How Do I Know If I Need an Executive Coach?
Anyone who is interested in growing professionally and personally always has the opportunity to do so. Those who want to advance, however, may need insights into why they haven’t progressed, or they may require help developing a roadmap for improving their skills and interpersonal relationships. These are the individuals who could benefit from working with an Executive Coach. There are many reasons to consider when deciding if there is a need for an Executive Coach. In this article, we discuss a few.
Neutral Presence
During the course of doing business, leaders may be working on things that are highly sensitive and should only be shared with a few people within the organization. The benefits of working with a coach include access to a sounding board and support that is unbiased and safe.
An outside resource can bring a fresh perspective, with an Executive Coach offering actionable, constructive feedback that’s important for leadership development in the long run. Internal resources may not feel comfortable exploring the hard truths needed for the executive to become a better leader, since that person is likely to be their senior in the organization.
Guiding Not Advising
Executive Coaches should not give advice to their clients, though they often share patterns they have seen in order to help their clients make better decisions and reach better conclusions.
Instead of giving advice, an Executive Coach will facilitate a structured conversation to help their clients discover what works best for them. They develop a collaborative, curious, and creative problem-solving environment so that a leader and their coach can develop strategies together to remove barriers that might be impeding the executive’s progress.
Environment
We know that people work best with and for people they like and respect. Executive Coaches play a critical role in establishing an environment where people can do what they do best every day. Being the type of Executive Coach that places the goal of the client, upheld – with integrity – by their knowledge and expertise, is fundamental.
Additionally, a client’s willingness to learn even if it is difficult, and the client’s desire to think differently and then lead differently by putting in the hard work is paramount to achieving optimal results. Even if those results might seem to deviate from the client’s initial expectations.
Increased ROI
When it comes to bringing about positive change, executive coaching ensures that changes stick for the long term, and is the best way to ensure success. Research shows that a company’s investment in Executive Coaching realized an average return on investment of almost six times the cost of the coaching.
Tangible factors include increased productivity; higher levels of overall employee performance; reduced costs; growth in revenue, new accounts, and sales; higher employee retention; decreased absenteeism; higher employee engagement; and better work/life balance. Intangible factors include increased confidence of those being coached; improved overall communication; as well as stronger employee, peer-to-peer, and stakeholder relationships.
Leadership Strategies
If you want to grow as a leader and help others around you grow, it is imperative that you invest your time and energy working with an Executive Coach. The power of coaching lies in its capacity to accelerate a leader’s ability to make a significant impact on the business.
I’ve been an Executive Coach for over twenty five years and my clients see the results on their bottom line – as well as in their professional and personal lives. Let’s work together to see how we can work towards achieving your goals.