The coaching journey, especially for a top leader or executive, does not
take place in a vacuum or during a time-out from other responsibilities, pres-
sures, and interpersonal demands. It is not surprising that the regimen of
change can sometimes become lost amidst so many day-to-day concerns. The
coach is there to watch over the small steps in what can be described as the
microplan. It is, after all, only through small steps that we achieve larger
aims. As Hesiod, one of the earliest Greek philosopher-poets, stated 2,600
years ago: “If you add little to little, and do it often, soon the little will grow,
and become big.”
The coach must also link the microplan to the larger vision; otherwise, the
coachee will not be reinforced by his or her steady accomplishments. As anyone
who has ever driven a change process will recognize, the steps leading toward
that change are lost to many people in the details of the daily grind. By
deliberately and frequently linking the coachee’s efforts to the overall
objective, the coach creates the sense of forward momentum and purpose
valued by action and goal-oriented organizations.
This chapter describes the coach-coachee partnership from two vantage
points. Part I looks at how the coach designs the engagement’s system in order
to create the conditions for a true partnership. Without this structure, both
sides are liable to seek paths of least resistance whenever they encounter pres-
sures or roadblocks. Easy solutions reduce the power potential of the change.
Part II looks at the human dynamic of the relationship and the means by
which the coach leads the coachee to the depth of understanding necessary
for creating sustainable results. Separating the process of coaching into two
distinct aspects is a purer approach than would ever arise in the messy dy-
namics of real life. Nevertheless, that division will help coach, coachee, and
organization communicate expectations with more clarity and purpose.
Part I: Structuring the Coaching Engagement
The results-driven nature of the coach-coachee relationship requires clear
ground rules to operate effectively. One purpose of the first meeting is to
establish exactly what those ground rules are.
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