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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
shelter of large organizations because they craved the independence of run-
ning their own business. And some will admit that they based their decision to
leave on the advice of well-intentioned coaches.
Note: When addressing the role that coaches play in organizational align-
ment, I prefer to focus on organizational goals rather than organizational val-
ues. Goal refers to objectives—what the organization wants to achieve. You
can draw a direct parallel between organizational goals and individual perfor-
mance objectives—what an individual needs to achieve. Values refers to what
an organization stands for and believes in; the same applies to individuals.
And while an employee should reflect the corporate values, such as integrity,
honesty, and ethics, these are central to the individual’s character and typically
are not what coaches focus on. I do not think you can coach a person into a
value system, e.g., a dishonest person cannot be coached into honesty. It is
more authentic and powerful to have a coach’s behavior reflect the corporate
value system. However, an individual can be coached to achieve performance
objectives that are in alignment with organizational goals. 2
Here are eight ways to begin to develop a strong coaching technique (see
Figure 10-1).
ESTABLISH TRUST
Trust is at the core of every coaching relationship. To build a sense of trust,
a leader-coach must communicate that he or she has the individual’s best
interest at heart, and that whatever he or she says or does is done with the
individual’s best interest in mind. Once the coach and the recipient under-
stand each other, they can create a relationship of mutual benefit. The

FIGURE 10-1 Coaching Model

Establish trust
Set Expectations
Teach Always

Problem-Solve
Serve to Motivate
Deliver Discipline

Recognize Achievement
Be a Mentor