Research Paper: Coaching Leaders in Transition

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Name: Karen Atwell Date: 7/30/12Student ID: 264895 Email: [email protected]

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Table of Contents

Introduction......................................................................................................................3

The Challenges of Organizational Transition..................................................................3

How Can Coaching Help?...............................................................................................5

Optimizing the Effectiveness of Transition Coaching.....................................................6

Conclusion.....................................................................................................................11

Bibliography..................................................................................................................12

Notes..............................................................................................................................12



Introduction

Promoting successful employees, managers and leaders creates a unique set of

challenges for the organization, the transitioning leader and the team he/she leads.

Without the support of skill building, coaching and process articulation new leaders can

become lost and unproductive. Having clarity around what skills and behaviors to keep,

start and stop during transition translates quickly to the productivity and emotional

well-being of direct reports and peers. More and more companies today are hiring

outside coaches to help increase the speed to effectiveness of recently promoted

leaders. This paper explores the issues during transition, the application of coaching

during transition as well as thought-provoking coaching approaches.

The Challenges of Organizational Transition

“Leaders in transition are often riding the wave of prior successes as they begin their new

roles, but there is serious danger in assuming that what made one successful in a prior

role will make one successful again. Clearly, leaders must tune into their key strengths

and leverage them, but leaders in transition must also look courageously and honestly

inward to understand their own leadership vulnerabilities. The higher level the leader,

the more risk of derailment, and, therefore, the more need to mitigate the risk. Knowing

one’s vulnerabilities and how to compensate for them is essential.” (Paese & Wellins)

It has been the practice of American business to simply promote their best performers

and trust that they will “figure it out” as they move into new leadership roles in the



organization. In practice, however, the skills, processes and behaviors that created

success at one level, most often are not the most effective as one moves up or over in

the organization. Making a transition requires intentional change and awareness

around the necessary skills, application of time and the values they bring to the role.

One study conducted by DDI (Development Dimensions International) explains, “When

asked how well their companies provide support to prepare leaders for a new transition,

just 27.8 percent of American leaders indicate organizations were doing a good job

overall. We looked more closely at five best practices essential to successful transitions.

In all areas, only 17 to 36 percent of leaders think their organizations effectively

manage aspects of leadership transitions.”i

When the appropriate support is not provided, newly promoted leaders arrive

unprepared and struggle as they work to figure out what they need to learn, change and

implement. This, of course leads to frustration. In a 2005 study, the Learning and

Development Roundtable concluded that 46% of transitioning leaders under perform in

their new role. The report also shows that in any given year, nearly half of an

organization’s workforce is directly impacted by the transition these leaders undergo.

(Learning and Development Roundtable, 2005) It’s not that the newly promoted leader

fails or derails, it’s that their speed to productivity and effectiveness is significantly

slowed.



How Can Coaching Help?

Current wisdom has introduced the practice of providing a coach to help transitioning

leaders increase their awareness of the role differences, identify behavior and skill gaps

and create an intentional plan for integration. This plan is not just for their benefit, but

also to benefit direct reports, peers and stakeholders. The goal for any transitioning

leader is to minimize disruption and maximize productivity as well as employee and

client satisfaction and/or engagement. This, of course, should be the focus of the coach

as well. Identifying the specific needs of the leader is, therefore, the challenge.

In Jim Sutton’s abstract, Coaching Leadership Transitions, he discusses the role of the

coach in support of leadership transitions. “Coaching for successful leadership

transitions is much more than supporting leadership development (growing in the role).

The value of transition coaching is to accelerate the process by collapsing the time

needed to learn the new job, to build trust and credibility, and to speed up the time

for delivering business results. The professional executive coach plays a key role by

helping the transitioning leader in six crucial areas:

1. Realizing the business and organization realities they face

2. Understanding the new skills and behavioral requirements

3. Creating a new level of self-awareness – strengths, weaknesses and blind

spots relative to the requirements of the new role



4. Navigating transition challenges and building transition capability by

accelerating the rate at which trust is created and open communication is

established

5. Establishing goals and creating an action plan

6. Providing support

Many companies today have identified the key leadership competencies necessary to

be recognized as an effective leader. Some have even identified derailing behavior as

well. Derailers such as “over promising and under delivering” are easy to assess. Others

are far more challenging. Incorporating internal measuring sticks, such as competencies

and performance markers, helps the transitioning leader deliver results in a way that is

congruent with the culture of the organization. Coaching can provide a forum for

transitioning leader, (and, in some cases, his/her team), to step out of the intensity of

transition and work on, (instead of “in”), the new role.

