Career coach and trusted confidant to Silicon Valley's top talent via CaffeinatedKyle.com. I help people find jobs they LOVE.
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Many leaders turn to executive coaching when they want to elevate their leadership skills and keep up with a constantly changing workplace. And while coaching can be incredibly helpful in the face of change, it can also be helpful for everyday career concerns. Here are five additional benefits of working with an executive coach that might surprise you if you’re new to the process:
1. Combat executive isolation.
For starters, feelings of isolation and loneliness tend to be increasingly common as you climb the corporate ladder because fewer people can relate to the responsibility and associated stress. While most leaders initially turn to an executive coach to address a particular issue or grow in a certain area, they may quickly realize that the coaching relationship also helps mitigate their feelings of isolation and loneliness. As an executive coach who primarily works with tech leaders, I also regularly connect my clients with one another, as it helps further ward off executive isolation and can lead to invaluable relationships.
2. Improve your thought leadership.
Another potential benefit of partnering with an executive coach that tends to fly under the radar is the opportunity to build your thought leadership. While your personal brand becomes increasingly important as you grow in your career, it can be difficult to carve out the time and energy to market yourself. An executive coach can partner with you to decide how you want to show up on LinkedIn and other social media platforms, what conferences you should be presenting at and other strategies you can deploy to grow your brand and online presence.
3. Elevate your executive presence.
Speaking of which, an additional hidden benefit of working with an executive coach is refining your executive communication skills and influencing abilities. Most leaders can use support in becoming better communicators and influencers, and coaches can help with this. A client recently used our sessions to strategize, rehearse and receive feedback on presentations to their executive peers and board. Another used our time together to reflect on the effectiveness of their one-to-one and team meetings. There is a plethora of opportunities to improve your executive presence when working with an executive coach.
4. Operate in your zone of genius.
There’s a common misconception that executive coaches only focus on your blind spots. While this may be the case for some practitioners, I deeply believe in managing your weaknesses, then pivoting and focusing the majority of the attention and time on identifying and owning your fabulousness. Like a sports coach, an executive coach can guide you in effectively playing to your strengths. This allows you to operate in your zone of genius as often as possible, allowing you to be more efficient at work and in life.
5. Increase your self-confidence.
Importantly, effective executive coaches don’t tell you what to do or how you’re supposed to lead your team or organization. Rather, they support you in identifying your available options, weighing the benefits and risks and creating a path forward. In other words, an executive coach empowers you to be the best leader possible. Clients often report that this self-reliance leads to more confidence in their leadership skills and decision-making abilities moving forward.
If you’re on the fence about getting coached, know that I’ve only named a few of the hidden benefits of partnering with an executive coach. Ultimately, coaching is what you make of it.
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