DDI Executive Coaching & Development 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scenario best illustrates DDI's concept of 'coaching in the moment' at the executive level?
- A coach schedules a formal monthly debrief after observing a board presentation
- A manager provides immediate, specific behavioral feedback directly after observing an executive in a leadership interaction (Correct answer)
- An HR business partner emails development suggestions to an executive at the end of the quarter
- An executive self-rates performance on a competency scale following a project completion
Correct answer: A manager provides immediate, specific behavioral feedback directly after observing an executive in a leadership interaction
Coaching in the moment is DDI's approach of delivering real-time, specific feedback immediately after a behavior occurs, maximizing learning relevance and retention.
Question 2: When measuring ROI of an executive coaching program using DDI's framework, which metric is most directly tied to business impact?
- Coachee satisfaction scores at the end of each session
- Behavior change in targeted competencies as rated by direct reports and stakeholders (Correct answer)
- Number of coaching hours completed per executive
- Reduction in coaching cost per hour compared to prior vendor
Correct answer: Behavior change in targeted competencies as rated by direct reports and stakeholders
DDI measures coaching ROI through observable competency behavior change rated by stakeholders, which connects development directly to leadership effectiveness and business outcomes.
Question 3: An executive is resistant to feedback about her communication style because she believes her results speak for themselves. The DDI coach should:
- Abandon the communication focus and redirect to operational development topics
- Connect communication behavior change to specific business risks and outcomes she already cares about (Correct answer)
- Tell her that continued resistance will be noted in the coaching summary report
- Invite her skip-level manager to the next session to reinforce the feedback
Correct answer: Connect communication behavior change to specific business risks and outcomes she already cares about
DDI coaching links development needs to outcomes the executive already values — connecting behavior change to her own strategic goals reduces resistance more effectively than authority or threat.
Question 4: According to DDI's leadership development philosophy, what is the 70-20-10 model's most common misapplication in executive coaching?
- Coaches overemphasize formal training (the 10%) at the expense of on-the-job experience (the 70%) (Correct answer)
- Organizations apply the ratio equally across all competency types regardless of the learner's level
- Senior leaders refuse to participate in experiential learning components
- HR uses the model to reduce coaching budgets rather than to optimize learning design
Correct answer: Coaches overemphasize formal training (the 10%) at the expense of on-the-job experience (the 70%)
The most prevalent misapplication DDI identifies is over-investing in formal programs (10%) while under-designing the experiential and social learning components that drive 90% of development.
Question 5: A DDI-certified coach discovers mid-engagement that the executive coachee is involved in an ethical violation. The coach's primary obligation is to:
- Maintain strict confidentiality and continue the coaching engagement as planned
- Refer to the pre-established coaching contract to determine disclosure obligations and escalation procedures (Correct answer)
- Immediately disclose the information to the board without consulting the coachee
- Terminate the engagement without explanation to avoid liability
Correct answer: Refer to the pre-established coaching contract to determine disclosure obligations and escalation procedures
Professional coaching ethics and DDI's contracting best practices require that coaches establish and then follow pre-defined confidentiality limits and escalation procedures rather than making unilateral decisions mid-engagement.
Question 6: DDI's concept of 'leader versatility' in executive development refers to:
- The ability to manage in multiple industries or geographic markets simultaneously
- The capacity to flex leadership style and approach based on situational demands and individual needs (Correct answer)
- Proficiency in both technical and people management competencies equally
- The willingness to take lateral moves across functions to broaden experience
Correct answer: The capacity to flex leadership style and approach based on situational demands and individual needs
Versatility in DDI's framework is about situational responsiveness — reading the context and person, then adjusting style accordingly rather than applying a single default approach.
Question 7: In DDI's executive coaching model, the final phase of a coaching engagement should include:
- A formal performance review submitted to the executive's compensation committee
- Stakeholder re-assessment of targeted competencies compared to baseline and a sustainability plan (Correct answer)
- A recommendation from the coach on whether to continue the executive's employment
- Transfer of all session notes to the executive's permanent HR file
Correct answer: Stakeholder re-assessment of targeted competencies compared to baseline and a sustainability plan
DDI closes coaching engagements with a structured look-back comparing post-coaching stakeholder ratings to baseline, paired with a forward-looking sustainability plan to maintain gains.
DDI Executive Coaching & Development 5
Which scenario best illustrates DDI's concept of 'coaching in the moment' at the executive level?