A quarter into the 21st century, the world is changing at breakneck speed. Globalization, technology, pandemics, war, weather events, and countless other factors are impacting life. The ripple effects of these changes and challenges are influencing the workplace as much as anywhere else, which is why sound leadership is needed in every part of the C-suite.
Companies need to do more than find qualified candidates to fill vacant executive positions, too. They must also focus on developing both current and future leaders within their organization.
One form of this cultivation process is executive coaching. I recently asked Edward Sullivan, CEO and Managing Partner of Velocity Coaching, if the hype surrounding coaching executives can hold water. Here are a few key insights from Sullivan’s answers.
Executive Coaching Should Not Be Elective
The first thing Sullivan mentioned was the growing importance of the executive coaching role in both personal and business development. “No matter where you are in your career,” he said, “you can benefit from the feedback and encouragement that only coaching can provide.”
He outlined for me some of the chief benefits that a good coaching experience creates.
- Improved workplace communication
- Faster and better decision-making
- Enhanced productivity and creativity
- Accelerated repair after disagreements
- Better bottom-line business performance.
The desire to be the best person we can be, both personally and professionally, is what makes the need for a coach so critical. “Your friends and family are likely to love you just as you are,” Sullivan pointed out, “but they won’t appreciate your full potential. Even at work, your colleagues may be reluctant to give you the unvarnished feedback they’d really like to say and that you really need to hear.”
Bringing out the best in a person is a nuanced process that requires the combination of objective feedback and unwavering support. “Your coach,” Sullivan summarized, “will know how to hold up a perfectly reflective mirror to help you see yourself as you are today. They will be able to help you envision the greatest expression of yourself in the future and, critically, will be able to walk you through the steps to get from where you are to where you could be.”
A Good Fit Matters
The benefits and importance of coaching are a good starting point, but where can you find a coach that can have this kind of effect? Start with developing trust.
“When working with a coach, trust is everything,” Sullivan said. “You have to be able to be your most honest and messy self with your coach because that’s where the learning takes place.” Holding back or worrying about making an impression undermines the coaching experience. They rob the pupil of the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
The team at Mind Tools adds that an inability to learn from past slip-ups and failures can be detrimental in the future. “When we don’t learn from our mistakes, we inflict unnecessary stress on ourselves and on others,” they said, “and we risk losing people’s confidence and trust in us.”
Of course, trust isn’t the only factor one should consider when vetting executive coaches. Here are three more key litmus tests to add into the equation:
- Experience: What is the past experience that a coach possesses? Have they worked with someone you admire or who is in a similar situation?
- Range: Along with depth, what is the breadth of experience for a coach? Can they go all of the places you need to, or will they always direct the conversation to the places where they’re comfortable?
- Courage: Coaching requires confidence and bravery. A good coach must be able to both sense and call out when you’re BSing yourself or holding something back. Can they push you to be honest?
“The best coaches don’t need to sell themselves,” Sullivan said. “They let their work speak for itself. They don’t engage in aggressive sales pitches or use terms like ‘scarcity’ as a tactic to pique your interest. If a coach says they only have one slot available, so you’d better sign up now you better believe they are more interested in closing the deal than sharing their gift.”
In contrast, good executive coaches are humble and honor the courage it takes for their executives to reach out. They should never make you feel like they are doing you a favor.
What is the best way to quickly gauge how good a coach is? Ask their past clients. “If they are unequivocal in their praise, you know you’ve got a good one,” Sullivan explained. “You should be hearing things like ‘changed my life,’ not just ‘helped me figure some things out.’ When the praise is overpowering, you know you can benefit from what an executive coach has to offer.”
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