Hiring an executive coach is a big decision. Let’s face it: we typically don’t come cheap. But the transformations that can occur as a result of hiring an executive coach can be profound. Here are seven surprising reasons why you should consider hiring an executive coach—immediately.
Reason 7: You’re Doing Really Well.
Many people think that if they’re succeeding, they don’t need an executive coach. But in fact, the majority of my clients hire me because they know they did a lot of things right to get where they are, and they want to keep doing the things that move the needle.
However, it’s important to point out that often, the activities that got you where you are today aren’t necessarily the same as the things that will get you to the next level. An executive coach can help you to develop the plans for the next stage in your career and/or business evolution.
Reason 6: You Think You Don’t Need An Executive Coach.
Many of the clients I’ve worked with over the years initially thought they didn’t need an executive coach, but coaching was recommended by a peer, mentor, colleague, or boss, for a variety of reasons. Often, someone had a great experience with their executive coach and recommended trying it out because they were so pleased with their own results.
Alternatively, executive coaching is sometimes “strongly encouraged” by a boss or board when a 360-degree review comes back with some “interesting” feedback from your team. You might think you don’t need an executive coach when your team says, for example, that you don’t listen to their ideas. You might think, “Give me some good ideas for a change, and I’ll listen,” (an actual statement made by more than one of my clients over the years), but that statement right there suggests you could probably use some leadership guidance.
So ask yourself: Do you really know all the answers or is it possible that someone could help you become a better leader, so you could get more out of your team? The buck stops with you, so if your team isn’t giving you great ideas, then you have to ask yourself what you’re missing in the equation. What if someone could help you to become more effective, more productive, happier, and more respected? What could you accomplish then?
Reason 5: You’re Productive, But Doing What?
Often, leaders are highly productive, but look back at their day and think, “What did I accomplish?” Looking back on a day where you worked hard, but accomplished little is frustrating and annoying! And it certainly doesn’t help your business (or your career) thrive.
An executive coach is ideal to helping you evaluate your time management strategies and improve your productivity, and can help you coach your team to alternative problem-solving methodologies than coming to you for help first. My clients with time management and team members who can’t seem to do their work on their own tend to improve their productivity by about 35% within the first three months of working with me, just by making subtle shifts in the way they use their time.
Reason 4: You Work. Constantly.
Do you find yourself cleaning up the messes your team leaves behind, or staying late to finish work someone on your team should’ve done? Do you find yourself working way more than it seems you should? Does your spouse frequently mention the large amount of time you spend working, and that you don’t spend enough time at home?
If you work constantly, it’s likely you’re lacking balance in your life. And while some articles recently pointed to the fact that “having it all” is a myth (it is), an executive coach should be adept at helping you learn how to improve your leadership skills so that your team picks up their slack so you don’t have to. A good executive coach will also help you learn how to hire better, train better, and then delegate to your team better so you actually get to have a life again.
Reason 3: Your Team Frustrates the Heck Out of You.
I know, I know. The problem is your team, right? Well…sometimes. If your team frustrates the heck out of you because they show up late, they leave early, they don’t seem to hear you when you provide them with deadlines…I hate to tell you this, but these are symptoms of a few potential problems, all of which an executive coach can help solve.
In fact, these symptoms suggest that you could use some coaching in hiring more effectively, or that you could use some improvements in your company culture…they might also suggest that you’ve been trying to force your agenda on your team without their buy-in.
Whatever the cause, an executive coach will help you get to the root of the problem so you can solve it and get your team moving forward.
Reason 2: You’re Achieving Every Goal You Set.
You’re amazing! You’re achieving everything you want to achieve! Wow! Except…are you achieving everything you could be achieving? Are you possibly setting your benchmarks too low?
If you’re already achieving every goal you set, that tells me you might be capable of far greater things than you give yourself credit for. An executive coach can help you establish stretch goals that challenge you to perform at new levels and reach new heights of achievement.
Reason 1: You’ve Thought About Hiring an Executive Coach.
If you’ve ever thought about hiring an executive coach, but haven’t pulled the trigger, ask yourself why. Sometimes clients are afraid they don’t have time. Sometimes they’re afraid to make changes. Sometimes they just aren’t ready to do the work.
An executive coach should be able to tailor her coaching to fit your needs, and should be able to sense your boundaries, never pushing you too far outside your comfort zone.
Additionally, an executive coach should be willing to work outside the norm to help guide you—some of my clients prefer half hour sessions; others prefer hour-long sessions. Some like to speak to me once a day during the business week, while others prefer once weekly or even once monthly.
Don’t Be So Surprised! (and other reasons why people hire an executive coach)
Don’t be so surprised that many of the reasons you should hire a coach aren’t the ones you’d normally expect! People hire executive coaches for a wide range of reasons, and they’re all equally valid.
Many of my clients hire me because they run the company—and when you’re the boss and need to vent, who do you vent to?
Many of my clients hire me because they’ve hit the peak of their career, but still aren’t happy. Why?
Many of my clients hire me because they’re not achieving all they hoped for, so we get to the bottom of it.
And many of my clients hire me because they’re tired of dealing with the same issues and dynamics, job after job, relationship after relationship. They experience a toxic environment and think, “I have to leave,” but find the same challenges await in the next company and the next…until they start to wonder, “Is it me?” Often, these clients have some brain junk and roadblocks that need to be cleared out so that they can stop experiencing the frustration of these challenging situations and start enjoying the fruits of their success.
Note that hiring an executive coach shouldn’t be undertaken lightly, but rather with consideration to the expertise, experience, personality, and style of the coach and whether s/he meshes well with you and the goals you want to achieve.
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