Executive Coaching Program: Awareness to Action Leadership
WHAT IS EXECUTIVE COACHING?
Executive coaching is an ideal process for helping executives continue developing their
leadership skills and respond to the changing demands of their business environment. Mario
Sikora & Company has provided this service for hundreds executives of Fortune 500
corporations, government agencies, and small- and mid-sized companies across the country.
Awareness to Action Leadership is grounded in the understanding that effective action
stems from useful self-awareness; that results come from the inside out. We help our clients
develop a practical understanding of their personality style, how this affects their interactions
with those they lead, and how to execute a plan for effective change and growth.
WHO ARE TYPICAL CANDIDATES FOR COACHING?
Candidates for executive coaching generally include:
• High-potential executives who are being groomed for larger leadership roles;
• High-performing executives seeking objective feedback and insight; and
• Executives needing remedial guidance on behavioral or performance issues.
Our consultants have extensive experience in each of these situations. The Awareness to
Action Leadership Executive Coaching Program described here is designed for high-
potential executives, but we are happy to discuss your needs in the other areas as well.
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
While each client is unique, the program focuses on helping leaders navigate the shifting
demands brought about by changing business demands and the increasing complexity of
professional advancement. The client undergoes an extensive assessment interview with the
coach and a 360-degree assessment that includes verbal interviews with approximately
seven key stakeholders and, when appropriate, a written survey to a broader audience. This
feedback sets the direction of the coaching sessions. The program generally consists of 12-
14 hours of one-to-one coaching over the course of three to nine months. The sessions are
usually conducted in-person at the client’s location, though phone sessions are also
available.
WHAT MAKES THE AWARENESS TO ACTION APPROACH UNIQUE?
Mario Sikora & Company’s consultants follow a three-phase process for executive
coaching. These phases are not concrete and fixed; they overlap and are revisited
throughout the coaching engagement.
1. Awareness—The consultant helps the client develop practical self-awareness that forms
the foundation for ongoing development. This awareness is gained through two lenses: the
360-degree assessment described above and a personality-type assessment using the
Enneagram model of personality styles. Mario Sikora is one of the foremost developers of
business applications for this model and co-author of “Awareness to Action: The Enneagram,
Emotional Intelligence and Change” (University of Scranton Press). This model helps clients
understand how their personality style causes specific strengths and weaknesses in an
extensive set of emotional competencies and to recognize personality-related behaviors that
may be affecting their leadership style.
2. Authenticity—The client and consultant use the self-awareness gained in phase one to
establish goals for the client’s development. Once the goals are established, the client and
consultant will work to identify and resolve “conflicting commitments,” innate resistance to
change that undermines development. This process involves uncovering ineffective patterns
rooted in unconscious attitudes that directly contradict or interfere with the new goals.
Authenticity in this sense means rewriting some of these attitudes in a way that is consistent
with both the client’s goals and values.
3. Action—The client and consultant develop an action plan for meeting the performance
goals established in phases one and two and, in subsequent sessions, monitor progress
and course-correct as necessary.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:
Leadership and executive performance are broad topics and should be an ongoing focus
for executives. Any executive-coaching process should be focused on finding critical
leverage points—areas of work that will have the most immediate and substantive benefit and
establish the foundation for career-long growth. Thus, this coaching intervention will not take a
“boil-the-ocean” approach to development. At the same time, the approach to coaching must
be broad enough to ensure comprehensive development.
Our approach to coaching generally considers these broad areas: 1) personality style and
emotional intelligence and 2) leadership competencies. Again, the assessment will identify
which competencies the client will focus on rather than trying to address each of these
individual areas.
This set of competencies is based on the idea that leaders have three fundamental
responsibilities: Establishing and communicating a clear Vision and set of objectives;
Aligning the organization so it can accomplish the vision and objectives; and create Action
by delegating and motivating the team.
Vision-Related Competencies
• Setting Direction
• Communication
• Strategic Thinking
• Analytical Thinking
• Industry Knowledge
Alignment-Related Competencies
• Talent Management (Acquisition, assignment, and development of people)
• Consistency in direction/organizational structure/ roles/responsibilities
• Executive Presence (Maturity, polish, interpersonal grace, energy, cultural awareness)
• Integrity (say-do consistency)
• Active/open listening
Action-Related Competencies
• Solutions thinking/ driving execution
• Motivation
• Delegation
• Accountability
• Conflict Management
WHAT IS EXECUTIVE COACHING?
