Executive Coaching

As a partnership between a business leader and a talent development professional, coaching accelerates learning in helping the business leader perform to his or her greatest potential. Relying heavily on one-on-one dialogue, the coaching partnership encourages the business leader to apply novel approaches to challenges as the challenges arise on the job. By bringing leadership development directly in touch with the day to day of leading, coaching encourages the business leader to “demonstrate mastery while experimenting” – a uniquely effective way to foster sustainable learning where the business leader experiences meaningful growth that has lasting impact on his/her personal life and professional endeavors.

Coaching is not  therapy, a quick-fix tool, or a surrogate for a manager’s responsibilities. Rather, it is a proven talent development process for accelerating learning, increasing self-awareness and mastering valued competencies.

Coaching also relies on inquiry and personal discovery. With input from colleagues, subordinates and managers, the business leader and coach work together to reflect on past performance, hard won victories, recurring conflicts, value assumptions, personal patterns and more to gain a full and realistic perspective.  Equipped with such a broad and candid view, the business leader then explores new behaviors and fresh approaches for achieving maximum impact.

GCA’s coaching unfolds along 5 broad phases:

1. Establish trust
2. Analyze Performance
3. Provoke learning
4. Engage challenges
5. Strengthen performance and relationships

In the end, coaching is a balance of science, art, and expert improvisation, requiring the practitioner to adapt, discern, experiment, evaluate and learn - providing the executive with a dynamic learning experience.