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Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
Chamber Vision
February 2002
Cincinnati Bell & Convergys IMG Presidents Praise Benefits of
Executive Coaching.
Gone are the days when leaders were skeptical about engaging in
executive coaching to improve their personal performance and the
performance of their company. In today’s business environment, successful
organizations are taking advantage of every possible opportunity
to remain competitive and ahead of the pack. Former GE CEO Jack
Welch is but one example of a leader who benefited from executive
coaching.
If your organization isn’t actively engaged in honing the leadership
skills of your executive team, your best hope is that your competitors
aren’t either. If they are, you might find yourself left behind
without knowing what hit you. At least if the experience of two
of Cincinnati’s most progressive company presidents is any indication.
Convergys IMG President Bob Marino summed up his executive coaching
experience like this, “Coaching provides visibility to those issues
that impede performance.” According to Mr. Marino, there’s a fundamental
difference between effectiveness and efficiency. The outside perspective
of a coach can help an executive team improve both. “A team has
to work together - and individual behavior may get in the way,”
he explained. “So the question that coaching helps answer is, ‘how
do we change our behavior to become more effective - then how do
we change it to become more efficient?’
As a result, there is a collective effort to improve. Both Mr.
Marino and his executive team used the Cincinnati-based firm O'Brien Group because of their process and approach and his
belief that there is a personal accountability for leadership. “You
have to be confident and know you can improve in order to accept
an outside perspective,” he explained.
Cincinnati Bell utilized the services of O'Brien Group
as well. Jack Cassidy, President of Cincinnati Bell, echoed similar
sentiments as a result of the coaching he and his team experienced.
“I believe conversation crystallizes genius - and most CEO’s and
leaders don’t have the chance to talk through the wide gamut of
issues they face with anyone who has an objective perspective,”
Mr. Cassidy explained. A personal coach provides an opportunity
to do that. He continued, “By the time an individual gets to be
President or CEO, you must have developed certain skills to be successful.
But your business and the world is changing all the time - and you
must be willing to improve your skills to be successful.”
Mr. Cassidy’s executive team underwent coaching as well. “It’s
a structured approach with a desired outcome that everyone can work
towards,” he said. “It gives us an advantage - and I’ll take any
advantage I can get.” As a result, he believes his team has become
more cohesive and effective in leading the organization.
If you’d like more information on executive coaching and how it
might benefit your organization, call or e-mail Dr. Michael O’Brien
of O'Brien Group today at 513-821-9580 or michael@obriengroup.us.
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