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Organizational leaders engage in the coaching process for a variety of reasons. Here are the top five from Employers Council coaching clients. 

It’s Lonely at the Top

The adage generally applies not only to CEOs and executive directors but also to mid-level managers. Leaders are too often unable to share what is really going on in their heads or hearts, given that employees watch their every move and listen to their every word. A coach can provide a safe and confidential space for leaders to test new ideas, say things out loud to see how they resonate, and obtain an objective and neutral reaction or perspective. In a coaching relationship, leaders can be vulnerable to work through challenges and tough situations without having to put on their public face.

Identify and Knock Down Barriers

Sometimes it’s tough for leaders to identify exactly what is getting in the way of what they’re trying to accomplish. Many leaders appreciate having an outside perspective on the barriers they perceive so they can look at things more objectively and less emotionally, empowering them to go about the work of solving problems and removing obstacles. Some leaders have acknowledged that coaching has helped them identify and remove the barriers they have created. With a more detached perspective, it’s easier to identify the true root causes of problems and real challenges so the leader can take appropriate and impactful action.

Don’t Forget the Forest

It’s common for leaders to get mired in the day-to-day: back-to-back meetings, addressing the problems that inevitably line up at their door, and responding to the demands of stakeholders. A coach can provide leaders with a dedicated time slot to lift their heads out of the trees and focus on the forest, including strategy, planning, goals, and results. One leader shared this: “My time with my coach helps me organize my thoughts,” which she said prepares her to turn them into the strategies and plans she wants to implement.

Expand Your Skills

Leaders often have strong skill sets across myriad areas. However, as responsibilities grow and change when leaders move up the ladder, the skill requirements also change. For instance, higher-level management roles require strong skills in strategy development, delegation, and public speaking with less emphasis on “doing” skills. While it may have been the “doing” skills that got a leader promoted, those skills likely won’t support them nearly as much in a leadership capacity. Added to that, the world is constantly changing, requiring leaders to adapt and flex in new ways. Leaders must consistently grow their leadership muscle by developing new skills and expanding their toolkits. A coach can identify specific areas for skill development and establish a path to obtain those skills. Sometimes that comes in the form of turning coaching sessions into training sessions to learn new tools, frameworks, and approaches. Or it can mean collaboratively shaping creative solutions and enhancing strategies in support of growing and reinforcing new skills. 

Increase Accountability

It’s not uncommon for executive leaders to rarely receive feedback or have unclear accountabilities, creating blind spots and fostering frustration. Engaging in a 360-degree assessment process can provide a leader with critical feedback to guide a professional development plan to make them more effective and achieve their career goals. Whether this type of assessment is leveraged or not, a coach can hold a leader accountable for obtaining and really listening to feedback, appropriately acting on feedback, making time for important tasks, following through on initiatives and their results, implementing agreed-upon skill-building strategies, and achieving stretch goals.

The benefits discussed above come directly from leaders who have leveraged coaching. More pointedly, one leader shared this perspective: “As I reflect on my career as an executive leader, there were periods when I used a coach and periods when I did not. There is no doubt in my mind that my job performance was highest, and my professional development at its peak, when I was engaged with a leadership coach. If I could turn back time, I would make sure I had a leadership coach every step of the way.”

Employers Council can provide coaching and organizational and development services. Contact us at 800-884-1328 or by email to learn more.