Executive coaching is all about professional aspiration. What needs to happen for us to get to where we want to be and what needs to change? In my opinion, it is an opportunity for us to (a) learn what our key strengths are and use them to improve our confidence, self-belief and path to success and (b) to understand what obstacles are in our way and how best to navigate them in order to get to our own definition of success.
For me, executive coaching helped when I had been promoted into a new position; what had shocked me was how alien the new role felt to me. I had striven for the promotion for years while studying for my professional exams, but somehow something didn't feel right once I got there. I was struggling with my confidence and self-belief. I felt out of my depth and like an imposter in a world where I once felt I belonged - the thing was, I didn't tell anybody how I was feeling. An opportunity, however, presented itself to me in the form of an executive course which included coaching.
So what 7 things did I learn from this?
- I learned how highly regarded I really was by both my team and my colleagues (despite my thoughts to the contrary) - I learned it was all about my perception of the situation and not the reality;
- I learned what my strengths were and how I could use them for better effect in my new role - it's so easy to see areas of weakness in ourselves, it often takes others to show us our strengths which is exactly what this process did;
- I learned about my own insecurities, why they were affecting me so much and how to improve my confidence - because my confidence was low, I had stopped believing in myself, so it was then difficult to believe in anything. Seeing things from a different perspective, in a different place and hearing others' more positive opinions of me in that environment really helped me to see the reality not my perception again;
- I found out my personality type and in what situations I was at my strongest - I am a natural extrovert and a people person and am at my best when working with and helping others. I was able to use that strength more and understood when to use it to best effect (it has also led me to the career I am in now);
- I discovered how to find my authentic voice, something which had virtually disappeared since promotion - I needed to speak up, no matter how nervous I felt. I had an authentic voice and needed to use it, particularly in this new role;
- I discovered how creative I really was - creativity is essential to positive mental health. I didn't realise how creative I was until that time and I needed to find a creative activity which I could make time for and which allowed me to be the best version of myself - that was baking!
- I learned what my core values were - I learned how truly important my family and friends were to me. I was not alone in this, I needed to remember making them part of my life again instead of hiding myself away with my worries and fears would help me not hinder me!
Executive coaching can be part of an organisation/business or something that is done individually. The important thing to understand is that no matter who is investing in either personal and professional coaching, whether organisations or their employees, ultimately it is all for the greater good. For each of us, every time we succeed at something we set out to achieve, our confidence grows. This means both employers and employees gain because where there is renewed confidence there is more positive action and where there is more positive action there is an opportunity for growth both from a corporate viewpoint and a personal one.
When I work with clients I not only work with them from their viewpoint professionally, but also personally, because one can have significant effects on the other, both positively and negatively. For example, a client may want a promotion or to change career, but something in their personal life now or in their past is affecting their confidence to do so. Or a client may be under enormous stress in their professional life which is creating conflicts at home meaning there are more arguments, leading to problems back at work again. In both cases, neither client is going to be performing to their best ability, meaning significant areas of their lives are being affected. This is where my executive life strategy and coaching work would come in; for each client, we would start by looking at both situations as a whole, looking at the reality of each one and what small changes could be made to start to alleviate some of the pressure, as this happens, each situation becomes a little easier to cope with. Every time there is a little improvement, positive change happens and slowly but surely both clients would start to get balance back into their lives, the difficulties would become less and less until finally harmony is restored.
Could an executive life strategy and coaching session with me help you? Are you feeling out of your depth in your current role or are you looking for a promotion but don't feel confident enough to apply for it? Do you feel dissatisfied with your current role and crave positive change? Get in touch because I have helped many other clients who have been in the same situations and more. http://bit.ly/2KgDDU6
I offer coaching via Zoom, Skype, face to face or by phone. You can book 1 hour sessions or an intensive 3-hour session to really get underneath the issues you are facing and effect positive change more quickly. Get in touch here http://bit.ly/2KgDDU6