10 Benefits of Great Executive Life Coaching

Most leaders seem to have a coach today, right?  Why? What are the benefits of executive life coaching? Is it a talkfest or what makes it a growth and success differentiator?

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 Background

Coaching in its many forms has matured greatly over the last decade. Thankfully the “horror stories” of inadequately equipped “wannabe coaches” have almost vanished. Success stories abound. It’s almost unusual that a successful business leader doesn’t have a coach these days.

I thought it might be valuable for you to explore a list of what those most typical benefits look like.

Coaching isn’t a talkfest

My programs always work around an agenda originating from :

• the initial free exploratory conversation in which the prospect outlines their expectations, and
• my database of over 100 pre-coaching questions emanating from opportunities and challenges that have been brought to our table over 13 years of coaching. Combined into a 20 or so question questionnaire for the client to reflect on. Much of which many had never really considered for their life or work. And others they had, but weren’t able (on their own) to fulfil.

They drive the themes that the program assures delivery of the agreed outcomes on.

The 10 Benefits of Great Executive Life Coaching

And so I’ve boiled the 10 most common themes that most often appeared in my executive life coaching programs into one collection. In this blog.

So you can see for yourself what themes most of my clients, whether corporate executives, business owners or professionals transitioning into leadership or their own business, has wanted guidance on. And then successfully acted on. And to enable you to better assess what benefits they might create for you.

So you can try them on and get a feel for where you’re ahead. And see what you might still be lacking on your life or career journey.

So here goes:

1. Doing what you love best.

   Are you leaping or groaning out of bed each morning? Do you know what drives you and what drains you? When are you at your sharpest? Does your SWOT help you leverage you doing what you love best? And help you avoid, delegate or outsource what you dislike? Or you’ll never be any good at? Perhaps you’re at one of life’s “forks in your road”, wanting to assure a better role that really leverages more of your strengths?

2. Having a Life Plan

   Do you have a “life plan” that extends beyond your job or career? And your next holiday? One that has captured what your life’s work might be. What your legacy might be? And where your current career and life focus are aiding or distracting you from being able to look back in satisfaction rather than regret when you pull up stumps?

3. Having a Career Plan

   Do you “just show up” every day, week, month and year after year hoping and wishing this one will be better? Or do you have a career plan that helps you establish how far you are from being, doing and having what really matters to you? That your current role serves as the right stepping stone for the next one(s)? Mapping paths to levels or rooms you aspire to be playing in? Doing what you want to do, not what you have to do?

4. Balancing your Roles

   Think of your roles in your life: being a son or daughter, a sibling, a wife or husband or partner, a parent, a friend, an associate, an employee or leader, a philanthropist, a sportsperson etc.
   How do you apportion your time across these roles every week right now?
   What would you prefer those ratios to be?
   And what might moving to those preferred ratios take? And then buy you?

5. Income versus Net-Worth

   If you’ve been around a while, is your “net-worth” where it should be? Enabling you to focus on what you want rather than what you have to be doing? Giving you choices for life’s inevitable challenges? Without being desperate? Like perhaps in this current pandemic? Exploring different likely approaches.

6. Using Goals to succeed

   Are you a goal setter that then plans and executes what you want do this week, this month and this year? To keep yourself on track towards your 3-5 year plan? And where does this fit in with your 10-year plan and beyond? Who is holding you accountable to keep you on track?

7. What’s Holding You Back?

   What recurring obstacles or even sabotaging behaviour patterns might be holding you back from playing in the rooms and at the levels you aspire to? When do you lack confidence or procrastinate? Typical constraints EVERYBODY wrestles with from time to time. But that only select few have the courage to break through and thrive through. Are you one of those 5% that will?

8. Doing versus Leading?

   If you’re transitioning into a leadership role, or already a leader, how well do your personality, communication preferences and leadership style align to best lead your initiatives or business to succeed? What’s your ratio of DOING to LEADING? What should it be? Are you delegating, letting go and developing successors? How well can you identify, serve and satisfy your key stakeholders? And are you known for the supportive performance management of your team(s)? Is your leadership getting you noticed for that next role you aspire to?

9. Influencing skills

   How well are your communication, influencing, presentation and “people skills” supporting you to drive the outcomes you are expected to deliver? Tailored to your personality? To withstand destructive politics? Or aid the driving of your personal and business agenda initiatives to the results you (and your team) deserve? How well can you sell (yourself)? How far removed are you from being an admired communicator? One that can hold the power and the presence in most rooms or stages?  And how assertive and diplomatic are you? A valuable differentiator, right?

10. Your Visibility and Credibility

    Finally, how visible and credible are you? What are you acknowledged to be an authority in?
    Would you pass the Key Person of Interest test? Does your network support all your personal growth and business endeavours? So you can expect the right responses from the right people at the right levels, when you ask for something? Are you afraid of networking? Wouldn’t being a consummate networker seriously aid your growth and your outcomes?

Benefits of Coaching. So What?

How many of these might have you squirming? What value could you create for your life and work journeys by addressing those themes that mattered most to you?

Was this just an interesting intellectual excercise? Or did this rattle some thinking in you? Which questions inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and make a difference in your life? And those that look to you for your leadership?

Why is executive life coaching in such demand right now? Whether in lockdown or not, you may feel like many: “trapped” and frustrated. Maybe with more time to reflect. And think about your situation. And your options. Those that are serious about using this time as a change or improvement catalyst are reaching out to a coach.

To help design the path(s) that will propel you to confidently play at the levels or in the rooms that have thus far eluded you. With the right sounding board and confidant alongside you to help you get there.

What about you? What if you could leverage a bunch of the above themes into your own personal roadmap and action plan? Right now. So when we “open up” more again, you can hit the ground running?

I’d be delighted if you reached out via email at