Leaders define and power their organizations forward. But when business operations reach crunching levels and old solutions don’t work, then what, or who can possibly help?

“Executive Coaching is sure to make a difference,” says Alma Horn, ACC, incumbent president of the International Coach Federation (ICF) Philippines Charter Chapter, and the force behind the hosting of the international Coaching Summit at the Conrad Hotel, Manila, on 8 November 2019.

By ICF definition, coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. “Leaders occupy a special place in the Coaching field,” Horn points out.

ICF Philippines founder Julius Ordoñez, the only Filipino to have earned the highest ICF credential of Master Certified Coach (MCC) explains, “Leaders have unique needs that cover diverse grounds, given their responsibilities. The choices they make have far-reaching implications. They deal with pressures from all fronts — customers, business owners, regulators, even their own people. Time, health and happiness can become extraordinarily pressing issues, especially when they are pushed to the sidelines of the daily grind.”

Executive Coaching gets them to rise above what is urgent and to evaluate what’s important. “And especially,” Horn says, “to take action towards achieving the goal they have decided on, or becoming how they truly believe they should be.”

Atty. Paul Roderick Ysmael, an accomplished lawyer and banker who currently serves as legal counsel of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) talks enthusiastically about the Executive Coaching program he completed in summer of this year. He said it was “a transformative learning experience that every corporate leader should undertake.”

Ordoñez considers it a privilege to have worked as Executive Coach to so many leaders both within and outside the country. The joy, he says, lies in seeing your Coachee rise to higher standards he has set for himself, or to witness him reclaim, and lead from a more solid sense of self- worth, ultimately attaining more than he originally thought he would.

Gary de Ocampo was a new CEO of TNS (now Kantar Consulting) when he opted to go through Executive Coaching. At that time, he was facing what he perceived was an enormous and critical handicap, even as he had just been promoted to the highest position in the company. “I needed to fill shoes that I thought were too large,” he said.

The prospect of being compared unfavorably to his predecessor, weighed him down. He turned to Executive Coaching hoping it will strengthen his credibility and help him measure up. The results amazed him.

“The best benefit I got was discovering myself again,” he shared during a Panel Discussion in the last International Coaching Summit in the Philippines a few years back.

“I found a new confidence from knowing myself better and living it. I realized that I did not need to copy anyone’s style. Because leaders wield enormous influence, the gains from Executive Coaching are multiplied a hundred-fold and impact practically all segments of the workplace. The intervention is particularly valuable when viewed through the lens of culture-building. The new definition of culture, many people say, is simply, “what the leaders do.”

A leader who has benefited from the energizing and expansive results of coaching inevitably becomes the most persuasive advocate of positive organizational change.

There has been a marked increase in the demand for Executive Coaching, as more organizations see the value of strongly supporting their C-Suite, as well as developing the management ranks for leadership succession. ICF Philippines has built a strong corps of professional coaches with credentials and appropriate training to respond to the call.

“Still, there is room to build a bigger, more vibrant community,” Horn stressed. “And we want to be able to provide the opportunity for those interested to learn or further sharpen their coaching competencies.”