Executive Team Coaching

What distinguishes top performing teams from the rest? While some may believe it’s great players, which helps, having great players isn’t enough. We need to look no further than two teams. 

In July 2011, Vince Young a recently acquired backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles declared the Eagles to be a “Dream Team,” due to, in his opinion, the collection of talented players they had assembled. That team, with an excellent coach, went 8-8 that season and missed the playoffs. So much for a Dream Team. 

Talent alone is not the recipe for team success. To get a a terrific demonstration of this, I encourage you to watch ESPN’s 30 for 30:  Survive & Advance - NC State v Houston 1983. Its the story of, in my opinion, the greatest NCAA tournament run by any team, ever. 

GIve the reader the take away… NC State played for each other not themselves and were up to something bigger than themselves. Great Leadership. Love. 

In business, like in sports, the goal is to get people acting or playing in the best interests of the organization or team. 

CEOs are responsible for a lot, but, ultimately their job boils down to organizational results. And organizational results are a function of organizational performance which is directly correlated to the leadership teams ability to perform at a high level. This can be challenging as leadership teams are made up of individuals focused on specific areas of accountability who, like a race horse have blinders on with their attention narrowly focused.  

While its difficult for all CEOs to navigate this, it is particularly challenging for CEOs of middle market companies as they, unlike larger companies frequently do not invest the time and energy and money or possibly haven’t learned or experienced what it takes to create a cohesive leadership team.  

I work with CEOs of mid-market companies and their leadership teams to transform how they work together to deliver on stated objectives.

Our approach is based on the idea that all organizations are simply a group of people speaking and listening. If then, you want transform the results an organization is producing you have to alter the conversations people are having. This starts with revealing the current reality including the hidden conversations that drive how people think, operate and interact. 

Then we move to helping people release from the grip of mindsets, behaviors, practices and attitudes from the past which drive their action. 

Once the past is left in the past the team is freed up to reinvent a potent organizational future built upon everyone aligned on and standing for being a championship organization. 

Then we get to work taking actions consistent with the recreated future to deliver the desired the future. A key component for leadership teams to deliver on the future with velocity is creating a culture of what I call Reciprocating Authority. 

Reciprocating Authority is a method for leaders to to create velocity in their organizations by pushing authority down in the organization as opposed to hoarding authority and power. This approach expands what people in the organization are capable of and free’s up leaders to focus their attention on the jobs only they can do.   

When people put their hearts and minds into the process, they experience a deep understandings of their reality, their minds are freed up and enthusiasm and joy for the future emerge, reenergizing the leadership team and the organization as a whole. 

The results of Executive Team Coaching is profound. It has the power to transform the organization like nothing else. Clients report a level of alignment and commitment previously not present. Trust and respect grows. Implementing championship ways of communicating and operating elevate collaboration, cohesion, accountability and velocity. People have a renewed sense of connection, purpose and belonging. 

“I met Alan with a specific need to develop leaders in our fast-growth company. He took the time to clearly understand our business objectives and crafted a solution that enabled us to springboard four critical initiatives. Alan led the whole project and did an outstanding job shifting the mindset of our team and developing our leaders in how to utilize breakthrough methodology. His leadership enabled our ERP Upgrade Team to overcome an early obstacle and deliver the project on time and under budget. Throughout all my interactions with Alan, I have found him to be professional, focused on our needs, and committed to delivering outstanding value.”

— PETE MARIANI, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, AXOGEN, INC.

Executive Leadership Team coaching helps CEOs whose teams maybe operating in silos, underperforming, struggling with unhealthy working relationship, or not meeting their commitments.

If you are dissatisfied with your leadership team or organizational performance for any reason, I’d encouraged you to reach out to discuss your challenges and dissatisfaction and explore the possibility of how Leadership Team Coaching can positively change what’s not working. 

Am I the coach you’ve been looking for?