How Can Executive Coaching Improve Your Workplace?
The idea of executive coaching has gained traction over the past decade for an important reason: it can be enormously helpful in improving business relationships and interpersonal skills for CEOs and other organizational leaders. As an added bonus, the lessons learned and benefits gained from coaching don't end when the workday ends. Executives who have gone through executive coaching courses report improved personal relationships too.
What's Involved in Corporate Coaching?
The cornerstone of an Executive Coaching course is an emphasis on understanding who you are, and what makes you tick. Everyone is different, of course, but there are identified certain personality traits that commonly go together and have developed an assessment to classify people into one of four distinct personality types based on that information. Learning about your own personality is key so you can see how you "fit" within the four personality types. Having a better understanding of your own personality, and understanding how different personality types process information, communicate and handle stress can give you deep insights you can improve your interactions with others.
Another facet of executive coaching is understanding conflict. No matter what type of role you're in, you're likely to encounter conflict from time to time. Conflict isn't a bad thing, as long as it's handled appropriately. Executive coaching can help you learn how to deal with that conflict in a healthy, constructive manner.
Organizational leaders must be able to communicate and interact with others effectively. Executive coaching can help you learn how to get out of your "comfort zone" so your interactions are more meaningful and are more likely to accomplish your goals.
Executive coaching may end when you finish the whichever program you're in, however your need for successful business and personal relationships never ends. That's why it's critical to spend time planning for how you'll use what you've learned when you get back to the office, and get back to your normal personal relationships. When corporate coaching has been successful, you'll walk away with leadership plans you can use to put what you've learned into practice, helping you get the most out of your executive coaching experience.
More than Simply CEO Coaching
Although it's called executive coaching, being a current CEO or other executive is not a requirement. Executive coaching can benefit those currently leading organizations, as well as those who aspire to do so.
In the article "Seven Steps to Coaching Your Employees to Success," Katherine Graham-Leviss pleads the case for employee coaching:
"Many employers sit their workers down once a year for a review. At that time, the employee finds out what they've been doing right or if there are areas in need of improvement. But what happens the other 364 days of the year?
Coaching is a different approach to developing employees' potential. With coaching, you provide your staff the opportunity to grow and achieve optimal performance through consistent feedback, counseling and mentoring. Rather than relying solely on a review schedule, you can support employees along the path to meeting their goals."
I can remember dreading my annual review on one particular job. I was committed to performing my assigned duties successfully. I even calendared time quarterly to reread my job description to ensure that I was on track. But without fail, the supervisor would address one item during the review that was not even on my radar. I always wondered why he waited a year to mention it. If only I had known, I would have taken care of it.
Employees can grow all year long and flourish in their roles with ongoing coaching. Coaching will help them discover their personality type and the traits, tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses that go along with it. They will learn how and why they act and react the way they do. Once they have an understanding of their own personality, they can then learn about the personality types of others and how to best relate to them.
With improved communication skills, team members gain confidence and may desire to take on more responsibilities and roles of leadership. Their successes in the workplace can open doors of opportunity for them to advance in your organization, as needs arise. They can win and you can win. Executive coaching is what makes this possible.
Find Out How Corporate Coaching Can Help You Today
Take the next step toward improving your personal and business relationships. Getting started is easy!
Take our 20-question "Make a Difference Personality Profile" or join the eight-module course today. In addition to the valuable course itself, you'll also get added benefits including a free book, access to the private community group where you can interact with other professionals, and tips to help you simplify your relationships.
You owe it to yourself to find out how executive coaching can transform your relationships and, in doing so, improve your workplace.
