Not every executive or leader is well suited for executive coaching. What’s more, no amount of time or money spent on coaching is likely to benefit someone who lacks the intrinsic desire or extrinsic support for growth and change. This is why it’s important to evaluate the executive’s readiness before deciding coaching is the right performance-improvement method for her or him. Here are some things to consider:

• Is the executive truly open to exploring and changing?
• Does the executive have the self-esteem and self-awareness to examine how her behavior affects those around her?
• Is he emotionally secure enough to receive feedback that’s less than favorable?
• Is she capable of helping the coach understand major organizational factors that influence her performance?
• Is this really a good time for major change in the executive’s life—as a function of recent promotions, new challenges, major organizational changes, and so on?
• Does the executive agree about her need to change, or does she see her work group’s performance as being limited by what others are (or are not) doing?
• Does the executive realize that success will require time outside of coaching sessions to learn and practice new knowledge, skills, and behaviors? What’s more, does the executive really have the time?
• Is the executive open to coaching as the beginning of a long-term development process rather than a short-term fix?

Issues Beyond the Scope of Executive Coaching

If the answer to most of the above questions is yes or I think so, the person likely will benefit from executive coaching. But if you have major doubts, the executive’s effectiveness could be limited by factors outside the workplace or by deeper psychological issues. No one’s perfect, and we all have our challenges. But such issues are not the legitimate purpose of executive coaching. If the executive’s acting out is disturbing many people, it might be in your organization’s best interest to refer him or her for training, therapy, or counseling.