Top 5 Reasons to Seek an Executive Coach & Top 5 Outcomes

Posted by Perspect

If you are in the coaching profession you have probably been asked the question, “What can coaching do for me?” or “Why should I get a coach?”

One thing I make very clear at the outset is that I will not be acting as their consultant (even though this is part of what I do as a profession) and that I am not a trained therapist.

Harvard Business Review provides a great illustration below to show how coaching borrows from both areas but in itself is a distinct profession.

One key target group of client I work with is senior leaders in organizations looking to advance to the next level. The majority of these clients share some common traits.

• They are highly motivated and driven and have demonstrated this in business. This is evident through their career path and/or business accomplishments
• They hold the bar high for themselves and appreciate a job well done, mediocrity is not a cup from which they drink
• They have found themselves amidst complex change and are responsible for intricate decisions
• They require high levels of skill in the art of negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills if they are to truly excel in their business, career and life
• They identify themselves as “coachable” as they are open to feedback, they feel they can demonstrate humility and courage with those around them and are committed to personal change to achieve their purpose — [this is table stakes for us to work together]

They have decided to take their ‘game’ to the next level, either on their own accord or as result of someone identifying their potential for growth. Their ‘game’ could be balancing people skills with operational skills, it may be enhancing leadership presence, better time management, being a more effective delegator, work-life balance, enhancing conflict management abilities etc. They know this can have a significant impact not only on their long-term success but also that of their organization.

The have contemplated how to get there before but are not quite sure how. Perhaps they, or someone else has identified growing edges, behavioural traits or other opportunities that have held them back from their true potential, as they know it. They want to tackle these now to get them where they want to be with a greater chance and level of success and to do it sooner.

Another client profile I have the fortune to partner with is those who have reached the pinnacle of their career or are at the top of their organization (maybe a business owner) and have realized this can be a secluded place where feedback is scarce and unreliable. They want an independent conversation partner or “truth speaker” to address a range of complex issues and to help them develop new ways to attack old problems in confidence.

They know that when efforts to change themselves, their team, or their company have been unsuccessful, they get frustrated or burned out. They believe a coach can be the outside expert to help them get to the root cause and make fundamental and even transformational changes. The top five areas clients end up focusing their coaching efforts on after gaining 360 feedback and exploring personal value systems are (but not limited to):

1. Become better at empowering / delegating / sharing leadership
2. Developing a stronger sense of leadership presence / influence
3. Become a better listener / communicator / conflict management
4. Enhancing decision making skills
5. Improving interpersonal skills / empathy

Note all of the above involve changing leadership behaviours, hence creating new habits. Before embarking on any focus area, clients always explore the following question.

• If I were to get better at this area what benefit would it bring to me?

They continue to answer this until they can’t think of any more responses. Without failure the above areas generate long lists of professional and personal benefits that impact their organizations, communities and families. We refer to this as tipping point behaviours and when changed can be transformational for the client.

Executive coaching for my clients and me is about creating sustainable, measurable leadership growth as acknowledged by the client’s stakeholders.

The top five reported outcomes included (but not limited to:

1. Stronger personal and working relationships (work, community and home)
2. More efficient and confident decision making
3. Clarity and focus – alignment of personal values to actions – increased ability to execute
4. Comfort with letting go – delegate / empower
5. Greater sense of happiness and serenity

I hope this answers to some extent “What coaching can do for a client?”