July 14, 2009 – SDNN.com – San Diego, CA, USA

There is a saying in executive coaching that prescription before diagnosis is malpractice. In other words, it would be a breach of duty to treat the symptoms without doing tests to understand the root cause of the troubles.

There has been a great deal of media coverage in the last few years about the subject of malpractice. The most publicized forms of malpractice are medical malpractice by physicians and legal malpractice by attorneys, although malpractice suits against accountants (Arthur Andersen) and investment advisors (Merrill Lynch) have also been featured in the news.

How does this apply to coaching derailed executives? Without a clear idea of the person’s strengths and weaknesses, you are only guessing what is needed. This is no time to guess. Take the time to assess the true situation before you recommend a fix.

Read story.