being skeptical. There were several reasons for their attitudes. A few participants had issues with coaching being non-voluntary, others were questioning the coach's background, and some had previous coaching experience that they didn't find useful. From the organization's perspective, the most important reason for commissioning the coaching program was to develop strong leaders. Because the organization was growing, new leaders were needed to fill both new and existing leadership positions as previously trained high potentials were trained only on the content of their jobs and lacked other leadership skills. From the accounts given by both the participants and organization, it became clear that the expectations and perspective of each group were misaligned. The participants approached coaching with some resistance and didn't see it as an opportunity to develop as a strong leader, which is how the organization looked at it. Theme #2: Learning and outcomes After the coaching process, both participants and the organization's representatives generally had a positive outlook on the coaching experience. Three main learning and coaching outcomes included: increased self-knowledge and self-awareness, choosing how to lead, and managing stakeholders. Increased self-knowledge and self-awareness Participants reported that coaching helped them gain insight into their strengths and capabilities, their growth-limiting beliefs, and their impact on others. They found these to be the key elements that enhanced their self-knowledge and self-awareness. For some, this newly gained perspective encouraged them to change jobs within the company. That was a welcomed outcome for the organization because it meant that their high potentials could show their talents in a different environment. Choosing how to lead All participants considered their leadership skills stronger after participating in coaching. The improvement in leadership skills helped them choose how to lead and adjust their style to the situation or individual. From the organization’s perspective, coaching helped them have more adaptive high potential leaders, which was in alignment with participants' views. Managing stakeholders The participants reported they usually felt like they were between two sides: their superiors and their team members. Coaching helped them learn how to deal with their superiors more effectively. Others mentioned how, as a result of coaching, they became more conscious of other people’s behavior, what was happening around them, and in the organization. The organization’s representatives shared that coaching helped participants see the bigger picture of the company and as a result, become more involved and opinionated. The author explains that, in this case, the organization was focused on promotions and career moves as the outcome of the coaching process instead of focusing on ROI measures or other outcomes that directly contributed to the organization's performance. That facilitated the alignment of the participants’ and the organization's perspectives. However, this isn’t often the case in other similar coaching programs, where there are larger discrepancies between participants and the organization. Theme #3: Success factors The third theme that emerged during interviews was related to coaching success factors. Four main success factors were mentioned: opening up to coaching, getting to the core, facilitating discipline, and embedding in their context. Opening up to coaching Although most participants weren’t ready to be coached or were even skeptical of it, they opened up eventually. The reasons for becoming more open to the practice varied. Some participants started looking at coaching as a personal development opportunity. In this case, the exemplary role that was given by senior management helped significantly. The explanation that coaching should be viewed as an organization’s way of supporting their development, instead of trying to fix them, helped decrease the negative perception of coaching. The successful and trustful relationship with the coach also helped the participants open up. Key factors in forming a successful relationship were the coach's credibility, expertise, empathy, and authenticity. The final element in opening up was the confrontation with one's behavior and impact on others. From the organization’s perspective, the participant’s intrinsic motivation was essential in coaching success. Getting to the core Many participants felt like the coaches helped them find the "real" issue, understand their behavior, and gave them specific feedback, which was another factor that contributed to the positive coaching outcome. Facilitating discipline The next factor that was vital for success was the perception of coaching as facilitating a participant’s discipline to achieve their goals. The author emphasizes that the continuity and duration of coaching intervention were crucial because it added to a participant’s accountability and allowed them enough time to experience real change. Embedding in their context The final factor that positively impacted coaching success was embedding coaching in a workplace context. Before coaching started, each coach put in the effort to understand each participant’s specific business context by spending time at the assessment center and having regular contact with HR and line managers, which was very much appreciated. The coach’s ability to truly understand the participant’s business environment and issues generated trust in the coach-client relationship and had a positive impact on coaching success. Conclusion and Actionable steps Coaches might use these insights when planning coaching initiatives for high potentials. The finding that the client’s readiness—which is vital for coaching success—might be influenced by the client-coach relationship, the encouragement and support the organization offers, and the set-up of the coaching program, might be used in other coaching niches too, such as executive coaching. The key factors that led to coaching success in this study such as opening up, recognizing the real issue, facilitating the discipline, and embedding the coaching in the workplace context, might be useful when planning talent or leadership development programs and the coaching process as a whole. References Taconis, M. (2018). How high potential coaching can add value – for participants and the organisation. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 12, 61-72. DOI: 10.24384/000541 Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.

