The world today is fast-paced. It’s constantly changing, growing, and evolving. Leadership roles in today’s world come with added pressures and complexities. In the past, work usually meant an eight-hour workday. Now, work could be heading into the office early, staying late, and responding to emails or taking calls late at night from the comfort of your own home.
Executives are expected to wear multiple hats. They have to manage their team, be a change influencer, and act as a guiding light when navigating change in the company, all while constantly driving strategy and growth. And on top of all of that, they have personal lives that require attention and care. Executives have a lot on their plates.
This is where executive coaching can help. This is a type of professional development that is designed to help leaders enhance their skills, overcome any roadblocks, and reach their full potential. Let’s learn more about executive coaching and how it could benefit you.
Defining Executive Coaching
Executive coaching isn’t a form of training or therapy. And coaches aren’t just mentors. Executive coaching is a goal-oriented and collaborative process between a client and their coach. Executive coaches can come from a variety of different professional backgrounds with all kinds of experience, and they’re trained to provide accountability and feedback.
How Executive Coaching Works
Executive coaching begins with an intake phase. The intake phase can include comprehensive feedback from your team, interviews, and goal setting. After the initial intake, regular sessions happen on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They may take place in person, over the phone, or through a video call platform.
During a session, a coach will help their client reflect on any real-life challenges they may be experiencing. They’ll also help them explore any identity patterns or beliefs that are limiting them in the workplace.
In between sessions, homework assignments may be given so that clients can test out different approaches in the real world. This could include requesting feedback from colleagues, journaling about their thoughts and feelings, and testing out new learned behaviors.
The Benefits
There are many researched and proven benefits of working with an executive coach. Below are some of the impactful differences many people notice after coaching:
- Ability to delegate when needed
- Better equipped to make decisions
- Clearer sense of direction
- Greater self-awareness
- Improved leadership skills
- Increased confidence
- Increased resilience
- More effective communication
- Stronger relationships
Why You Should Consider Executive Coaching
Executive coaching can be especially helpful during transitional periods. If you’re stepping into a new role, leading a team through change, or preparing for a succession, executive coaching can be extremely beneficial.
Coaching can also be helpful when you feel stuck or overwhelmed. This type of professional development is a high-potential investment. Many top performers use coaching to fine-tune their leadership skills as an opportunity to stay sharp in highly competitive environments.
An Opportunity to Grow
It’s important to know that there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. You weren’t just handed your role and title as an executive. You had to work for it, and you earned it. You’re already equipped with the right skills, history, and experience to do your role. But there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be better for yourself, team, company, and clients. That’s where executive coaching comes into play.
Executive coaching can offer you a safe and secure space to reflect, learn, grow, and evolve into the best version of yourself. If you’re interested in exploring executive coaching, reach out today to set up an initial intake to get started. Your future looks bright, but we’re here to help you make it even brighter.
