As a business owner or manager, much of your working day will be spent on the day-to-day tasks which keep the business going. We’ve already discussed how it can be lonely at the top for business leaders. But investing time to step back and look at the bigger picture and most crucially, the strategies and steps needed to get you there can pay dividends.

Executive coaching is a form of personal development, it can offer you different perspectives on reaching your goals and uncover any blind spots or limiting beliefs that may be stopping you from getting there. Talking through your progress with an external advisor can also act as a form of accountability.

It can boost your business too. According to an article in Forbes, The Institute of Coaching has cited that more than 70 per cent of individuals who receive coaching “benefited from improved work performance, relationships and more effective communication skills.”

The article reports an impressive return on investment: “… a huge 86 per cent of companies feel that they recouped the investment they made into coaching plus more on top. Studies show that coaching is effective at reducing procrastination and facilitating goal attainment and there is a growing body of empirical research that supports the findings that business coaching really does facilitate goal achievement.” 

How does executive coaching works?

You could use the analogy of hiring a personal trainer (PT). Most people go to a PT because they are prepared to invest time in a structured action plan and need added motivation towards the end goal of getting fitter. To reach that outcome, your PT will devise a structured plan and offer support and guidance towards your goal. The PT offers encouragement, and a realistic, individually designed plan is in place to get you there. The rest is entirely up to you…

In the same way, your executive coach can help you work through priorities and timeframes to create structures and processes to create attainable goals. Just like hiring a personal trainer, an executive coach will be there for the duration, providing accountability to ensure you are on track to achieve your goals. 

Executive coaching does require a different approach for every person. With measures for success individually defined depending on your personality, what works for one person may not necessarily be appropriate for another. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

The first role of an executive coach, like the PT, is to listen to your goals and the outcomes that you’d like to achieve. The process of reaching these will also depend on your preferred style of working. While one person may want very clear, tangible, achievable goals every month or week, somebody else might want a little less structure, but use regular conversations with their coach as a form of accountability.

The Optimist View…

Coaching time gives business leaders the time and space to focus on their goals. They may not necessarily have anyone within their working environment that they can share these with. For those seeking coaching who work for a company, they might also choose to share goals that are personal to their definition of success with someone outside of their organisation.

Having a coach as a trusted sounding board can provide you with clarity and help you move forward with timeframes and priorities which are attainable. For a deeper dive into what makes a great coach, read our blog here. Above all, these relationships are built on trust.

As rugby coach Russell Earnshaw explained: “Coaching is about understanding where people are at and supporting them to move forward and grow.” 

Click here to learn more about our Executive Coaching, or get in touch with us to book a free touchpoint first call with one of our coaches. 

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