If someone asked not so long ago what might happen to dramatically impact various businesses, a pandemic and worldwide lockdown probably wouldn’t be top of mind. The lockdown has led to many businesses shutting their doors, and others having to pivot and adjust to new circumstances. In a time like this, with more turmoil in organizations than what was previously considered typical, could executive coaching help executives and managers navigate organizational change? Finding an answer to this question was the main focus of an empirical study used to provide the valuable insights in this article. The study, conducted by Grant, A. M. (2014)., was entitled The Efficacy of Executive Coaching in Times of Organisational Change. The Context of Grant’s Study Grant’s study was conducted in cooperation with an organization that had global capability in strategic consulting, engineering, and project delivery, which, at that time, was operating in 17 countries across Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the times leading to the study, that organization underwent several significant changes such as onboarding a new CEO after 15 years and introducing a new business-operating model that required shifts in the way various sectors operated—all while undergoing restructuring. As Grant emphasized, these organizational changes are usually a source of significant stress for employees and managers. All of this created a context in which the impact of executive coaching in times of organizational change could be studied successfully. The participants were 38 executives as well as senior and middle managers from the organization's business units and functional areas, which covered 14 geographical locations. The coaching sessions were conducted by 14 experienced executive coaches. The coaching sessions used a cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused framework that supports the assumption that understanding the reciprocal relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, behavior, and environment—and the appropriate structuring of these four domains—best facilitates goal attainment. The aim of the coaching program was to help participants: Meet the challenges associated with significant organizational change; Improve their leadership and management skills, and develop their personal leadership ‘brand’; Develop their ability to collaborate more with other organization’s business sectors, and; Improve their professional development and career opportunities. Participants set two goals that they then worked on over a three- to four-month period. These individually chosen goals were closely aligned with the organization’s goals. This goal alignment between individual and organizational goals has shown to be a key facet in facilitating organization change (Thornhill et al., 2000, as cited in Grant, 2014). Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to collect the data. The value of this practice is in the fact that some important insights might be overlooked when using only qualitative or quantitative measures. For example, self-efficacy was mentioned in only a few qualitative statements in this study. However, quantitative measures showed that self-efficacy was a key variable which improved across the whole group. On the other hand, if qualitative measures weren't used, the broader impact of coaching on a participant’s personal life, such as better work-life balance or a greater sense of purpose, might have been overlooked. The combination of both measures enabled the overcoming of these limitations. Quantitative measures: Goal attainment - Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) Solution-focused thinking - Solution-Focused Inventory (SFI) Change readiness - Coping With Change Scale Leadership self-efficacy - four self-efficacy questions Depression, anxiety, and stress - The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) Resilience - Cognitive Hardiness Scale (10-item version) Workplace satisfaction - Workplace Well-Being Index (WWBI) Qualitative measures: Two open-ended questions What specific benefits (if any) has the coaching had on your leadership abilities? What specific benefits (if any) has the coaching had on other areas of your life? A within-subject study design was used, and the measures were taken at Time 1 and Time 2 (four months later). The Results Grant's study showed that participation in the coaching program was associated with increased goal attainment. Participation in the coaching program was also associated with increased solution-focused thinking, change readiness, and leadership self-efficacy. Furthermore, the results showed that the participants reported decreased levels of depression after participation in the program. Regarding resilience, the results demonstrated that participants had higher levels of resilience following coaching. