Executive coaching: decision-maker alignment
Use this decision-maker alignment exercise to understand who uses, evaluates, funds and approves the work without dismissing the person in front of you. You are discussing a structured leadership coaching programme with a founder preparing to manage a growing leadership team. The point of the practice is to make a useful decision together, including recognising when the offer is not a fit.
Agree a stakeholder map and a useful, permission-based way to answer outstanding questions.
The situation
In this fictional brief, important decisions return to the founder even after delegation. The buyer wants clearer decision ownership and a repeatable reflection routine. Your offer is a structured leadership coaching programme, but you must first establish whether its scope addresses the actual need.
A relevant delivery constraint is that personal discussions must have explicit confidentiality boundaries. Treat that as a fact in the exercise; do not remove it to make the sale easier.
| Your counterpart | a founder preparing to manage a growing leadership team |
|---|---|
| Offer under discussion | a structured leadership coaching programme |
| Evidence available | a sample session agenda and a client-owned progress journal |
| Terms to clarify | Agree session cadence, confidentiality, cancellation and sponsor reporting. |
How to approach decision-maker alignment
A useful question for this stage: “What would help you explain this proposal internally?” Ask it when the conversation creates a reason for it, rather than reciting every question in order.
- Map roles rather than job titles alone. Ask your contact how they would like others involved and what information those people need.
- Ground the discussion in the buyer’s work. Ask: “Which recurring decision would you like your team to own without you?” Listen for a concrete example before making a claim.
- Use evidence relevant to the decision: a sample session agenda and a client-owned progress journal. Explain what it demonstrates and what remains unverified.
- Agree a stakeholder map and a useful, permission-based way to answer outstanding questions.
An industry-specific concern
Buyer: “How can I prove coaching will pay for itself?”
Possible response: “We can agree observable behaviours and review them. We should not present a coaching conversation as a guaranteed financial return.”
Why this response helps: it acknowledges the concern, brings the discussion back to a verifiable requirement and leaves room for a different decision. Adapt the wording to what the buyer actually said.
Run the practice
- Prepare for two minutes. One person takes the seller role and one plays a founder preparing to manage a growing leadership team. Read the offer and constraint separately from your preferred answer.
- Have a five-minute conversation focused on understand who uses, evaluates, funds and approves the work without dismissing the person in front of you. The buyer should answer consistently with the brief and ask for evidence when a claim is vague.
- Add this challenge: Your contact supports the idea but cannot share an approver’s details. Offer a concise decision brief they can use.
- Pause for feedback. Quote one useful question and one missed opportunity. Repeat the difficult exchange using a different response.
- Finish by writing the actual agreement. A sensible option, when it fits, is to run a clearly scoped introductory session and agree one behaviour to practise. A clear decision to pause is also a useful outcome.
What to avoid
| Common mistake | Asking to bypass your contact because they are not the final approver. |
|---|---|
| A stronger direction | You know the internal process best. How can we help you prepare a useful discussion with the other stakeholders? |
| Scope and claim boundary | Keep coaching separate from clinical care and avoid psychological diagnoses. |
| What to measure in real work | completion and reflection on agreed behavioural experiments. Establish a baseline and definition before interpreting a change. |
An example conversation
Who will use the result, and who needs confidence in the decision?
Our concern is that important decisions return to the founder even after delegation. Also, personal discussions must have explicit confidentiality boundaries.
Which recurring decision would you like your team to own without you?
How can I prove coaching will pay for itself?
We can agree observable behaviours and review them. We should not present a coaching conversation as a guaranteed financial return.
What would help you explain this proposal internally?
Your working sheet.
Make the exercise your own. Notes are saved in this browser when storage is available. Download a copy to keep; avoid confidential information on a shared device.
Example: important decisions return to the founder even after delegation; personal discussions must have explicit confidentiality boundaries.
Example: What would help you explain this proposal internally? Industry question: Which recurring decision would you like your team to own without you?
Example: a sample session agenda and a client-owned progress journal. Keep coaching separate from clinical care and avoid psychological diagnoses.
Example: Propose a clear next step, such as: run a clearly scoped introductory session and agree one behaviour to practise. Confirm the owner and date.
Review your work
This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions
Who is this executive coaching exercise for?+
Can I use the example as a script?+
How should I assess the result?+
Fictional training scenario. The dialogue illustrates response choices; it is not a customer testimonial or a record of a real sale.
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