Consultants and coaches work with different models and methodologies, and I think most of them are valid, and provide useful perspectives. Most of the executive coaches I know are committed to helping the people and organizations they work with thrive.

But there’s a particular model that seems to be gaining traction, and I can’t stand it. I call it the authoritarian. Male and female coaches do this, but there is usually a top dog who is a white male, and he has a Process. He has Experience Working with the CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies, and he’ll tell you that all the time.

His Process is Proprietary. It involves lots of assessments, interviews, maybe a 360 or two, and costs lots of money. You can’t start working with him unless you participate fully in the Proprietary Process. Because he is In Demand and Selective About Working with Motivated Clients.

Once he’s decided what exactly you’re doing wrong, he’ll fix you. Trainings, Models, Goals, Checklists, Check-ins and Accountability Tools abound, all set up in advance for you, regardless of how you learn or stay motivated. Because he is An Expert and Knows Things.

If you fail, or don’t progress, or people on your team are unmoved by the Man or the Model, then it’s obviously a failure of you or your team and not the Man or the Model. He Wrote a Best-Selling Book, he Speaks on Stages, he has a Podcast. Of course he has authority.

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