GUEST
ARTICLE - Nancy Quinn
Executive
Coaches Offer Associations a New Game Plan
"I just had my toughest Board meeting
ever,” admits the association executive with 20 years of
experience. He’s good, he knows he’s good, but suddenly
his experience doesn’t mean much to the Board. New skills
are expected – whether it’s electronic communication or
membership growth or finding more revenue – they just keep
asking for more.
Nearly all association executives report
that they are being challenged in new ways today. Members
are demanding more value and the speed of change has gone
from 60 miles an hour to 120. After hours a day stuck in
email and another hour or two resolving staff problems,
execs try to figure out how to improve their game.
Well, how do professional athletes and
performers get to the next level and resolve challenges?
Corporate executives discovered the answer ten years ago
and now association executives are catching on. With a
professional coach, the path to success can be much
easier.
Think about the objectivity that coaches
provide athletes. They observe and give unbiased advice.
The client uses regular contact with a coach to work on
specific challenges and goals. By themselves, they fail to
see their own blind spots and to step back from day-to-day
battles to focus on what’s important.
It’s hard to get better on your own. With
the right coach, Tiger Woods changes his swing and wins
even more tournaments. With a coach, a corporate CEO
learns how to be a better leader and handle impossible job
demands.
Executive coaching is everywhere today,
for good reason. It accelerates individual development
more than any traditional training or seminars. The 30 to
40 percent of Fortune 500 companies that use executive
coaching to develop their most successful leaders report
that it is one of the highest return business strategies
available today. It’s now a sign of strength if people are
committed to growth and investing in themselves.
Fast Company magazine reports, “Executive
coaches are not for the meek. They’re for people who value
unambiguous feedback. If coaches have one thing in common,
it’s that they are ruthlessly results-oriented. Executive
coaching isn’t therapy. It’s product development, with you
as the product.”
A qualified coach is trained to challenge
executives’ assumptions as to what is possible for their
organization as well as their own career. All too often,
associations don’t offer enough support to help executives
continue their development. Coaching provides a convenient
structure that allows them to talk confidentially and
candidly to an experienced, independent business
professional.
How does coaching work?
In regularly scheduled coaching calls,
clients get personalized, professional support and
development. Again, it’s similar to a professional athlete
or performer getting advice from an experienced coach to
go to the next level. The coach is an objective,
experienced and committed partner who helps the client
maximize performance and keep on a successful track.
Often it is particularly effective for
executives with a significant new challenge and people who
feel “stuck” in some way:
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Conflict or decline in the organization
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A board that requires an extra edge
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A shortage of leadership talent
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Revenue or membership decline
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Career burnout or career transition
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A new position requiring new skills
People hire coaches for different reasons,
and often start with one intention and move on to others.
Some want to improve bottom-line job performance and
others want a seasoned, candid sounding board. Great
coaches are talented at sleuthing out what will benefit an
individual, offering help with goal setting, focusing on
priorities, attitude analysis, creating a more productive
organizational culture, how to wield power more
effectively, coping tips, conflict resolution, how to
inspire staff, managing emotions, how to make significant
advances in their careers, and so forth.
If stressed-out association executives
could ever use support, now’s the time. A few months of
experienced assistance has a profound impact. Consider
these actual examples:
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A new department director learns how to
better lead, communicate and inspire her team.
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A long-time executive director
re-establishes his focus and develops new strategies to
actualize Board goals he once thought were impossible.
-
A high-paid senior executive whose
position was eliminated due to membership decline finds
new work with much less stress.
-
An executive director with some very
cost-conscious board members learns how to grow revenue,
develop self-confidence for board meetings, and inspire
staff to be more productive.
Selecting an effective coach is just as
important for association executives as it is for a top
professional athlete. The key is using a qualified,
trained coach with experience in your world, real business
experience, and a commitment toward the realization of
your vision and goals. Andre Agassi would not hire a coach
who has not played tennis.
Can coaching fix all that challenges
association executives? It depends on the talents of the
coach and the ability of clients to change and to admit
they may not know how to resolve all problems by
themselves. It’s clear that many execs are learning that
the impact of coaching-like training beats traditional
training programs hands down. It holds people accountable
for sticking with an action plan. A self-aware,
ever-improving exec is much more likely to survive any
challenges that today’s economy and culture throw our way.
Nancy Quinn, CAE is the founder and
president of Coaching Association
Executives. As an executive coach, she is
engaged by associations and professionals
who want to play the game better and reach
their full potential. She has 19 years of
experience in association management, and is
a senior counselor with The Forbes Group.
Email:
bgrowth@columbus.rr.com to subscribe to
a complimentary e-newsletter devoted to
supporting association executives who want
to achieve goals faster and easier.
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