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Executive Coaching Speed-Date: One Day to a Better You

An executive coach takes an up-and- coming CSO on a whirlwind self-improvement spree

By Todd Datz

December 01, 2004 — CSO — The SettingAn office park in a commercial section of San Rafael, Calif., some 30 minutes north of San Francisco. The building is one of a series of low-slung offices, housing computer graphic artists, stagehands and other employees of Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the special effects company formed by George Lucas, the Hollywood legend famous for his visual wizardry on films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Lucasfilm is a private company that, in keeping with the inclinations of its founder, has avoided the limelight. Likewise, at the nondescript ILM campus, there's no glitz and glamour or any other indication that inside these brick walls, some of the most creative minds in the film industry are doing the boffo work that has brought ILM to the pinnacle of the special effects biz.

Two menone the safety and security manager for Lucas Digital, the other an executive coachhave agreed to spend a full day together here. The purpose of the meeting, which was arranged by CSO, is to help Anders Noyes, the security manager, sharpen his leadership skills during an important transition: Noyes is being promoted in January 2005 to the newly created role of CSO of Lucasfilm, the parent company of Lucas Digital and ILM.

Think of it as an episode for a TV series, Coach Eye for the CSO Guy. Noyes is starring in the role of willing volunteer who's put himself in the hands of a local expert, seasoned executive coach Jeff Rosenthal. Readers and viewers can tune in for a glimpse into how the executive coaching process can help an emerging CSO become a stronger, more effective leader.Big Challenges Noyes is stepping into his new role at a crucial time for Lucas. The company is moving next year into a new complex called the Letterman Digital Arts Center, located in the Presidio, a national park and national historic landmark district just north of the Golden Gate bridge. The center will bring together Lucasfilm, the corporate parent; LucasArts, which creates entertainment software for consumers; and ILM. (The center will also host outside tenants.)

This move is Noyes's primary concern. "They're all coming together in two buildings, so there's a potential culture clash," he says. The Letterman center will also be open to the public, which means employees will be moving from relatively sequestered offices to a complex where they have to be more aware of issues such as access control.