What do you do if your executive coaching program isn't driving innovation and overcoming barriers?

Firstly, reassessing goals entails revisiting the initial objectives set for the coaching program. I would initiate candid conversations with both the executives and organizational stakeholders to gain insights into the current challenges and opportunities. By reassessing goals in light of the evolving needs and dynamics of the organization, we can realign the coaching program to focus on driving innovation and breaking through barriers effectively.

If your executive coaching program isn't effectively driving innovation and overcoming barriers, it's crucial to reassess and revitalize the program. Start by soliciting honest feedback from participants and stakeholders to identify specific areas needing improvement. Analyze the content and structure of the program to ensure it aligns with the current business landscape and addresses real-time challenges. Integrate more practical, hands-on learning experiences, such as workshops or real-world problem-solving sessions, to enhance engagement and applicability. Update the curriculum to include emerging trends and innovative thinking processes. Consider bringing in external experts with fresh perspectives.

CLEAR (Contracting, Listening, Exploring, Action, Review) into your executive coaching program. These models provide structured frameworks for setting goals, exploring challenges, generating solutions, and reviewing progress. By incorporating a model, coaches can ensure a systematic approach to coaching sessions, promote accountability, and facilitate deeper insights and breakthroughs. Aligning coaching methodologies with established models can help streamline the coaching process and enhance its effectiveness in driving innovation and overcoming barriers."

When your executive coaching isn't breaking through, it's not just a snag, it's a sign. Time to evaluate coaches with the sharpness of a deal-maker. Do they have the 'Art of the Deal' mentality, the tenacity to push through barriers? If they don't, it’s time for a boardroom-style shakeup. Ensure goals aren’t just smart, but ‘Trump Tower’ high. The best goals, the kind that demand respect and spark innovation. Remember, in the game of executive coaching, you’re either the best, or you’re fired.

As a coach, we also need the humility to assess ourselves in our coaching journey with our client and be okay if we are not sure the client's needs are met. I always ask these question with my client and area of improvement so I can improve their journey. also don't feel bad if your client want to change to another coach.

Evaluating coaches is essential to ensuring that they possess the necessary skills, expertise, and alignment with the organization's objectives. As a practicing coach, I would conduct a thorough self-assessment and seek feedback from clients and peers to identify areas for improvement. Additionally, I would encourage ongoing professional development and opportunities to enhance coaching effectiveness. Also, ensure that the difference between coaching, mentoring, training, consultation is clearly aligned in understanding with the coachee and the coach.

This involves creating opportunities for executives to actively participate in shaping their coaching journey, such as co-creating action plans and setting milestones. In my experience, leverage various engagement strategies, such as interactive workshops, peer learning circles, and online forums, to stimulate creativity, dialogue, and knowledge sharing. By fostering a sense of ownership and investment among executives, we can catalyze innovation and overcome barriers more effectively.

You can conduct surveys, polls, and research among executives and other coaches to gather feedback on which technologies they prefer and find most effective for coaching. Additionally, regular online research can keep you updated on the latest technologies being used in the coaching industry. Experiment with new technologies and then share your experiences by writing reviews on your blog or LinkedIn. This approach not only keeps you informed and at the forefront of coaching technology but also creates a documented record of what you have tried and when. Such records can be invaluable for future reference when colleagues or executives seek your advice or feedback on technology choices in coaching.

When coaching programs aren't yielding the desired results, take a look at the strategy that is used. What problem are you solving with this program? Are you solving the right problem? If that's clear, focus next on the approach. How do you address this problem? And lastly, see if your actions and interventions are aligned with the problem and approach. It could be that the approach is not creative enough, not allowing new behaviours and ways of working to emerge. Or it could be that there's a lack of accountability in the actions and interventions. Are we steering with enough clarity and focusing on those actions that yield the most results?

One of the reasons might be the improper setting of goals and not having realistic timelines. To drive innovation is a vague outcome. How is that measured? What specific metric? These have to be outlined. Also, the assessment for the coachee-leader before the start of the program, need to calibrate their attitude towards innovation. The program would be ineffective if the coachee is not inclined towards innovation, but otherwise an effective leader is terms of performance and team management.

Not all executive coaching programs have to drive innovation. In fact, it's quite often about self-discovery, which can happen with time-tested rather than new and innovative approaches. You're dealing with humans and we all move and learn at different paces. As an executive coach, your objective is to support your client on their journey of becoming a better leader. If one tactic isn't working, shift to another and lean in with deeper questions that get them to think differently. If you try to force them, it won't work. The ideas need to come out of their own head, not yours. You're the guide, like Yoda. They are the hero in their journey, like Luke Skywalker.