Executive Coaching for
Directors and Boards

How to bring out the best in individual directors - and boards as a team

Executive coaching for directors and boards aims to bring out the best in individual directors to enable the board to work better as a team.

Executive coaching for directors is facilitative one-to-one coaching to help individual directors address specific professional development issues or to assist them in taking on a new role.

It is particularly relevant for new or prospective directors, for non-executive directors and as part of a board development programme.

• Preparation for role/career changes and joining the board
• Managing stress, change, conflict, or crisis
• Enhancing personal impact and performance

In addition to addressing personal issues the organisation benefits from:-

• Greater commitment from directors and senior managers
• Retention of key people who feel valued
• More creative outlook in business planning
• Improved management style

What does executive coaching cover?

Executive coaching covers the complex combination of skills and human capacities that are required of today's directors such as:

• business acumen and financial management
• leadership and organisational skills
• social and communication skills
• analytical and innovative thinking capacities
• ability to inspire trust and commitment to action
• rewards and acknowledgement
• "presence" that allows them to work in a very large arena or overlapping arenas.

Appointment of an individual coach/consultant who can both design and manage a board development and training programme, and provide individual confidential director coaching will enable progress to be integrated for the greater benefit of the team. An experienced external coach also provides a sounding board and is a channel through which sensitive issues can be addressed in a safe and controlled manner.

Brefi Group offers a range of director and board coaching packages. These include the following: -

• Individual initial intake interview to review the current situation, challenges and aspirations
• Self assessment and psychometric profiling to identify strengths, style and suitable roles
• 360° feedback
• Face to face coaching sessions
• Introduction to proven skills and processes for directors and boards
• Benchmarking against good practice
• Informal telephone support

The depth and range of support varies according to the package chosen.

Testimonials

I contacted Richard because I was dissatisfied with my current role. After two sessions on Zoom I decided that I would be happy to stay for a couple more years but, in the meantime, lay the foundation for a new role thereafter.

What distinguishes an executive coach?

In order to be an effective resource for the director's development, executive coaches must possess a unique combination of maturity, professional skills and human qualities, such as:

• a firm grounding in business knowledge and competencies
• thorough understanding of the world of the executive leader
• a broad understanding of leadership and leadership development
• knowledge of systems dynamics of organisations and communities.

Brefi Group coaches possess a wide range of business knowledge, experience and expertise, enabling us to be throughly familiar and comfortable with the director's world. We are comfortable coaching around complex issues and international agendas and able to discuss global issues, philosophical items, sociological issues or business issues of the day and future.

We are able to discern patterns of behaviour and large scale systems that prohibit peak performance.

You might have specific issue that you wish to address: -

• Newly appointed director
• Director who still thinks like a manager
• Executive who you would like to groom for the board
• Non-executive director
• General review and development of board performance
• Preparation for a merger or acquisition

Or you might just wish to explore how external support could help improve board processes and behaviour.