No sports team would take the field without a person coaching the players. A coach acts as a guide, recognizing the proper plays, both defensively and offensively, that lead to success. The importance of a qualified coach cannot be understated, which raises an interesting point: why do so many professional leaders proceed without a coach?
A big part of it is a misunderstanding. There’s a common misconception that a coach is something you only need during times of crisis. In actuality, there are 6 ways coaching can help elevate your leadership presence.
Leadership Effectiveness
The first of these is leadership effectiveness. I recently wrote a blog on how you can improve your ability to lead a team. Professional coaching can help break down each of the tips in that blog so that you’re able to inspire confidence in your team, mentor your direct reports, and prepare them for their own eventual career success. Developing effective leadership skills takes time, but with a coach, you can accelerate the process.
Understand you and your team better
Do you know what makes you tick? A typical interview question is “What gets you up in the morning?” or “What motivates you?” Likewise, have you ever asked your direct reports these same questions?
A coach’s role here is twofold: first, they can help you unpack the things that make you the person you are so that you better understand your own motivations. Second, they can help you develop ways to connect with your team better, understanding who they are and what inspires them. In effect, a coach can make your team stronger through a deeper understanding of personality idiosyncrasies.
Increase your motivation while decreasing distractions
If you have a problem focusing at work, don’t worry. You’re not alone, as many of us suffer from an inability to stay motivated due to work distractions. However, there is not a catch-all solution for any of us, as we’re all unique individuals.
Effective professional coaching can dive deep into your personality makeup and help you identify ways to stay motivated at work. For a basic example, if you’re always checking your phone, there are quite literally hundreds of possible distractions. A deep focus routine, such as turning the phone off for periods of time during the day or listening to some light music, can turn around even the most unmotivated individuals and maximize their productivity.
Improve your communication skills
Have you ever assigned someone a task only for them to complete it in a way you didn’t expect? Or has a direct report ever failed to meet a deadline, stating that they didn’t know the due date?
I could list dozens of potential scenarios, but what it boils down to is expectations. A coach can help you learn how to communicate those expectations clearly. A coach can also help you “sell yourself” so that when the time comes around for a raise or the next promotion, you’re able to effectively and clearly demonstrate your value to the company and why you deserve that next step.
Maximize your strengths
There are dozens of different methods of determining your strengths. Those include basic personality tests to more involved ones such as the Cliffton StrengthsFinder quiz. Regardless of the method, what’s important is to understand what you’re inherently good at. Working with a professional coach can open your mind to your natural strengths and how to capitalize on them throughout your career. After all, it’s far easier (and more productive) to build on strengths than to improve on weaknesses. While you’ll always want to grow as a person, developing and leveraging strengths is a fantastic way to boost your leadership presence.
Build bridges
So much of what we do in the business world relies on social interaction. From closing sales to collaboratively launching new products, effective social skills are critical in the workplace. This can be harder for some people than others, especially if you’re a self-motivated individual or relatively introverted. A coach can help you build bridges in a way that feels natural to your inherent personality so that you’re more effective at your job.
In addition, a coach helps teach you how to learn to trust others. In an increasingly connected world, we’ve recently lost our ability to see another’s viewpoint. We’re less trusting of others, even those we work alongside. A coach can help break down those barriers, identifying ways to connect with others.
Coaching and your career success
From boosting your leadership skills to helping you stay focused to building trust, there are several ways a coach can elevate your professional effectiveness. As a leadership coach, I work with a wide variety of industries and professions, helping them take their careers to the next level.
I’d love to help you too. I have a simple web form that lets me know more about who you are and what you’re looking to accomplish. CLICK HERE to view my calendar to schedule a time to chat! I’ll be in touch soon!
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