Do You Need Executive Coaching or Corrective Action?

HR managers sometimes call me about a manager who "needs" to do the 360 survey and get coaching urgently. Most of the time, this urgent call is just another way of saying, " Ms. Bahar, we have a manager who is not behaving the way we want him to; we hope that through 360-degree feedback he will gain self-awareness and change". I usually find out that the manager in question has been having problems for a while and the company is finally taking action on the situation.

When I realize this, I always ask the following questions before embarking on such a project:

1. How long has the manager in question been having problems?
2. What has been done in the past to deal with these problems?
3. Do this person's subordinates give open and honest feedback?
4. How likely is this person to change?
5. How soon should this person change in relation to the issue at hand?
6. What happens if no change takes place?
7. How much time and effort is the organization willing to invest in this person?

Because if what is really needed is corrective action, we recommend not using 360-degree feedback and not characterizing interventions with this individual as "coaching". Otherwise we are contaminating the process and making it difficult for people to voluntarily use 360s or coaching in the future and see it as a leadership development activity. In this case, they think: "Remember what happened when so-and-so got coaching after the 360?"

Instead, address the issue head-on. If the person doesn't think there's a problem, despite all the signs to the contrary, and you believe that this person will change, you can consider using 360-degree feedback. But be careful. If this manager's subordinates are too afraid to be honest, the 360 survey results will only confirm the manager's belief that there is no problem.

In most cases, the manager responds positively to 360-degree feedback and coaching and changes. In cases where this does not happen, the manager decides to change position or leave the organization. In both cases, it is important to avoid calling the corrective action executive coaching to avoid hurting the person's feelings. Respectful openness and honesty are vital for the process to work as intended.