Remember your first career mentor? Maybe it was a supervisor or manager who took an interest in coaching you to greater success, or maybe it was a more experienced colleague who shared insights and feedback to help you become more productive and improve your performance.
No matter the industry or professional level, the most common characteristic of successful people is that they have had a career mentor somewhere along the way.
Executive coaching is different, though, in that it takes a much more formal and organized approach to helping you develop your abilities and become a better leader. An executive coach provides structured development, acting as your guide, your advisor, your most enthusiastic supporter and your toughest critic.
The focus of the executive coaching relationship is not on technical expertise, it is on helping you develop the leadership and interpersonal skills so vital to success in today’s world.
Why Work With An Executive Coach?
The higher you rise in an organization, the fewer career mentors there are available to you and the more you need a professional coach to help you continue to grow. You’ve heard the phrase “it’s lonely at the top” and there is a lot of truth to that statement.
When you are the leader responsible for guiding and motivating a group or organization, where do you turn for your own guidance and motivation? The answer is likely to be “an executive coach.”
Your coach should be an experienced professional who brings an objective perspective to the issues that concern you and acts as a confidential sounding board for your thoughts, feelings, emotions and concerns. Coaching sessions are great opportunities to open up and receive input from a non-judgmental person who is committed to your development.
What Will An Executive Coach Teach You?
An executive coach will not teach you technical skills. Rather, the coaching relationship normally focuses on helping you develop the emotional intelligence to become a better leader and/or to progress along your chosen path. This means mastering the people skills that make you more effective, more productive, and better able to set the example by which your organization will operate.
The concept of emotional intelligence is relatively new, but it is very probably central to your success. Study after study shows that the most successful executives actively develop and raise their emotional intelligence levels to serve themselves and their organizations better. When you can quickly and accurately perceive and assess your emotions and those of other people, you are in a much better position to positively influence actions and outcomes.
Is Executive Coaching Worth The Money?
Only you can be the true judge of that, but there is clearly great value in working with a skilled executive coach who will help you reach your full potential both personally and professionally. Among executives who have received coaching, improvements are typically seen in productivity, personal and professional relationships, and general job satisfaction. You should note, though, that using an executive coach is not a magic answer to all of your problems.
In the end, the most important factor in successful executive coaching is you. You must be actively engaged in the coaching process and expect to put a great deal of effort into making progress. Your enthusiasm and commitment will undoubtedly have a direct effect on the level of improvement you will gain from executive coaching.