Optimizing the Effectiveness of Transition Coaching

There are many factors that impact the effectiveness of transition coaching. It is not

one-size-fits-all. Additionally, there are significant differences in coaching needs based

on the transitioning leader’s position, their relationships with those around them and

their influence, (both positional and projected). In his book, The First 90 Days, Michael

Watkins writes, “The challenges of transition acceleration vary depending on

situational factors. It matters a great deal whether you are making a key career



‘passage’ in terms of level in the organization, whether you are an insider or an outsider,

whether you have formal authority, and whether you are taking over a successful or

troubled group.”ii

The DDI study also looked at the skills most wanted by the leaders in transition. The

table below shows that the desired skills vary depending on the type of leadership role

one is transitioning into. This type of data helps to demonstrate that a coach must

understand the role, situation and position of the transitioning leader in order to deliver

recognized sustainable value.

SKILLS MOST WANTED FOR TRANSITION BY LEVEL

Overall People Operational Strategic

Coaching/developing others 35.6% 42% 25.5% 24.4%

Building strong teams 33.8% 37.4% 27.4% 29.3%

Influencing skills 30.6% 34.5% 27.4% 17.1%

Deal with complexity/ambiguity 30.1% 31.9% 28.3% 24.4%

Managing performance 26.8% 28.6% 25.5% 19.5%

Create & share inspiring vision 24.4% 21.4% 30.2% 26.8%

Strategic thinking ability 22.6% 21.8% 25.5% 19.5%

Networking skills 21.6% 17.2% 25.5% 36.6%

Selecting talent 16.6% 15.5% 15.1% 26.8%

Financial training 8.8% 8.8% 8.5% 9.8%

Business acumen 8.3% 7.6% 7.5% 14.6%

Global acumen 4.2% 1.3% 6.6% 14.6%

(Percentage choosing, multiple selecting per respondent. Bold figures are top response for each level of leaders.)



”The table above shows that working through others dominates top-rated skills needed

in making transitions. Coaching others, building teams, influencing, and managing

performance are all skills directly associated with the shift to a focus on the

contributions of others. Far less important are the skills associated with individual

effectiveness, such as business acumen or financial training. Interesting shifts also occur

as one climbs the leadership ladder. For people leaders, coaching, team building, and

influencing top the list of wanted skills. A shift occurs at the senior level, however, when

networking becomes the most desired skill. For operational and strategic leaders,

creating and sharing an inspiring vision also ranks close to the top.” (Paese & Wellins)

These findings tell us that the transitioning leader, (as well as the coach), must fully

understand the role they are moving into and identify the skills or behaviors they will

need to allow for success for themselves and those around him/her. It is also important

to understand the business and organizational realities. The gathering of 360 degree

feedback that is specific to the transition can add to the richness of the transitioning

leader’s work in coaching. The use of assessments, (either individually or across a

team), such as Myers Briggs®, DiSC® or others can also enrich coaching conversation and

accelerate effectiveness.

In the article, How Managers Become Leaders, the author, Michael D. Watkins, writes

that the “seven seismic shifts function heads must make when first becoming enterprise

leaders involve learning new skills and cultivating new mindsets.”iii These are:



Specialist to Generalist

Analyst to Integrator

Tactician to Strategist

Bricklayer to Architect

Problem Solver to Agenda Setter

Warrior to Diplomat

Supporting Cast Member to Lead Role

These seven shifts require both a change of a functional head’s process for managing

and the behaviors he/she uses to lead as he/she moves into an enterprise leader

position. Using coaching conversation as a way to explore these shifts promotes

awareness, learning, success and speed to effectiveness.

There are many models like the one above for establishing an intentional path through

the transition maze. Finding or creating a model for coaching through transition can

provide a place to begin from. Factors that will aide in success include:

Being diligent around the creation of a formal coaching plan and continually

revisiting the plan is an effective way to manage the coaching process.

