Executive Coaching for Leaders

Case Study

Carollyne Conlinn, MCC

Catherine ClementCity of Vancouver

City of Vancouver challenges

• Diverse porfolio/multiple priorities• Minimal resources and heavy workloads• Many major initiatives

– 2010 Winter Games– Significant growth/development in city– New political directions

• Competition from other employers

Why executive coaching?

• Develop leadership capacity• Retain talent• Become employer of choice

Distinctions of executive coaching

• Experiential “just-in-time”• Individualized leader development• Provides conceptual frameworks• Encourages rigorous thinking• Challenges “learning edge”• Builds leadership capacity

Sarah Evans, Malt Thesis, RRU 2007

Participants selected

• 15 middle level managers• Top contributors• Ready for next level of seniority• Nominated by their senior managers

Control Group

• 15 managers were assigned a coach

• 10 managers (control group)

City’s leadership competencies

• Personal values• Adaptability• Innovation & initiative• Understanding others• Collaborating• Coaching & developing others• Communication• Service orientation• Planning & organization• Decision Making & accountability

Process – the beginning

• Managers in both groups self assess on 15 leadership attributes

Self-rated on…

Personal Excellence Innovation and Initiative • Contribute useful ideas• Initiate organization change to incorporate innovations

Self-rated on …

Working TogetherCoaching and Developing Others • Identify talent and recognize performance

Collaborating • Demonstrate understanding of own role in relation to others

Communication• Communicate clearly• Communicate with intent• Communicate to ensure understanding by others• Communicate to achieve goals• Communicate to meet the complex demands of the situation

Self-rated on …

Getting Things DoneService Orientation• Demonstrate accountability

Decision Making and Accountability• Use personal experience and facts to make sound decisions• Use broader/additional information as input to decision making• Probe beyond stated situation to identify underlying issues• Hold self and others accountable for decisions and actions• Apply judgment and make decisions in complex situations

Desirable qualities in a coach

• Professional background & experience• Communication skills• Presence & belief system• Process & commitment to action• Big picture thinking• Collaborative learning

Sarah Evans, Malt Thesis, RRU 2007

Model of coaching

The Excelerator Coaching™ Framework

Process – the middle

• Coachees given:– Orientation session– Communications style self assessment– 2 coach bios from which to select

• 10 hours of coaching, via phone, over 6 months

• Early 3-way interview with coachees, their bosses and the coach

Process - the end

• Managers in both groups once again self assess

• Followed by in-depth interviews with:– Coached participants– Bosses– Coaches

General Findings

• Positive experience• Participants spoke highly of their coaches• Process not considered a burden• Coachees and managers valued an external

person• Both recommend continuing program

• Improvements suggested only to process

Coachees – Pre and Post

• Coachees rate themselves higher on 13 items after coaching.

• Biggest gains:– Understanding Others– Decision Making and Accountability

• Communication and Service Orientation also had multiple increases.

Coachees – Pre and Post

4.38

4.24

4.24

4.32

4.24

3.96

4.25

4.29

4.04

4.26

3.97

4.05

3.92

3.89

3.85

3.73

3.88

3.97

3.93

4.24

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

Decision Making and Accountability

Planning and Organizing

Service Orientation

Communication

Coaching and Developing Others

Collaborating

Understanding Others

Innovation and Initiative

Adaptability

Personal Values

Participants Pre (A)Participants Post (B)

A

a

A

A

a

Comparison to control group

• Managers with coaches rate themselves higher than the control group on all 15 items after coaching.

Comparison to control group

4.38

4.25

4.25

4.32

4.25

3.96

4.25

4.29

4.04

4.25

3.60

3.92

4.00

3.72

3.92

3.50

3.94

3.72

3.75

4.00

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

Decision Making and Accountability

Planning and Organizing

Service Orientation

Communication

Coaching and Developing Others

Collaborating

Understanding Others

Innovation and Initiative

Adaptability

Personal Values

Comparison (A)Participants (B)

“This is a great program. I commend the City. It is more valuable than any other course I have taken”

Participant’s impressions

Managers’ impressions

“This is a valuable tool. It is pretty darn important to provide armature to people being promoted into leadership.”

Benefits to the City

• Productivity improvements• Retention• Succession• Supplement to City training programs• Other unexpected impacts

– Felt more pragmatic– See the whole not just the parts– Helped with specific situations

Lessons learned?

• Simplify competency profile• Simplify information package• Include bosses in orientation• Offer flexible coaching opportunities

– frequency, amount of time, etc.• Allow participants to either self select or be

sponsored.

City to integrate coaching

• City has scheduled leaders feedback session

• New group already identified for coaching• Coaching to be embraced by the City in a

number of ways (e.g., “Great Question Game™”)

Questions

Thank you

Contact us at:• Carollyne Conlinn• 604-882-9986• cconlinn@exceleratorcoaching.com• Catherine Clement• 604-873-7270• catherine.clement@vancouver.ca