Business Coaching – It’s Not Just for Executives Anymore

Business Coaching – Executives ONLY!

Most of you reading this haven’t had a “business coach”. I certainly haven’t had one. Coaches are typically reserved for the folks in big offices, with fancy titles, and multiple golf course memberships – the executives.

In the 1970s, the idea of Executive Coaching emerged in a big way, and all the higher ups inside big companies had their coach. After all, executives were the highest paid, and considered to have the most potential to drive positive changes throughout the organization.

Well, the times they are a changin’. Sure, these executives are still the highest paid folks within those organizations, but they certainly don’t have much influence or potential to drive positive change throughout – if they ever did. Most executives only talk to other executives, a board of directors, their coach, and…that’s about it.

Moving out of the Executive Suite

Few executives have any idea who their customers are, why they buy, how the product or service gets to that customer, and the ways it impacts the customer’s lives.

However, when their knowledge is combined, everyone else in the company knows everything about what I just mentioned. So, why are businesses still coaching executives when they have the least impact on the company’s end results, while largely ignoring the development of most other employees? Two reasons: Money and Habit.

The goal behind executive coaching has always been based on the idea of continual improvement. In other words, it’s an ongoing process – with no defined end – but rather a series of successive goals and objectives that are discussed, implemented, measured, and monitored. Coaching is still done through one-on-one interactions between a coach and an executive, or a coach interacting with a group, periodically. Even when taken “virtually” through a webinar or the like, it’s still the same result – lots of money and time, and available to a select few. 

Notice that I said “still done” in the previous paragraph. Coaching is so expensive – as much as $100,000 each year for a single executive – because humans aren’t scalable.

Organization-Wide Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge is scalable.

That’s why I said “still”. The way we perceive and approach the concept of continual improvement – or coaching, if we prefer – needs to shift and the way it’s done needs to change. The same way connected folks and platforms have changed the way we shop, tell someone happy birthday, plan an event, and so on.  

Thrive is working hard to provide a platform to give this much needed shift some fuel. While virtual learning systems are fine and serve a purpose, they still only provide event-based training. It’s not continual. And the concept of improvement is difficult to measure with them, so rarely even mentioned.

Continual improvement requires ongoing discussions, knowledge sharing, open minds, confidence to speak honestly, and a way to truly measure and understand where improvement is happening, and why, as well as where it’s not, and what can be done to help.

Keep THRIVING, Friends!

Danny