When engaged through the enterprise, scheduling check-in meetings along the

way with key stakeholders can identify wins and challenges early so that

performance for both the leader and the company can be optimized.



The agility of the coach is a key component in the success of the transitioning

leader and his/her team. Remembering that one size does not fit all and that

key topics may change based on position, circumstance and performance.

Check-in frequently by phone for accountability around execution of

commitments made during coaching

Offer to role play tough conversations helping the transitioning leader to use

new skills and approaches

Offer to facilitate team coaching sessions to aide in the speed to team

effectiveness

One of the challenges with Transitional Coaches is the energy necessary to manage the

nature of duality inherent in the process - the intensity of coaching for both individual

performance and organizational performance. Jim Sutton sites the work of David

Dotlich and Peter Cairo offering tips to stay on track as a coach.iv

Take “breaks” during the coaching process that allows you and your client to

reflect on the issues involved; don’t problem-solve yourself to death and lose

sight of the larger business issues.

Keep your own coaching journal that documents what you have talked about

with the person you’re coaching; have a column for business requirements

discussed and one for behaviors and development issues. Is there a balance

between the two?

Avoid jumping to simplistic conclusions.



Think holistically; consider all the factors that may affect individual behaviors and

organizational requirements, including the problematic behaviors of others

(boss, customers, direct reports), the competitive environment (resulting in

tremendous pressure for performance), or the career aspirations of the

individual and personal crisis (for example, a divorce, illness, death of a loved

one, etc.).

Conclusion

The leadership transition is challenging for the leader, his/her constituents and the

organization. Helping these leaders identify the changes they must make in skills,

processes and behaviors is paramount to their eventual success. The speed at which

that success is reached, however, in important to all stakeholders. For that reason,

many organizations are seeking the assistance of professional leadership coaches.

Coaches can be instrumental in helping a leader in transition examine the true needs

inherent in their new role. Through coaching, the leader can more quickly address skills

and behaviors and create a transition plan that will accelerate the success of all parties

involved. Aligning this transition plan to the expectations of stakeholders as well as the

cultural competencies and values is another way coaches can impact an executive’s

success during transition and beyond. Providing accountability and support and

connecting the client to additional resources is also a valuable contribution coaches can

make



There is any number of process maps created around the first 100 days of transition.

These can provide a foundational roadmap for transition coaching. The key is to

remember that the needs will vary based on the skills and behaviors the transitioning

executive brings to the table as well as the position he/she is moving into. Being agile in

the coaching approach will set the stage for a more transformational experience.

Finally, the pace and intensity of transition coaching is greater than most other forms of

executive/leadership coaching in that the first 90 days is critical. A coach will need to

pay attention to his/her own energy, impulses and coaching challenges in an effort to

continually bring a calm centered coaching style to the conversation.



Bibliography

Blanchard, K. (2007). Leading at a Higher Level. Prentice Hall.Fournies, F. F. (2000). Coaching for Improved Work Performance. McGraw-Hill.Goldsmith, M. (n.d.). What Got You Here Won't Get You There. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge. San Franciso: Jossey-

Bass.Learning and Development Roundtable. (2005). Navigating Leaders Across Critical

Upward Transitions: A Quantitative Analysis of the Drivers of Tansitioning-Leader Success. Corporate Executive Board.

Paese, M. P., & Wellins, R. S. (n.d.). Leaders In Transition - Stepping Up or Stepping Out. Development Dimensions International.

Sutton, J. (n.d.). Coaching Leadership Transitions. Watkins, M. D. (2003). The Frist 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders

at All Levels. Boston: Harvard Bsiness School Press.Watkins, M. D. (2012, June). How Managers Become Leaders. Harvard Business

Review, pp. 65-72.

Notes


i Paese, Matt, Ph.D. and Wellins, Richard S., Ph.D. (n.d.) Leaders in Transition: Stepping Up, Not Off. Development Dimensions International (DDI World).ii Watkins, Michael D., (2003). The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Level, 30-31iii Watkins, Michael D., (2012, June). How Managers Become Leaders. Harvard Business Review. 65-72iv Sutton, Jim, (n.d.) Coaching Leadership Transition, Bois D’Arc Leadership, 8

Research Paper: Coaching Leaders in Transition

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