Business Leadership Coaching with Dan Coughlin

The Business Leadership Coaching Dan Coughlin provides individual executives and/or their top management teams is the most direct approach he provides over an extended period of time to assist the individual or group to become more effective business leaders.

Candidates for Business Leadership Coaching with Dan Coughlin

Dan Coughlin works with strong executive performers who want to take their impact to the next level. He does not work with executives who are failing and who are looking for an outside person to work with as a last ditch effort to save their jobs. Dan works with the executive or management team to leverage their strengths and passions toward improving high priority business outcomes. He also works with the individual or group to apply proven thought processes on influencing how other people in the organization think so they can make decisions to improve results in a sustainable way.

Focus on Business Outcomes

Step one is for the executive to clarify with Dan the specific business outcomes that this Executive Coaching relationship will focus on improving for the organization. The success of the coaching relationship is determined by the actual business outcomes of the organization.

"I have had the pleasure of working with Dan Coughlin for 4 years. He has a unique ability to provide both individual and group development. As my Business Coach he has developed tools that I use which challenge my thought process and enhance the effectiveness of my decisions. While his perspective is wide ranging, he also is very effective with specific situations. He customizes processes based on your specific needs and then stays focused on using the process effectively to help you achieve the desired result. He does a thorough job of understanding his audience when working with a group. The amount of prework and preparation including getting to know each player has been very effective. His style of coaching leaves the group feeling that they solved the issue and truly own the process. Dan's ability to partner with an organization through focusing on opportunity is one of his many strengths that help you get to the result." Lee Renz McDonald's USA Sr. Vice-President Chief Restaurant Officer

Gathering insights on the individual and/or group

Dan does not have executives fill out forms or go through a series of modules or take psychological tests. His approach is based first and foremost on understanding the individual and/or group as well as he can.

He spends time on-site observing the individual or group in action in their day-to-day work situations. This includes watching the executive in interactions with a single individual, discussions with a small group of people, and/or attendance at large conferences. He observes the executive while he or she is preparing and giving speeches, attending and facilitating meetings, making difficult personnel decisions, determining strategic adjustments, handling crises as they occur, and interacting with employees and customers. Dan does not want the coaching relationship to be based solely on phone conversations. He wants to see the person in action in meaningful situations.

Dan also interviews twenty individuals regarding the executive’s performance and/or the performance of the group. These include the executive’s boss, and in many cases bosses, peers, employees, suppliers, and oftentimes customers. The executive puts together a list of twenty people for Dan to interview. These are people who know the executive, or group, well and have interacted with the people being coached in a variety of settings over an extended period of time. Dan removes the names from all of the comments, mixes them up, and shares them with the individual or group he is coaching.

Together he and the individual executive search for common denominators from these comments of what has made him or her effective and not effective in the past. They also look for insights on what might make the executive more effective in the future. Dan and the individual being coached narrow the focus to the key areas of strength to keep on doing and a few areas of opportunities to work on adjusting. In this manner, the Executive Coaching relationship is very personalized and custom-designed for the actual person involved.

Regularly-Scheduled Conversations

Dan and the executive or group members have both face-to-face and phone conversations on a regularly-scheduled basis. In these conversations a wide variety of topics are discussed. These conversations provide the executive or group an opportunity to pull back from regular work activities and dive into timely issues with Dan and look at them from a variety of perspectives.

"Dan, thanks for all your support in helping me and our team build our Midwest Division Team. Your insights, coaching and guidance, as well as different approaches were very impactful. You did an excellent job facilitating a workshop for our team and providing coaching support to follow-up with individuals on my team. Thank you again for the difference you made." Mike Slocum The Coca-Cola Company Division Director

Written and Verbal Insights

Dan provides the executive with on-going written and verbal insights throughout the coaching relationship. These insights provide the executive with a foundation of personalized advice to refer to long after the coaching relationship is over.

Unlimited Access

During the length of the coaching relationship the executive or group members have unlimited access to Dan. This means that the executive can contact Dan as often as he or she would like. This is in addition to their regularly scheduled on-site visits and phone calls. Dan will respond to every question from the executive or members of the group within twenty-four hours, and usually much faster than that.

