Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is a professional, strategic, practical, and confidential partnership designed to make strong leaders stronger. It is a professional and practical process focused on growth, goals, optimization, results and accountability. It is leader-driven and action-oriented. Executive coaching focuses on the goals and priorities of both the executive and the institution. Executive coaching engagements are customized according to specific leader and his/her institutional context, goals and priorities.

Philosophy
Executive coaching is designed in a way that benefits both the leader and the institution. Therefore, Academic Search believes executive coaching should be approached from a systems perspective and in the context in which the leader is leading.

We believe that leadership is learned through ongoing practice, reflection, action and assessment. Thus, leadership always occurs in a particular context, leads to action, and has an impact to be evaluated.

Principles
1. Effective leaders are conscious and self-aware.
2. A leader’s habits of thoughts are linked to their patterns of action – leadership is not a style, but a way of being, thinking and acting.
3. Leadership growth is best through a Strengths-based/Appreciative approach.
4. Leadership growth is ongoing.
5. Leadership can be learned, cultivated, and optimized.
6. Leadership is relational, contextual, adaptive and systemic.
7. Leadership growth takes time, intention and investment.

Process
The Academic Search Executive Coaching Process is committed to integrating, accelerating, optimizing and sustaining executive leadership for institutional health and well-being. We engage a 6-Phase Executive Coaching Process that is focused, relevant, practical and actionable.

“I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities.”
– BOB NARDELLI, FORMER CEO

“There is nothing more powerful you can do to encourage others in their quest for personal mastery than to be serious in your own quest.”
– PETER SENGE

“A sense of purpose provides an ongoing capacity to generate possibilities… and to find the values that make risk-taking meaningful”

– RONALD HEIFETZ, LEADERSHIP WITHOUT EASY ANSWERS

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To view all blog posts, visit WEBLINK HERE.

Advantage and Investment

Academic Search Advantage

What distinguishes our Executive Coaching Practice is that all of our executive coaches:

Are seasoned higher education executives who have faced the gifts and tasks of institutional leadership; and
Are trained executive coaches through either Academic Search’s unique and rigorous executive coach training program, an International Coach Federation approved coaching program, or both;
Adhere to the Professional Code of Ethics of the International Coach Federation (www.coachfederation.org) and the Association for Coaching (www.associationforcoaching.com); and
Rely on the best available executive coaching research and practices of the Institute of Coaching affiliated with Harvard University (instituteofcoaching.org).

Return of Investment

Hundreds of executive leadership transitions occur each year in higher education. Many of these transitions are forced or invited. The stresses and expectations on the sector, institutions, and their leaders have never been more severe. Executive coaching is a highly effective way to help integrate new leaders into their institutions. Also, executive coaching is a highly effective way to partner with incumbent leaders to optimize, adapt and sustain their leadership and impact for the long run. The relational and financial costs of leadership transitions are significant. Executive coaching is an excellent way to invest in presidents and senior leaders to enhance and retain effective leaders, especially in these times of severe distress.

5 Common Myths of Executive Coaching

EXECUTIVE COACHING IS ABOUT FIXING PROBLEMS

Executive coaching is about advancing visions, initiatives and agendas, as well as enhancing leader and leadership capacity. Tensions and problems exist. Always have and always will. The question is “how does fixing this problem or not fixing this problem advance or disrupt the vision or initiative?”

EXECUTIVE COACHING IS JUST FEEDBACK

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DON’T NEED COACHES

I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR EXECUTIVE COACHING

Executive coaching is rigorous and takes time and commitment, and it is customizable around a leader’s schedule and demands. If a leader does not have time or is not committed to making time, then executive coaching is not for him/her. Leaders must ask themselves, “how is not investing in my leadership affecting or harming my institution?” This myth is really about a lack of commitment and confidence than it is about a lack of time. We make time for what matters most.

EXECUTIVE COACHING IS CAREER COACHING

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my institution is sponsoring my executive coaching?

Leaders have two primary options when engaging an executive coach. First, the leader can pursue the engagement on their own and self-fund the engagement. Under this scenario it is entirely the leader’s discretion to disclose the engagement to his/her institution.

Second, if the institution is sponsoring (funding) the executive coaching engagement, the appropriate institutional representative, e.g., board member for a president or president for a cabinet member, will most often be included in helping to shape the overall executive coaching agenda, or Executive Growth Plan. During the Engagement Phase, we will negotiate to what extent assessment results are shared, how or to what extent they are used, set sponsor expectations regarding accountability, and clarify confidentiality.

Is executive coaching confidential?

Confidentiality and trust are essential in the executive coaching partnership and process. Therefore, you are assured confidentiality in the executive coaching process. Though executive coaching does not enjoy the legal protections offered by attorney-client or doctor-patient relationships, Academic Search holds to the spirit of such privileges. Thus, the protection of confidentiality is claimed by you and you are free to disclose any and all aspects of the executive coaching engagement. Neither the executive coach nor Academic Search may disclose without your written permission that you are a client of Academic Search. The executive coach may not disclose the substance and content of your conversations, Executive Growth Plan, or any aspect of the coaching engagement. This applies to the sponsoring institution. The sponsor is entitled to know that the leader is showing up for sessions, is prepared, is engaged and making progress. The sponsor is not entitled to the substance of the content of executive coaching sessions.

Exceptions to confidentiality: Executive coaches may be legally compelled to report the commission of a crime, the credible intention to commit a crime, and when a client is harming him/herself, harming others, or currently being harmed by others.

How long is a typical executive coaching engagement?

How do coaching sessions work?

The global pandemic is influencing the way we all work. However, it is common for executive coaching to occur via telephone, Zoom/Google Meet/Microsoft Teams. Also, e-mails and texts ensures leader accessibility to his/her executive coach when and where it is needed.

Typically, a leader and executive coach will meet once or twice monthly for 60minutes. The real work of executive coaching occurs between coaching sessions. The leader has access to his/her executive coach at all times. We craft a meeting schedule based on the needs and desires of the leader and the EGP.

What is the cost of executive coaching?

The professional fee is calculated based on the scope of the engagement and value being provided. Academic Search executive coaches do not work based on hourly rates, but based on professional engagement fee. Our professional fees consider the operational and endowment size of an institution if it is serving as a sponsor. This allows us to ensure that all leaders and institutions, regardless of size and resource base, have access to this critical and necessary resource.

How are executive coaches matched with leaders?

Our Practice Leader for Executive Coaching or Chief Operating Officer begin the process by responding to inquiries for executive coaching. Once we determine a sense of scope, we identify up to three Academic Search Executive Coaches. We forward brief bios to the leader and schedule one-on-one conversations with the leader and the coaches whom he/she wishes to interview. The next step is for the leader to choose the coach he/she prefers to work with by confirming with the EC Practice Leader.

To learn more about Executive Coaching, please contact Steve Titus or Shawn Hartman.