The 4 Domains of Executive Coaching and why you should use them
I am seeking a promotion. I’m great at what I do but don’t have the people management experience. I’m a good Team Leader but I’m having more trouble as my team gets bigger. I’m in conflict with my manager and/or one or more of my direct reports is unhappy. I’ve received some suprising feedback and I’m not sure what to make of it! I’m exhausted and wondering how long I can keep doing this for.
The reasons for seeking out coaching are many and varied. Some coachees are self-directed “volunteers” who have identified some things they want to improve on, and for others they have been put in contact with a coach by their organisation. What is common, is that organisations and coaching clients want to know that the time and effort they put in is going to help them achieve something.
One of the first things that we want to establish is that the process should SAVE time, rather than being an extra task on an already busy ‘to-do’ list. Experienced General Managers know just how time-consuming a management issue can become and that saving just one of these painful experiences will pay back your time investment many times over. Plus, getting these things right is good for your staff… So, to the 4 Domains. They are:
Domain 1 - Wellbeing
Domain 2 - Self-management
Domain 3 - Executive presence
Domain 4 - Strategy execution
The rationale for the 4 Domains
Where did the 4 Domains come from? One of the things I like to make clear at the outset is whether a coaching idea has come from the literature (like the GM 6 Principles of Management - ask me later), or from experience or a best-guess. In the case of the 4 Domains, the psychological principles and practices that we employ in the Wellbeing domain are direct from well-established psychological theory and practice. It doesn’t mean that everyone we coach has a problem, just that the benefit of having a registered psychologist who can deal with just about anything in this private domain is helpful. For instance, psychologists are well trained in keeping the right things confidential. One down.
Similarly, Domain 2 (Self-management) focusses heavily on how people think, where our biases and thinking patterns come from, and how this informs our decision-making and behaviour. I like to call this the HIGH PERFORMANCE domain. As a qualified pilot and motorcycle racer, this domain is near and dear to my heart. The self-management domain is where we deep-dive on how our thinking affects performance. These themes are well-established in applied psychology, sports and many areas of high demand. Drawing on this material accelerates development in the context of a coaching program and plays out in how our behaviour is seen by others. Of course, we will get more out of this once we are confident that we have the basics right in the Wellbeing domain.
Domain 3 is Executive Presence. While much of the work with the coach goes unseen by the organisation, change, growth, capacity improvements, enhanced relationships, less “noise” and a more confident executive will be noticed very quickly. Tackling executive presence without a solid foundation in Domain 1 and Domain 2 is doomed to failure and disappointment. Why? Because “there are no shortcuts”. There are no short-cuts with staff, peers and managers. You don’t need to be a psychologist to know when someone is faking it. Almost every person I have met in organisations is an expert at noticing this. They may not use the same language as a psychologist, but they sure know it when they see it. The upside is that people are also really good at acknowledging progress, celebrating change and supporting people who are making those changes.
Domain 4 is the Strategy execution domain. This is essentially where the technical work gets done. it is common for senior technical people to be promoted to a manager position - they know how to do their work and may even be good at teaching others. The ability to make this leap to “getting things done through others” is a different situation altogether. One of the great things about being a coach who happens to be an organisational psychologist is that you work with people across industries. Over time, it becomes clear which parts of the role are industry-specific, and which parts of the GM role is common in all jobs. Its about 50/50 I would say. That is an example of an “educated guess”.
