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During my coaching career, I’ve sometimes been brought in to coach what I call “Leopard-Leaders.”
Typically, this involves coaching a senior executive or manager who’s valued by the employer yet continues to engage in problematic behavior with subordinates and others. The employer finally recognizes the problem yet doesn’t want to let them go. “Let’s try coaching,” the employer says.
I get approached for these coaching assignments probably because I’m not only a Master Coach with Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching (MGSCC), but because I’m a former employment law litigator who previously made a living largely thanks to leopard-leaders.😊
Some of these coaching assignments have turned out wonderfully – for the employer, the people dealing with the leopard-leader, and the leader themselves. Indeed, when this coaching is successful, it invariably produces benefits extending well beyond the workplace.
On the other hand, I’ve run into passive or active resistance that couldn’t be overcome. That’s why my engagement letter says the leader or employer can pull the plug on coaching at any time – and so can I.
What maximizes the likelihood that the leopard-leader will change its spots? In my experience, here are the essential factors.
I tell employers that a necessary condition of success is the leader’s coachability. One of my mentors, Marshall Goldsmith, says coachability comes down to three traits: humility, courage and discipline. Humility means that the leader recognizes that they have a serious deficiency and want to correct it. Courage means that they are willing to step out of their comfort zone and engage in new behaviors. Discipline arises from the reality that sustained behavior change only happens through ongoing rigor and diligence.
With some leopard-leaders, these three traits aren’t possible.
However, you might be surprised that many leopard-leaders possess these traits. They’re just buried under layers of self-deception. Or what I call, “Blindspots.” The challenge for the coach is to determine which it is: innate inability or potentially achievable self-development.
To help the employer learn which category the leopard-leader falls into, here are three keys:
- The status quo is off the table. Tell the leopard-leader a successful coaching experience is essential for their continued role. Use the Crossroads Conversation you can learn more about here.
- Make it clear that the coach is not here to be the leopard-leader’s therapist or buddy. It’s to get serious – or go home.
- Measured results. In my opinion, too much executive coaching is mushy. “Feel good” doesn’t necessarily translate into “behave good.”
The MGSCC method avoids this problem with the “Mini Survey,” which you can read more about here (pg. 32). The Mini Survey objectively demonstrates whether or not the leopard-leader has truly changed their spots.
I’m not suggesting all problematic leaders should be given a coaching opportunity. Some lines can’t be crossed and the leader should be fired. I can’t coach integrity. Nor can I coach anti-violence, anti-sexual predation, or anti-gross incompetence.
However, if the damage isn’t already too great, and if the employer believes the leopard-leader may have the ability to acquire new spots, executive coaching is worth a try.
Jathan Janove is a former attorney previously recognized by his State Bar as “Employment Lawyer of the Year.” Currently, he serves as Master Coach and Chief Learning Officer for Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, a worldwide executive leadership coaching organization. He is the author, most recently, of The HR Renaissance: From Legal Guard to Growth Partner.
