When a leader is matched with a coach that fits their needs, executive coaching can be an insightful, challenging, exciting growth opportunity that can rapidly accelerate a leader's professional and personal success.
What can executive coaching give you? What does a coach offer a Client? The list is long. Here are 15 benefits of coaching to get you started:
Accelerated Success: Imagine if you put your energy on moving forward in a straight(er) line than ever before. Coaching does that for clients. Coaching can press the accelerator on your career. How? It helps you get clear on where you want to go and helps you chart the best path forward.
Focus on Results: There can be a lot of noise in business. It can be very, very easy to get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent. A coach can help you filter through the noise and stay focused on results.
Give You a Safe Place: Coaching is confidential. Need to be vulnerable and admit you don't know what "psychological safety" is or you feel like you are failing at managing you narcissistic boss? You can do it here. No judgement.
Offer You a Sounding Board: Want to toss out a few ideas and see what sticks? Need space to think through an idea? A well-matched coach can serve as a sounding board, guiding you to articulate the pros and cons of each approach.
Clarify Your Message: Need to rally your team around a project or pitch an idea to a committee? A coach can help you with your message to ensure it is clear and compelling.
Get it Out: Sometimes you just need to get the emotions out before you can move forward. I often give my clients 5 minutes to say everything they want to say to their passive-aggressive boss or coworker - so that they can say it to me now, and say it more professionally to their boss or coworker later.
Practice: Role playing is often underrated. Need to think through how to give constructive feedback or ask for a raise? You can practice various approaches with your coach.
Gain Self-Awareness: Research says that most of us overestimate our own self-awareness. Assessments can provide you with valuable information about your natural defaults, preferences, communication styles, stress behaviors, and more.
See Your Blind Spots: We all have them: Areas of our personality that we just don't see. Maybe you consistently rescue others, use information as power, or shut down when confronted. Coaches can help shine a light on areas that we just cannot see alone - and then help you navigate your way forward.
Stop Career Limiting Behaviors: Some blind spots can be career-limiting. Coaching can help you become aware of habits or skill gaps that are holding you back. And, when you know better, you do better.
Learn New Habits & Skills: All of us have areas where we need to stretch and grow. If needed, coaches can bring these growth spots into your awareness. They can also offer tools and resources to help you fill in the learning gaps.
Chart A Career Path Forward: The best advocate for your career is you. (Do not wait on HR to come to you with a career plan.) A coach can help you identify opportunities and craft an action plan forward.
Lean In: Sometimes you have to lean in farther than your current comfort level to get to where you want to go. A coach can help you evaluate risks and think through just how far in you need to lean to be successful.
Lean Out: Sometimes life can force you to lean out and hit the slo-mo or pause button. A coach can help you evaluate the best paths forward with life hands you a unexpected tornado..
Find Balance: Just how far should you lean in, out, left or right? A coach can help you evaluate the possibilities so that you can make the best choice for you in that moment.
And, since each relationship is unique, this is just the start of the list. There can be so much more!
How can coaching help YOU accelerate your personal and professional success? Are you seeing habits and behaviors that are not longer working well for you? Reach out and let's chat.