In the past few years, successful business owners and senior managers caught on to the benefits of executive coaching.  Coaching can be thought of as a resource, a tool, and a process that has been shown to drive business results.

Executive coaching, at its core, is a leadership development process.  Over a period of time, the one-on-one support together with the structured approach enhances the leader’s performance and improves organizational outcomes.

The coaching relationship is a collaborative effort.  The leader is seen as a highly capable person in possession of virtually all of the knowledge necessary to achieve positive change.  The coach incorporates a process to bring that knowledge to the surface.  This is not a one-way relationship where the coach gives and the leader takes.  Rather it is a partnership where both the coach and the leader have responsibilities.

What you can expect when you enter into an executive coaching process is a structure to generate personal and professional change.  While change is seldom easy or entirely welcomed, more often than not the outcome is significant personal and professional growth that leaves the leader less stressed and more satisfied.

Here are the elements of a coaching relationship that you can expect.

1. Centered on change, the coach will help the leader get from one place (where you are) to another (where you’d rather be).
2. The coach will focus on the whole person.  Because a change in one area often impacts other areas, if attention isn’t paid to parts of the leader’s life that may impact the good work being done, it could undermine the effort.
3. Coaching helps successful leaders get even better.  Too often the process has only been used as part of a plan of correction.  The real value of coaching involves a positive approach to development and leaders are more likely to embrace the opportunity.
4. Positive feedback from the leader and the stakeholders is key to assessing progress in behavioral terms.
5. The process will focus on just one or two goals.  Fewer goals equals more focus, and that focus leads to a higher likelihood of meaningful change.

When you’re ready to push yourself beyond the success you’ve achieved so far, give me a call.  You’ll be amazed at how much fun reaching the next level can be.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 19th, 2008 at 5:28 pm and is filed under Human Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.