I am often asked (usually by people who have never been lucky enough to have a great executive coach) - who can benefit from coaching? The situations are endless, but here are five situations where coaching can be particularly effective:
1. You just got promoted. And you really want it to go well. Coaches can really help you in a number of areas when you move up the ranks in an organization. They can help you assess the skills you have and the skills you may need to succeed in the new role. They can help you assess any new direct reports (if applicable) and support you as you navigate the group dynamics of your new peers. If you were promoted over your peers, they can help you navigate that tricky situation too.)
2. Your team is underperforming, and what you have tried is not working. (Or you are not sure what to try...) Teams are complex entities that require special care and feeding to thrive. Coaches can help support leaders in their leadership of a team, as well as help team members better understand themselves and how their behaviors (good and not-so-good) impact the rest of the team. Coaches can be especially beneficial when you are considering building a new team. Coaches can help leaders leverage best practices in team design to set the stage for success.
3. Exhaustion is your new permanent state: Overwhelmed. Your to do list is now approaching three long pages (single spaced) and you are in meetings back-to-back-to-back all day. The only time you have to actually get work done is before or after work and on weekends. You are officially overwhelmed.
Coaches can help you pause, step back and see the bigger picture - including the cost of all that work, work, work. Coaches can help you define the work/life balance you really want and help you identify ways to get there. Depending on what you want to accomplish (find a new job, make more time for yourself or your family, improve delegation, learn to say no, and on and on...) - Coaches can help.
4. You are struggling at work, but cannot quite pinpoint why. You are probably human (like the rest of us) and probably have a blindspot. As Daniel Goldman, a coach and expert on Emotional Intelligence (EI), stated in a recent article on LinkedIn, sometimes "we don't know what we don't know." And, just attending a course on EI won't (typically) make you self-aware enough to pinpoint areas where you have a blindspot.
A coach can help you better understand your strengths, as well as areas where you need to grow (coaches often call this your "growth edge.") Through assessments and individual coaching, a coach can give you a safe place to explore and learn how to address your blindspots, growth edges and other areas of need.
5. You have moved up in the ranks at your company, but never really had any training on how to be a leader. This all too common scenario happens to many leaders: You excel in your role and are promoted. You are given direct reports, but no real training on how to actually manage those new reports. So, through trial and error, you do your best. Often things work - but sometimes they don't. You want to be a better leader and want to accelerate your learning.
In this situation, a Coach can use an assessment to quickly pinpoint any leadership gaps you may have and then work in partnership with you to help you learn the skills you need to excel. Coaches can provide safe environments to talk through scenarios and role play various approaches with some of your more challenging subordinates, peers, or leaders. They can also help you lean into your own internal wisdom - which is often a goldmine if you just take the time to listen.
Bright Blue works with existing and emerging leaders to help them lean into their strengths, overcome obstacles and become extraordinary leaders. We would love to talk to you about coaching for you and/or your team.