Supporting Leadership Success in Times of Global Disruption: Best Practices for Transformational Executive Coaching

COVID-19 has catapulted organizations across every industry into upheaval. As organizations struggle to pivot and innovate, leaders understand that VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) conditions require a different approach to leadership, innovation, operations, and management. VUCA conditions challenge both the traditional modalities of Western leadership practices, which rely on hierarchical control and predictability, and executive coaching practices that are based on linear frameworks of cause and effect. Since executive coaches often serve as trusted advisors, it is imperative for them to not only understand the nature and impact of VUCA conditions on a leader’s wellness and mental clarity, but also build their skillset to ensure leadership effectiveness through such uncharted times. This chapter summarizes findings from a qualitative research study that examined the best practices for executive coaches who support global leaders (Bayat, Supporting leadership success in a complex global economy: Best practices in executive coaching, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University, 2018). The results combine insights and advice from 39 highly successful, in-demand executive coaches, representing nine different countries, from a wide array of disciplines and professional backgrounds who provide strategies for leadership success in a VUCA world. Findings suggest nine key best practices, centered on presence and open-mindedness, as the basis to support leadership success as we collectively address the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.