How Executive Coaching and Leadership Coaching Can Help You Get More WINs As A Leader

​

As a leader, achiever, entrepreneur, or an independent thinker that wants to help others do better with themselves and their lives, there are several tools that you can use to drive results in your journey. Whether you are running a company or leading a group of people, the leadership tools you have at your disposal would be the one thing that drives your success both as a team and as individuals. While it is almost expected that you would have acquired some of these skills at some point during your journey as a leader, there are several aspects of leadership that you probably didn’t polish just yet. If you want to master these leadership qualities without stress, hassle, or going through life-altering experiences to get them, you need a coach.

​

Many leaders – even the most experienced ones – get stuck up in a frenzy; born out of the fact that they keep doing the same thing while expecting things to turn out differently. Truth be told, you can’t use the same strategy and expect to produce different results or outcomes. I’m sure you know the famous quote of expecting this to work, being the definition of insanity. For this reason, any leader that wants to drive a team or group of individuals to achieve a set goal must first learn how to be a dynamic and spontaneous leader. In other words, you have to set clear priorities and goals for you and your team while you use your leadership qualities to motivate your team towards achieving these goals.

No doubt, there are a lot of responsibilities that come with being a leader or an executive of a company. It doesn't matter if you are running a startup company, a franchise, or a renowned firm; these responsibilities can creep up on you. That is if you don't have an effective delegation system in place and a vision of the bigger picture. As a matter of fact, you probably won't be able to reach your financial goals as a company or team without acquiring the right leadership qualities first. That is where executive coaching and leadership coaching comes in.

​

What is executive coaching and leadership coaching

​

In our modern day society where leaders and executives usually find themselves isolated in a consistent struggle to keep up with the responsibilities of their position, these leaders barely have the time and opportunity to improve on themselves and acquire apt leadership qualities and skills. In fact, even when it is crystal clear to executives that a strategy is not producing results as it should, they usually don’t have the time to go back and implement the change. That is why many executives rely on an executive coach to guide them on how to spot and resolve their performance problems.

​

But then again, that is not the sole purpose of an executive coach. What’s more, executive coaching gives leaders or executives the opportunity to cultivate apt executive-level skills as development needs that would influence the company positively.

There is a great line of distinction between executive coaching and other kinds of coaching that are focused around helping an individual achieve personal objectives. For instance, fiscal security, positive relationships, work-life balance, or happiness. While executive coaching is quite different from other kinds of coaching that targets personal goals and objectives, it also focuses on the personal life of the executive. This is in light of the fact that business and personal life are intertwined in some ways and so any executive that wants to lead an organization to greatness must master both aptly. Regardless, leadership or executive coaching are supposed to meet a company’s developmental needs.

​

One thing that really stands out with regards to executive or leadership coaching is that it is a two-way affair. It is also a personalized relationship between the executive coach and the executive. Executives are individuals who are responsible or in charge of other individuals. They are managers, entrepreneurs, supervisors, team leaders, or business owners.

Executive coaching is a partnership where the concerned parties (both the coach and leader) work hand in hand to achieve a planned goal. The main objective of this collaboration is to help the leader achieve an unrelenting behavioral transformation that would revolutionize the leader’s personal and business life.   

 

Common misconceptions about executive coaching     

 

The misconception that leadership coaching is the same thing as technical guidance is far from the truth. Just as the misconception that an executive coach is a career counselor. In spite of the fact that leaders usually discover their true potential through leadership coaching, it offers so much more than career counseling.

Also, it is quite different from executive consultancy. Due to the fact that a consultant only works to resolve an underlying issue, whilst giving solid advice on how to tackle the underlying issues. This is not the case with executive coaches. Unlike consultants, executive coaches work closely with their partner (the executive) by asking questions that would help the executives arrive at their own conclusions. As a result, the leader would be able to proffer solutions to the underlying problems of the organization without further help from the coach. Basically, while the consultant can give the executive the fish once, the coach can show the executive how to fish.

​

Another common misconception about leadership coaching is that some people mistake it for mentoring. But that is not the case. First of all, a mentor is someone who has experienced or walked the path you are on in the past. Along these lines, a mentor is usually an internal or external informal-supporter of an organization who have walked the rough-path before and has acquired a wealth of experience on the matter. But then again, they are vulnerable in some ways – since they usually have a hard time finding the middle ground the company and the mentee.

​

Lastly, executive coaching is not the same as training. This is a common misconception with regards to executive or leadership coaching. However, that is just wrong thinking. Executive training, for the most part, does not include introspection and reflection. What's more, trainers usually train their students with already established guidelines.  Sometimes trainers don't even understand the effect that their lessons have on different students. The complexities of human nature make training seem less effective when put shoulder to shoulder with executive coaching. Unlike trainers, executive coaches offer personalized lessons to help leaders discover themselves and their true potential. In this way, the strategy used to coach one executive will almost certainly be different from the strategy used to coach the next executive.

​

Here are two main categories of leadership coaching:

​

1.    Developmental coaching

2.    Coaching to resolve issues or risks

​

1.    Developmental coaching: This type of leadership coaching is recommended for leaders who want to acquire the right leadership qualities and skills. In this way, giving the leaders/executive the right tools needed to create a work life that is both balanced and effective. In the event that the executive is just taking on a new leadership role or position, an executive coach can work with him/her as well as the team to create a standard of excellence. In cases where an organization need to replace an existing executive, leadership coaches can make the succession process seamless for the organization and the successor. Executive coaches achieve this by helping candidates recognize the inherent potentials that would help them become better leaders in that organization.

