Coaching for Results
By Kathryn J. McDonagh, R.N.
Expert guidance to help leaders set priorities, make the right decisions and improve results
When a sports team has an outstanding game, people often examine the coach’s role in setting expectations for performance and helping the team effectively coalesce to achieve its goal. And, just as sports teams benefit from coaching, health care teams can boost their performance and impact with structured, focused guidance from an executive coach.
Coaching defined A coach assists individuals or teams to perform successfully and produce excellent results. Executive coaches have a more challenging task because the people or teams they are assisting are already high-performing leaders. In health care, the challenge is even greater because these high-performing leaders are also working in a complex field that is transforming rapidly. Given these dynamic challenges, the executive coaching process has to be efficient, effective and create positive, sustainable changes [see, for example, The Way to Coach Executives, second ed., by Andrew Neitlich, ATN Associates LLC]. An executive coach should be an objective, trusted adviser who has the ability to engage leaders candidly about strengths and sensitive issues, and produce results.