The Point: Some “leaders” head off to leadership development programs dreading the experience before they even get there… A terrible attitude to possess! The situation gets even worse when they’re forced to participate by organizational higher-ups. However, we encourage our leadership development participants to instead take on our programs aggressively! Why? Our research at Tip of the Spear tells us that those that participate in executive coaching (Centered Executive Coaching to be precise) climb the corporate ladder faster than those that do not! You do want to climb the corporate ladder, right?
We’ve listed 7 ways in which executive coaching can help you climb the corporate ladder faster as follows (Think of them as benefits that you/your organization will receive):
#1: The Culture of the Individual/Organization Improves
Sometimes, all you need to tackle problems in your company is a fresh and impartial set of eyes that are viewing the situation from a different perspective/vantage point. When an expert does an honest evaluation of where you need help as an executive, and offers results-oriented solutions, the culture of the organization significantly improves. This includes both behavioral and policy changes.
#2: Leverage your Strengths
Along with identifying your weaknesses, results-oriented executive coaching also helps you to identify your strengths and help you leverage them to take your company to the next level. Some people are skilled in a particular discipline, such as marketing, finance, or engineering, but they consider themselves incapable of handling administrative and managerial tasks. Effective Executive Coaching shows leaders how they can leverage their strengths to become better executives.
#3: Manage your Time and Resources
In this cutthroat competitive business environment, executives are expected to get results… Fast! This calls for an efficient management of time and resources. Successful executive coaching programs are those that help you prioritize and best utilize your time.
#4: Develop Vision
This follows from point #1 (The Culture of the Organization Improves). Not only does an executive coach offer you an unbiased viewpoint, but also shares with you how to evaluate your business through impartial lenses. This means down the road, your vision is broadened to encompass the entire business enterprise.
#5: Personal Development
While sound, results-oriented executive coaching also takes into account how other people in the organization hinder your abilities as an executive, emphasis is also given to personal leadership development. Specifically, a coach will assess your skills and highlight areas where you can improve as a leader.
#6: Providing a Sounding Board
No leader can work without support of his/her team. But more importantly, executives need a sounding board that understands those things that affect them personally and take a toll on their professional life. Moreover, the sounding board lends you an ear to listen to your ideas, no matter how scattered they might be, and then refocus them appropriately to keep you on track.
#7: Stress Relief
Finally, executives often come under stress (understatement of the post), especially when they have to meet goals on tight budgets and deadlines. This can sometimes cloud their thinking process. By having someone to help process information, they can achieve greater clarity of thought and make better/informed decisions (This will in turn help drive company success).
Summary
Once again, there several benefits a leader can receive from working with an executive coach. By keeping your mind open and receptive to new ideas, you can achieve success as an executive with the help of an expert that identifies problems and motivates you to execute solutions.
For more information on Centered Executive Coaching programs at Tip of the Spear, CLICK HERE.
