Klaus: My topic is coaching executives verses true leaders. What I have noticed in my experience over the last few years, whenever I coached top executives, I was not always encountering true leaders. The coaching issues that surface when this occurs make this a very difficult issue. From a German perspective, the culture is to blame for this circumstance. My view on this is that it is not unique to Germany or Europe. The large variance that can sometimes exist between leadership skills and an executive title are quite challenging to deal with as an executive coach.
Val: I am addressing the future of coaching. The future of coaching to me is not anything that is a year from today or even five years from today. I’ve learned that if we’re to be successful executive coaches, we can’t just focus with executives on what’s happening today. They need much more than that. I think as executive coaches we do a pretty solid job serving our clients. We help them communicate better and be better leaders. We assist them in the process of strategy development and even support the planning process by asking what’s around the comer and what’s ahead to make your business more profitable? I think the challenge for us as coaches is we’ve got to get ahead of the CEOs. Here’s a provocative statement for you: right now, I think we follow along behind the executive to help and support them. I would like us to take a much, much bolder role and help executives know what’s ahead and how to prepare for what’s next. I think whether you’re an experienced coach or a new coach, it’s about how do we make our services more attractive, more meaningful so that they both help the bottom line and help executives individually.
[Following are the panelist’s comments following their breakout meetings. Their comments incorporate their own perspectives as well as those offered by participants in their breakout meetings]
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