​

2.     Coaching to resolve issues and risk: Another area where the role of an executive coach is made obvious is when an executive is experiencing difficulty in performing his/her role in an organization. This difficulty can arise from stress, anxiety, as well as personal issues. The role of an executive coach here is to help the executives find the balance between their business responsibilities as well as their personal life. In the event that the members of a team are finding it hard to come to terms with each other, an executive coach can also step in to resolve the conflict.

​

​Why you need executive leadership coaching?  

​

One second. That's all it takes to make a decision – whether good or bad. When it comes to making decisions in an organization as an executive, everything boils down to time. The truth of the matter is that you probably won't have enough time to deliberate and reflect on your choices. For this reason, you need to be able to think fast, recognize opportunities, and make quick and accurate decisions.

​

Executive coaches can teach you that. Yet, decision-making is just one of the numerous skills you stand to learn from an executive coach. In plainer terms, an executive coach is someone with the ability to unlock the hidden potential or leadership qualities of an executive. This would help the executive maximize his or her own performance just as the performance of the organization as a whole. On the off chance that you are curious about why you need an executive leadership coaching – here is why:

 

1.    Become an effective leader

​

The misconception that the number of years you spend in an organization would make you an effective leader is just wrong thinking. In spite of the fact that you can build a wealth of experience as you grow older in an organization, it doesn’t qualify you as an effective leader. A leader is someone who is willing to add value as well as to take responsibilities for the success and failures of his/her team. Although some people think that leadership is an inherent attribute, it is, in fact, a skill that is learned and honed with time.

​

As individuals and as leaders, we often feel boxed-in in our work environment, and so we find it difficult to admit our fears and worries lest people (employees and management) think that we are incompetent or weak. Yet, having an executive coach can help you open up on your developmental issues without feeling uncomfortable. Through this sincere, invigorating, and supportive discussions, you'll be able to tap into your hidden leadership qualities and potentials. Ultimately, you would be to make better and informed decisions that would ensure the growth of your entire organization.

​

2.    Have a competitive edge over your team or industry

​

Like we said earlier, executives are in charge of making most of the hard decisions of an organization. We also said that an effective leader would be able to recognize opportunities, understand the landscape, and make quick and accurate decisions. With all these leadership qualities, a well-coached executive would be competent when it comes to making decisions that would boost an organization's performance. In other words, both the executive and the organization (where the well-coached executive works) would have a competitive edge over their competitors. When an executive is coached on how to resolve issues and risks, that executive would be able to unite the whole team. This will also boost performance in the organization, and their rivals would have more reasons to worry.

​

3.    Boost confidence and effectiveness

​

No doubt, one of the fundamental reasons why people hire executive coaches is to be edified on how to deal with tactical issues in their organization. For instance, people hire executive coaches, to improve team rapport, to resolve an underlying conflict or to acquire apt decision-making skills. Coupled with the fact that people usually acquire this wealth of knowledge through a few sessions with an executive coach, leaders also learn soft skills. Truth be told, no one would appreciate a leader that is machine-efficient but isn’t emotionally intelligent. Executive coaching helps leaders see the greater picture while helping them comprehend the intricacies of human nature. In this way, they’ll be much more effective at motivating their team to work towards achieving a set goal. Also, they would be confident enough to take on new challenges as they achieve their organization’s set goals.

 

4.    Build trust

​

For many leaders and employees, trusting another individual or a group of individuals to add value to their organization can be a daunting task. Despite the fact that most people, find it is easier to depend on their own inventiveness and assertiveness to get them their envisioned goal. It is not the best way to go. Regardless of all the leadership qualities, you may possess as a leader; you'll have a hard time achieving your goals when you fail to trust your team. This is one of the important leadership qualities and skills you'll learn when you choose executive coaching. As you grow to become an effective leader, you'll learn to delegate tasks to your team members. Consequently, you'll be able to save quality time on each project while building a more effective team.

​

5.    Create a balance between your personal life and work

​

Generally, people who bear the title of leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, employers, or employees also doubles as mothers, sons, daughters, or fathers. Point is, many of us lead busy lives that can tilt towards two opposite directions. As an effective leader or executive, you need to create a balance between your work and home. That is the only way you can be in total control of your home and work environment. An executive coach can help you create this balance. In fact, this is one of the major upsides of executive coaching. Another major upside to having an executive coach is that they will teach you how to be the master of your emotions. Through leadership coaching, you would learn how to think rationally regardless of the circumstances. This will not only help you keep the peace at home, but it would also boost your relationship with other employees, partners, and teammates in your organization.

​

6.    Earn your desired promotion

​

In the event that you have been desiring a promotion at your place of work or anywhere else, an executive leadership coaching can help you attain your envisioned promotion. Leadership coaching gives you the right set of tools needed to make significant headway in an organization. Which implies that you would be acquiring the necessary leadership qualities needed to make an impact in your envisioned position when you learn from an executive coach. At an organization level, your employer would be able to recognize these newly attained leadership qualities and would most likely single you out as the man or woman for the job.

​

On the off chance that you are yearning for a better position in your organization or you want to be more effective in your daily decision-making process. You need to contact an executive leadership coach, to help you cultivate the right leadership qualities that would boost your performance – both as an individual and as a company.