(The article first appeared in IAFC On Scene: October 15, 2009)

In 2001, I had the privilege of being the guest of General Eric Shinseki, who was at that time the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, to attend the famous Army-Navy game. On board the Amtrak train from Washington to Philadelphia, I had the opportunity to speak with a number of Army generals, both active and retired. Being with such exceptional leadership, I listened intently to every word they said to me that day.

In a lengthy discussion with one of the retired generals, I learned that he was serving as a coach to new generals. It was clear to me that it is a tradition in the Army for seasoned, retired generals to give back to the Army and further contribute to the defense of the United States by performing a coaching function to the new generation of generals.

Two years ago, when I was appointed fire and rescue chief, my county executive suggested I consider having an executive coach through my first year in my new position. I immediately reflected back to my discussion with the retired Army general. I further reflected on how beneficial coaches were to me when I was involved in athletics. And, it has always been clear to me how important a coach can be for anyone, from athletes to senior executives in Fortune 500 businesses, so I didn’t hesitate to accept.

In accepting the county executive’s offer, I had the opportunity to select my coach. It was important to me to find somebody who I viewed as having strengths in areas I felt were not necessarily my strongest areas, who had a vast amount of experience and who could be someone I trust implicitly.

So I selected a retired department head from my county government. I was able to experience a great deal of benefit within a short period of time with my coach. He never tried to inject a decision he would make for me, but helped me think through the current strategic issues I was addressing as well as thinking about the long-term effects of my approaches to issues and my decisions.

My coach never became a substitute for my staff, my boss, my fellow department heads or the volunteer chiefs in my combination system. Rather, he helped create a stronger synergy between these groups, individuals and me. It was reassuring to have someone who was a confidant, who didn’t pass judgment and who was able to help me “look out from the balcony,” as Marty Linsky said in Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading, and avoid stepping into potential landmines or make mistakes I would regret later.

My coach helped me strengthen working relationships. He also assisted me as I focused on helping my organization adapt to a changing operating environment. I was surprised at how so little time I invested with a coach was able to return such high dividends to me. With my authorization, my coach performed a 360-degree evaluation of how I performed and was able to share his findings and discuss recommendations in my approach. My decision-making was better as a result of my involvement with an executive coach.

One conclusion I quickly learned from my coach was that it’s a normal reaction to experience the kind of stress and anxiety a new executive often encounters in a new assignment. My coach recognized a level of stress in me much more effectively than I did, talked about it with me and gave me a reading assignment on the subject area.

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