Our Approach

At Arete Services, we are dedicated to working with senior leaders from top corporations and firms to enhance their individual and organizational performance. Through personalized coaching, goal setting, and strategic planning, we help executives achieve their desired outcomes and improve their leadership skills. Our unique blend of business acumen and personal development fosters positive impacts on both individuals and corporations.

Executive Leadership Coaching

In today’s competitive world, the best corporations recognize the importance of developing their key leaders. They’re willing to make a commitment — of time and money — to help these executives enhance their leadership skills, knowing that this investment will benefit the company, as well as the individual.

At Arete, we work with business leaders from America’s leading corporations and financial services firms, helping them maximize their performance and their leadership potential. We provide senior management with hands-on, personal coaching, designed to help them:

Improve their effectiveness with employees, peers, boards of directors and other constituents.
Enhance their natural skills and talents so they achieve peak performance.
Communicate their strategic vision and motivate employees.
Manage relationships and build alliances at all levels of an organization.
Expand their personal self-awareness and enhance their impact on the organization.
Manage periods of personal transition and be ready to assume new or expanded responsibilities.
Lead their organization through change.

Arete concentrates on improving individual performance within an organization, enhancing effectiveness in both specific and general business matters. We gather information on how executives are functioning within the business setting and work with them to set goals, establish desired outcomes and organize a plan to achieve them.

While we focus on the organization and the business and process outcomes it is seeking, our private leadership coaching helps individuals improve their performance and meet their goals. Our specific strength is a blend of in-depth understanding of the practical side of business with a personal development program that will positively impact both individual executives and the corporation.

The Coaching Process

Typically, executives seek coaching directly or are referred to by their Board, manager, human resources professional, or colleague.

The coaching process is normally built around a one-on-one meeting format but often incorporates additional interviews with managers, peers, human resources, direct reports, Board members or customers. At the outset an information gathering process is built into a 360-degree confidential feedback presentation to the executive. In most cases, the coach utilizes a personality test (the Big-Five or similar) to provide executives with additional insight into how they are perceived, how they behave and how they can succeed and grow.

As appropriate, the coach draws on other materials including performance appraisals, strategic plans, business goals, communications and other information to provide a more complete picture of how an executive functions in the work environment.

This initial process takes several weeks but it provides a broad base of information allowing executives to generate practical action-oriented activities. Subsequent coaching sessions include evaluation and discussion of ideas and actions in specific work situations that the Leader wishes to discuss. Sessions are held weekly or every other week and typically last 1 to 1½ hours.

The Coaching Commitment

Coaching requires that both parties — the coach and the executive — share a commitment. Honesty, openness and a willingness to dedicate the time and effort required are essential elements of success. The coaching process also requires an atmosphere of confidentiality and trust — confidentiality is a given at the outset but trust builds over time. Finally, it is important to recognize that the “game” is played on the field, not in the locker room — only the executive can deliver the results of the best of coaches.

We do not tell you what you need, rather help you understand what you need to work on and with to improve.

Executive coaching has 7 major areas of focus that we help the client improve upon.

Leadership
Effective Communication
Emotional Intelligence
Stakeholder Management
Influencing & Negotiation
Personal Efficiency & Effectiveness
Life Balance