How executive coaching bridges gaps in leadership training

A MEDI executive coach’s take on how coaching bridges the gaps that are sometimes left by leadership training:
I am regularly reminded of the value of healthcare executive coaching together with training, and the differences between them.  I frequently hear from people who have attended wonderful training programs where they learn great things, and are then left to themselves to figure out how to apply and implement what they’ve learned.

This week that was driven home for me again.  I am working with a Physician who has been through a very good leadership training program provided by an employer hospital.  The leadership training program was the traditional approach – lecture, some discussion, a little bit of mentoring.  Mostly he felt that he was on his own to figure out how to apply it.
In a coaching call that I had with the Physician this week, he commented that the healthcare executive coaching is where he figures out how to apply the leadership principles that he is learning.  We take real life leadership situations that he is dealing with and develop strategies for approaching those situations using the leadership principles he is learning.  It’s the best way to build “muscle memory” that I know.
This doctor commented to a colleague, “One aspect of the MEDI healthcare executive coaching program that is significantly different from the Hospital’s program is the availability of a dedicated coach during this process.  My MEDI executive coach has helped me make the transition from acquiring knowledge to implementing it.  Whereas the Hospital’s program did an excellent job of providing new knowledge, it did not fare well with assisting with the real world application of this knowledge — this is a deficiency that I had not even been aware of until my participation in the MEDI program.”
Once again, I see the value – and the fun – of coaching.