It’s tough at the top. With fewer people for business leaders to turn to for guidance, our Managing Director Kevin Davidson explains why executive coaching is an important tool for businesses looking to get the best out of those responsible for powering their growth.
The best businesses exist in a constant state of transition, always evolving and adapting to changes in the market.
This is a demanding process, particularly for those tasked with leading the charge, who are regularly required to experience their own personal transitions; whether that be moving to a new region, a more senior position or an entirely new area of responsibility.
While such evolution presents exciting opportunities for all concerned, it very often leads to a whole range of new and additional personal and professional pressures converging on business leaders at a time when they need to be focused and at the top of their game.
Executive coaching can prove critical to ensuring senior individuals are able to cope with the demands of driving a business and are equipped to realize both their full potential and that of their teams.
WHAT IS EXECUTIVE COACHING?
Put simply, executive and leadership coaching is about providing the space, constructive challenge and the environment for deep personal reflection, the result of which is clarity of thought and commitment to act. Executive coaching is an ongoing program of confidential conversations to help leaders rise above the noise of the day-to-day, discern what is really important, set goals and begin developing and implementing strategies to achieve them.
It is not about providing solutions. Executive coaching affords executives the time and space to challenge themselves and order their thinking more constructively to improve performance.
This could focus on a broad range of situations; from getting to grips with a challenging role, managing conflicting priorities, dealing with difficult stakeholders, challenging staff or simply the stress and sense of isolation which tends to increase the higher up an organization one progresses.
WHY IS EXECUTIVE COACHING IMPORTANT?
Executive coaching is important for any business whose leaders face the challenges of change and recognize the need for deep self-reflection, often during periods of significant transition. In a business world where change is the only constant, many executives also retain their coach on an ongoing basis, acknowledging that the time spent with them provides unique and fertile space to think, reflect, recharge and regain clarity.
Executive and leadership coaching is also increasingly in demand to support succession planning and the response of businesses to the much referenced skills crisis, as baby-boomers retire, leaving a demographic gap behind them.
Younger and less experienced professionals are having to step into the fold; often without the same levels of knowledge or leadership skills acquired through the years of exposure their predecessors were afforded. In these instances, executive coaching can be just what these young leaders need to accelerate their development. Coaching provides a safe yet challenging environment from which their confidence and considered judgment can flourish.
It is this value-add that has informed our approach to leadership coaching. We aim to provide our clients and placed executives with a lifelong consulting and career partner; not just airdropping talent into the role but supporting individuals so they can perform to the best of their ability and continue to grow and develop more rapidly than the challenges which surround them.
To read more about our executive coaching offering, please contact us.