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between pre-coaching and post-coaching levels in reported stress, anxiety, or workplace satisfaction. Goal Attainment The findings of Grant’s study show that, during times of organizational change and turbulence, executive coaching might have a positive impact on achieving goals. As previously mentioned, when individual goals are aligned with organizational goals, organizational change is facilitated. Solution-focused Thinking The participation in coaching improved the participants’ solution-focused thinking. That finding was supported both by quantitative and qualitative data in this study. Solution-focused thinking is vital in times of organizational change. While problem-focused thinking is a skill well-developed in many leaders, it might not be as useful in the circumstances of organizational turmoil. Problem-focused thinking is more fixated on understanding the cause of the problem, which should eventually lead to effective action. However, when the context is quickly changing, and there is not enough time to think about the problem and understand its causes, focusing too much on it might be an issue. In such circumstances, it is necessary to focus on finding the solution and realizing how the desired state and goals can be achieved. Successful leaders need to use both problem-focused and solution-focused thinking effectively and switch between the two depending on the needs and the circumstances. Change Readiness and Leadership Self-efficacy The increased change readiness in participants after they had participated in coaching indicates that executive coaching might help clients become more capable and confident when dealing with organizational change. As Grant emphasizes, such confidence is important because it is a core competence of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a significant predictor of behavioral change. According to Strauss et al. (2002), as cited in Grant (2014), leadership self-efficacy plays a vital role in motivating and engaging team members, which is particularly important during times of organizational change. Resilience and Mental Health Participants of the coaching program reported higher levels of resilience and decreased levels of depression, although neither was specifically targeted during the sessions. However, as people work towards their goals and overcome challenges that arise, they become more resilient. Dealing and overcoming challenges also helps them realize their strengths and become more confident in their skills and abilities, which might lower depression. The unexpected finding was that coaching didn’t help reduce anxiety or stress in clients. However, the author explained that the levels of anxiety, stress, and depression were already in the normal range before the beginning of the process. There wasn’t a lot of room or need for improvement. Depression, even though still in the normal range, had the highest reported levels of the three, and the possibility of reduction was higher. Workplace Satisfaction Although it was expected that coaching would be associated with increased levels of work satisfaction, that wasn’t supported in this study. Grant explains that most items on WWBI include job satisfaction components that participants don’t have control over, such as satisfaction with workplace conditions or pay. Although workplace satisfaction wasn't targeted in the session, if the measure focused on workplace satisfaction issues that participants could control, findings might have supported the expected hypothesis. Impact on Leadership Abilities and Other Life Areas The qualitative data showed that coaching positively impacted the participants’ leadership abilities in various ways. Participants reported that coaching helped increase their self-awareness and clarity of thought, helped them build leadership skills and leadership brand, and achieve professional goals and better communication within the organization. It also increased their confidence and trust in the team and made them more aware of career possibilities. Additionally, participants reported that coaching had a positive influence on their personal life. It could be concluded that they were able to take the insights they have gained during coaching and apply them to other life areas. Participants' statements showed that coaching helped them develop better work-life balance and better relationships with the family, increased their sense of purpose in life and the awareness of their personal values, and helped them feel better about themselves and life in general. Actionable Steps There are certain limitations to this study which might reduce the possibility of generalization, such as all participants being employed by a single commercial company or the fact that the within-subject design was used, meaning there was no control group. However, the findings of this study are extremely valuable and might be beneficial in current circumstances. In a time like this, when there is more turmoil in organizations than what was previously considered typical, there might be a greater need for executive coaches to help individuals deal with the challenges that are occurring. These insights might help coaches gain new perspectives or ideas when working with clients in organizations during times of organizational turbulence. Key findings that coaches should keep in mind include: Effective coaching during organizational change might increase goal attainment, and focusing on goals that are aligned with organizational goals facilitates change Solution-focused thinking, which is a key skill needed in times of quick change, can be positively impacted by coaching Coaching might help individuals feel more confident and capable when dealing with organizational change and increase their levels of self-efficacy, including leadership self-efficacy Working towards employee goals and overcoming challenges increases resilience and might positively impact an individual’s mental health Although the coaching sessions target professional life, participants are often able to take what they've learned and apply it to improve their personal lives as well References Grant, A. M. (2014). The Efficacy of Executive Coaching in Times of Organisational Change. Journal of Change Management, 14(2), 258-280. DOI:10.1080/14697017.2013.805159 Copyright © 2021 by Arete Coach LLC. All rights reserved.