Executive coaching is an ideal process for helping executives continue developing their
leadership skills and respond to the changing demands of their business environment. Mario
Sikora & Company has provided this service for hundreds executives of Fortune 500
corporations, government agencies, and small- and mid-sized companies across the country.
Awareness to Action Leadership is grounded in the understanding that effective action
stems from useful self-awareness; that results come from the inside out. We help our clients
develop a practical understanding of their personality style, how this affects their interactions
with those they lead, and how to execute a plan for effective change and growth.
WHO ARE TYPICAL CANDIDATES FOR COACHING?
Candidates for executive coaching generally include:
• High-potential executives who are being groomed for larger leadership roles;
• High-performing executives seeking objective feedback and insight; and
• Executives needing remedial guidance on behavioral or performance issues.
Our consultants have extensive experience in each of these situations. The Awareness to
Action Leadership Executive Coaching Program described here is designed for high-
potential executives, but we are happy to discuss your needs in the other areas as well.
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
While each client is unique, the program focuses on helping leaders navigate the shifting
demands brought about by changing business demands and the increasing complexity of
professional advancement. The client undergoes an extensive assessment interview with the
coach and a 360-degree assessment that includes verbal interviews with approximately
seven key stakeholders and, when appropriate, a written survey to a broader audience. This
feedback sets the direction of the coaching sessions. The program generally consists of 12-
14 hours of one-to-one coaching over the course of three to nine months. The sessions are
usually conducted in-person at the client’s location, though phone sessions are also
available.
WHAT MAKES THE AWARENESS TO ACTION APPROACH UNIQUE?
Mario Sikora & Company’s consultants follow a three-phase process for executive
coaching. These phases are not concrete and fixed; they overlap and are revisited
throughout the coaching engagement.
1. Awareness—The consultant helps the client develop practical self-awareness that forms
the foundation for ongoing development. This awareness is gained through two lenses: the
360-degree assessment described above and a personality-type assessment using the
Enneagram model of personality styles. Mario Sikora is one of the foremost developers of
business applications for this model and co-author of “Awareness to Action: The Enneagram,
Emotional Intelligence and Change” (University of Scranton Press). This model helps clients
understand how their personality style causes specific strengths and weaknesses in an
extensive set of emotional competencies and to recognize personality-related behaviors that
may be affecting their leadership style.
2. Authenticity—The client and consultant use the self-awareness gained in phase one to
establish goals for the client’s development. Once the goals are established, the client and
consultant will work to identify and resolve “conflicting commitments,” innate resistance to
change that undermines development. This process involves uncovering ineffective patterns
rooted in unconscious attitudes that directly contradict or interfere with the new goals.
Authenticity in this sense means rewriting some of these attitudes in a way that is consistent
with both the client’s goals and values.
3. Action—The client and consultant develop an action plan for meeting the performance
goals established in phases one and two and, in subsequent sessions, monitor progress
and course-correct as necessary.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:
Leadership and executive performance are broad topics and should be an ongoing focus
for executives. Any executive-coaching process should be focused on finding critical
leverage points—areas of work that will have the most immediate and substantive benefit and
establish the foundation for career-long growth. Thus, this coaching intervention will not take a
“boil-the-ocean” approach to development. At the same time, the approach to coaching must
be broad enough to ensure comprehensive development.
Our approach to coaching generally considers these broad areas: 1) personality style and
emotional intelligence and 2) leadership competencies. Again, the assessment will identify
which competencies the client will focus on rather than trying to address each of these
individual areas.
This set of competencies is based on the idea that leaders have three fundamental
responsibilities: Establishing and communicating a clear Vision and set of objectives;
Aligning the organization so it can accomplish the vision and objectives; and create Action
by delegating and motivating the team.
Vision-Related Competencies
• Setting Direction
• Communication
• Strategic Thinking
• Analytical Thinking
• Industry Knowledge
Alignment-Related Competencies
• Talent Management (Acquisition, assignment, and development of people)
• Consistency in direction/organizational structure/ roles/responsibilities
• Executive Presence (Maturity, polish, interpersonal grace, energy, cultural awareness)
• Integrity (say-do consistency)
• Active/open listening
Action-Related Competencies
• Solutions thinking/ driving execution
• Motivation
• Delegation
• Accountability
• Conflict Management
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