"Dan, thank you for the great job you have done over the last six months assisting me as a professional coach. You have been a great catalyst for creative thought. Our time together each session went by very quickly due to the lively discussion that always ended in great ideas which allow me to move forward. I have found your coaching technique to be very effective. You allow me to think out loud and always have thought provoking questions that help me find the answers. Your feedback is inspirational and honest, which I believe has helped me grow. I would highly recommend you to anyone that is interested in putting time and energy into their own development and professional growth." Joe Uhl Marriott International Area General Manager

Resource Recommendations

During the course of the Executive Coaching relationship, Dan will recommend specific sections of books for the executive to study. Dan has read more than five hundred books on individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. In the flow of an Executive Coaching relationship he is usually able to pinpoint book recommendations that coincide with the executive’s specific situation.

Topics covered in Dan Coughlin’s Business Leadership Coaching typically include:

• Communication
• Relationship Building
• Priority Management
• Team Building
• Decision Making
• Talent management
• Brand Building
• Innovation
• Strategy
• Tactical Planning and Implementation
• Problem Solving
• Change Management

Experience

Since 1998, Dan Coughlin has coached more than 125 executives in over 30 industries and has invested more than 3,000 hours on-site observing those executives in a wide variety of settings as they dealt with a diverse array of business issues.

Testimonials

"The candid input and personal coaching you provided me was helpful in understanding the improvements I can make as a team leader and how it will enhance team performance. Your seminar and team activities helped the entire group understand their individual roles and responsibilities in improving team cohesion." Tim Streit The Coca-Cola Company Division Vice-President

"Dan, thank you very much for the input you have provided me over the past year. You approached the issues on a very creative and insightful basis. As I look back on the start of your coaching services and my anticipated benefits, the final results surpassed all of my anticipations. I believe the focused approach, as well as the on-target discussions followed-up by your summary letters, were the keys to me achieving the results. I am amazed at how quickly you were able to relate with the issues we discussed and then work through a very succinct action plan to address the issue. I appreciate your interest and dedication to helping me grow." Mike Hurst McCarthy Construction President & COO

"When we first met I was torn between the 'management mentality' of I can deal with any situation and the 'there's got to be a better way' philosophy. Dan, through your unique way of coaching, questioning and, most important, listening, you combined both areas of thought and have definitely changed both my approach and outlook. Thank you. You have made a difference." Kevin Wade St. Louis Cardinals Vice-President

"The pressure was on. My company, GSD&M, was in the running for acquiring the national advertising business for BMW North America. As one of the most prestigious car accounts in the category, we turned all our efforts, time and resources towards winning this business. As the leader of the pitch, I had the opportunity (and challenge) of managing a very large and diverse group of people with varying strengths and of course, personalities. Dan Coughlin guided me in several ways to be an effective leader in this high pressure situation. The most important piece of advice given to me by Dan was about staying the course and focus solely on the desired outcome of winning. As you can imagine, with such a diverse group of team members, there will always be personality conflicts and challenges in keeping everyone on the same page while trying to put together a comprehensive marketing solution for the prospective client. It's called the 80/20 rule. If 80% of your time is focused on the desired outcome and only 20% is about internal politics, etc, you're on the right path. Any deviation from that number requires a leader to reshift the efforts and thinking back to the desired outcome. My job was to keep everyone focused on winning--above all the disagreements, timing challenges and ultimately strong personalities. Dan also encouraged me to not lose sight of the details. Details like making the process inspiring and rewarding and where the team members can connect and build stronger relationships over time. There is nothing like going through the trenches with a team you trust and respect. To build that kind of team, it takes an effective leader who acknowledges and gives people a chance to do their best work. Dan's tips helped me to create that very environment. Dan's coaching motivated me to be a better coach that delivers the goods--winning. And in case you're wondering, we won the business." Ashley Andy Director of New Business Development For GSD&M the national advertising agency on acquiring the BMW account

To work with Dan Coughlin as an Executive Coach, e-mail info@thecoughlincompany.com or call 636.825.6611.