Executive Coaching

. . . and optimizes your opportunities for success. Visionary companies and professional partnerships now treat executive coaching as absolutely essential for key players — especially those in positions of strategic leadership and those who show great promise for the future.

. . . and enlarge your options in a setting of confidentiality and collegial respect. Executive coaching helps you "rise to the occasion," whether to pursue cherished dreams, to meet demanding challenges, to perfect critical skills, or to synchronize your life with your deepest values and passions.

Entrepreneurs. Aspiring leaders. Professionals. Executives. Managers and supervisors. In short, leaders at all stages of their careers.

Coaching is ideal for people who are outcome-oriented and ready to accept full responsibility for effecting the outcomes they desire.

Coaching is a change process. It is only for men and women who are prepared to embrace change that will optimize their life and career.

Since leadership always entails strategy — either developing it, implementing it, or executing it — our coaching and mentoring pays special attention to your personal strategic priorities and skills.

We call this approach "strategic leadership development," and it revolves around four critical questions

• How clearly can you state your organization's strategy?
• How clearly can you state your specific role in carrying out that strategy?
• What skills are required in order to be effective in your strategic role?
• Which skills need further development in order to fulfill your role completely?

Executive coaching, like any business endeavor, must provide a satisfactory return on investment. While our rates are competitive, you still make a considerable commitment of time, energy, and finances when you work with a coach.

By coaching to strategic alignment (see the preceding section), we increase the likelihood of a solid ROI. After all, better execution of strategy almost invariably improves the bottom line.

This means that we examine critical questions against the broader framework of your total pattern of life commitments, your core values, and what gives you a sense of fulfillment.

We follow a holistic six-phase executive coaching "A.C.T.I.O.N." plan that leads to lasting results. This is no "cookie-cutter" approach, however. We carefully customize coaching and mentoring engagements to your specific needs.

The answer depends on your specific needs and circumstances. While executive coaching and executive mentoring have much in common, they each serve a distinct purpose. To explore these differences more fully, review Executive Coaching or Executive Mentoring – Which Is For Me?

Executive coaching has proven of such value that many companies now want their managers to function as coaches and mentors. These "internal coaches" often have a solid mastery of their business or industry, but limited experience in the skills that make for good coaching and mentoring.

Using accelerated learning techniques and utilizing our LeaderPerfect™ resources and solutions, we provide a comprehensive program to enrich the skills of your internal coaches and mentors. If your organization does not have an internal coaching program, SLDI can help you design one and implement it.

Although face-to-face coaching has distinct advantages, we also provide effective executive coaching and mentoring by telephone and email. For clients outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this approach is especially cost effective, since it saves travel time and allows for optimal flexibility in scheduling.

Where possible, we prefer to conduct the first two or three coaching sessions in person. This gives both you and your executive coach an opportunity to build rapport more quickly. But where distance or schedules preclude face-to-face conversation, we can work by phone right from the start.

Executive coaching and mentoring by internet is sometimes an attractive option when dictated by factors of distance or cost. While not as effective as face-to-face or phone conversation, internet coaching is sometimes an attractive, cost-effective option. For instance, overseas clients without VOIP services may find this the best way to make executive coaching affordable.