Leadership or Executive Coaching: Who Needs It?

Reposted from http://www.stepshift.co.nz Tags: leadership coaching, leadership development Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Monday, January 17th, 2011 So what is it with leadership coaching? Who does need it? Utilising a leadership coach is certainly not an indication that you are an under performer. In the sporting world all the great individual sportsmen and teams recognise the value of a good coach for development of technique, strategy, mental application and focus. What benefits do they and thousands of other successful people get from a good coaching relationship? High performers use leadership coaches for a variety of reasons. A common factor is that they recognise that they do not have all of the answers themselves and that an experienced and skilled leadership coach can assist them to find some answers. An effective executive coach encourages and supports their client to reach further and to achieve more by : providing a perspective that the client cannot provide themselves listening and providing a safe environment where the client can express and resolve their concerns and doubts testing and challenging assumptions held by the client assisting the client set and achieve goals that are challenging providing reassurance and comfort to the client that they are on the right track imposing a discipline on the client’s planning and implementation (a sort of personal fitness trainer for the client’s life) Being coached is a very demanding but fulfilling process and is not an ‘easy option’. Leadership Coaches expect and obtain a lot from their clients. A good executive coach does not shy away from their client but challenges them in a straight forward and uncompromising way to achieve their goals. Fast Company Magazine stated, “Executive coaches are not for the meek. They’re for people who value unambiguous feedback. All coaches have one thing in common, it’s that they are ruthlessly results-oriented.”