Dr. Earl R. Smith II

Some of my organizational coaching engagements begin with a search for the right place to start. Most often, the initial contact comes from either the CEO or Chairman of the Board.

Just as every ship needs a captain, every organization needs a leader. Every captain needs a support network of officers and every leader needs a senior team – leadership is an extended function.

Leadership is the art of getting someone to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

Leadership is easier to explain than to practice – but when you see it you know it intuitively. My leadership coaching engagements are with executives who have developed some leadership skill and are intent on improving. Many have discovered that, as they rise in an organization, it has become more and more difficult to achieve objectives or remain focused.

The first objective of leadership assessment is to discover the leadership qualities in you. A good assessment program will focus on qualities such as integrity, inspiration, enthusiasm, perseverance, judgment, collaboration, team building, courage, problem solving and self-renewal.

Leadership coaching can make a huge difference in the career prospects of an up-and-coming executive. The delays and risks of learning by experience – by your mistakes and successes – can put you seriously behind your competitors. There is a sense of gambling about letting fate take the lead in determining how you will develop your leadership skills.

Leadership coaching is all about bringing out the potential in clients – whether they are executives or managers – entrepreneurs or consultants – at all levels. I have worked with all of these and more as a leadership coach.

Are you a Chairman of a company or a CEO? Are you finding it difficult to find solutions for the problems faced by your organization? Are you confused about what you should be doing? Maybe you could benefit from a bit of my leadership coaching.

My leadership coaching practice is the source of great satisfaction and great frustration. Leadership is always easier to explain leadership than to practice it. If it becomes difficult for an organization to achieve objectives and remain focused, a close examination of the leadership styles of the senior management team is imperative.

In my work with boards of directors, the issue of developing a reliable source of leadership comes up often. Boards need a combination of very high quality homegrown and off-site talent in order to meet their responsibilities to the shareholders and provide good governance.