Executive Coaching - A Guide For The HR Professional.pdf

70 EXECUTIVE COACHING
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Beyond organization charts and strategy statements lie
the informal, subtle things that impact the client’s success.
Some people call this “culture.” It has to do with “how we do
things around here.” The coach needs to know—and eventually
will learn—about dress codes, levels of formality, how
influence is exercised, how decisions are made, and how people
“win” in this organization.
In the words of one HR professional working for a large,
Fortune 500 company: “Once the coaching engagement has
begun, the HR professional cannot just walk away from the
client issues. The client is not operating as a silo, but rather is
operating as part of a system. That means that the organization
needs to work on its systemic issues at the same time.
The HR professional needs to be sure that the coach understands
the climate and culture as they exist now as well as
what the organization intends them to be in the future, so
that the coaching can occur within the right context.”
Every consultant knows that every client organization has
some kind of “soap opera” going on just below the surface.
There are alliances and antagonisms, perhaps resulting from
events long ago or from more recent acquisitions or reorganizations.
There are friendships and possibly even family connections
that aren’t evident to a newcomer. There may be
romantic attachments, current or former. There will be winners
and losers in the struggles for advancement. The coach
doesn’t need the entire story, but should be apprised of the
elements that most directly impact the client.
8. Be realistic about information and expectations. There may be
several reasons why little information is forthcoming from
either the coach or the client. Since initial interactions
between the coach and the client involve the establishment
of trust, both parties will want to maintain confidentiality.
Also, the process itself may unfold over time and it may be