Watching the Masters tournament last week, I was thinking about the level of skill and expertise these golfers display. They are amazing athletes, at the top of their game. Who could possibly tell them what to do differently? In fact, many of the PGA players find coaches indispensible. Coaches are there to provide a structured way to help them improve their play.
In business it’s much the same. There are many senior executives who have had amazing careers leading teams and businesses to great success. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room to improve and continue to raise their game. Or they may be facing a new challenge and need some sound counsel to achieve a breakthrough result. And that’s where coaches come in.
It can be difficult to find time to consider new ways to do things. There is tremendous pressure to manage scope and change, and to deliver quarterly results, and that leaves little time to reflect on leadership, unless there is a structure in place to create that time. Coaching provides that structure.
In a New York Times article, golf great Phil Mickelson said of working with coaches: “What has been important to me working with my coaches is that they give me all the information and advice from their years of experience and then help blend it into my approach and the way I’ve been doing things. And that’s what makes it work, because it is collaborative.”
How it works:
At BECAUZ, we have a systematic approach to working with executives. We start with alignment – no cookie-cutter solutions here. Each executive is an individual, with unique talents and opportunities, facing specific challenges organizationally and personally. We have to get inside their heads and see the world and their organization through their eyes—helping to bring a fresh perspective.
Great business coaching begins with understanding what the organization needs from its leaders in order to reach its goals. We develop a plan in collaboration with the leader that targets specific changes or behaviors that will increase the chances of success. Our four-step model – align, develop, execute and sustain – helps leaders stay on track and can enable significant transformation of a organization or business.
Align – Where are we going? Communicate the vision.
Develop – How do we cultivate new skills, tools and thinking?
Execute – How do we ensure actions align with strategy?
Sustain – How do we stay focused on success, stay accountable?
We know that the most effective learning takes place on the job, so BECAUZ focuses on the current, real-time activities of the leader being coached. Through a reflective, tailored and organized process we help leaders upgrade the quality of their conversations and relationships with others, and focus on those behavior adjustments that deliver the most impact on results. We catalyze the development of new skills to match what’s required at new levels of leadership.
What sets us apart?
Anyone can call themselves a coach, but in order to be an effective coach you have to bring deep experience, skills developed over years of working with senior leaders, and the kind of innovative, structured process that BECAUZ has developed. Our cadre of coaches are seasoned in business experience and leadership roles, have high EQ, top-notch communication skills, and executive presence. They have the depth that enables them to share insight and offer peer counsel. But more than that, our people have a fire in the belly for transformational results. They won’t rest until you and your teams are successful.