Metro DC and Northern Virginia Executive Coaching

Business today is fast paced and dynamic, and requires constant learning in order to keep up with the demands of customers in the global marketplace. Leaders must continually grow and develop skills to keep up with new challenges. However, there simply is no time in the schedule for development, and the days of executive retreats and seminars are over! Executives have learned that the incremental gain from traditional training is not worth the investment of time away from the office.

Unlike general training, executive coaching focuses on a leader’s specific development needs, and addresses those needs through one on one learning. Executive coaching deals with real time issues and real work situations, tailoring the development to quickly address today’s challenges. The coach's role is to assist the client in developing the insight, skills, and techniques needed to achieve business success. Coaching achieves all of this with only the investment of a few hours a month, and builds accountability that lasts past the coaching engagement and results in sustained improvement.

The approach to coaching at James Bowles and Associates impacts both personal goals and the bottom line results of the business. Our first step is to obtain candid, honest, and direct feedback from many sources – direct observation, assessment, peer/manager feedback, self-reflection, etc. The coach is there to ensure that the feedback is heard and processed. The coach and client then tie that feedback to business and personal goals to obtain real commitment to developing solutions. The process then moves to implementation, where new options and changes are explored and put into action. Lastly, the coach and client determine ways to sustain the changes for long after the coaching relationship ends.

Choosing the right coach is critical. Coaches must have the “soft” skills to become a trustworthy ally, and be able to execute the coaching role of listening, questioning, and encouraging. However, in a business setting coaches also need to be well versed in business, strategy, financial, and technical areas. Without this background, a coach would have a difficult time truly understanding the issues, much less help another person navigate them. At James Bowles and Associates, our coaches are seasoned industry veterans with both “soft” skills and business experience.

Typical coaching clients could be:

• Senior managers and executives with little time for traditional training based learning.
• Managers new to the management role or recently assigned larger responsibilities.
• High potential individual contributors being groomed for promotion.

The best investment a company can make is one that produces a higher level of personal contribution and productivity. Executive coaching results in sustained improvement that will impact the bottom line of your company.