Are you thinking about getting yourself a leadership coach?
Leadership coaches are not as rare in the workplace as they once were. Those that are looking for some assistance to reach the next level will often get in touch with someone to help. However, the vast majority of managers are still unaware of all of the leadership coach benefits.
So if you’re considering some extra development but aren’t sure what a coach could do for you, then here are six reasons you probably haven’t thought of that could help you in your career as a leader.
1. See Yourself in a Different Light
There is plenty of research out there that shows that most of us don’t see ourselves clearly. Studies also show that accurate self-awareness in leaders is correlated with organisational effectiveness and profitability.
Your coaching journey will help you build skills to see yourself more clearly, question your assumptions about yourself, get curious about where you’re strong and where you need to grow, and learn to see yourself with “fair witness” eyes.
2. See Others Clearly
Leaders can often run into problems because of how they assess those around them. They may lose good employees because they don’t recognise and support their capabilities or keep poor performers too long because they think they’ll get there. They may stumble politically because they over or underestimate someone’s ability to have an impact on their career success.
Good coaches will often have more neutral and accurate perceptions of those around you than you will and will share those perceptions with you. They will also help you apply the same mental skills you learned for seeing yourself more clearly so that you can become more accurate in your assessment of others.
3. Learn New Ways to Respond to Others
We all have a set of capabilities and responses that may serve us well with some employees but won’t help with more senior leaders. For example, if you had to explain a business solution, would you describe it the same way to your frontline employees, direct manager, and manager’s manager?
A coach can help in how to get your point across to different audiences and provide them with direction and your expected outcomes.
4. Leverage Your Strengths
Having an effective and supportive coach can help you see and leverage strengths that you already have but that you may be underestimating.
Your instinct can be to focus on what you’re not great at, but a coach will steer you towards doubling down on your strengths and utilising these abilities to make an impact in your workplace.
5. Build Productive Relationships
Leaders can limit their effectiveness by only being willing or able to build strong relationships with certain kinds of people. Generally, it’s people like themselves that share similar backgrounds, beliefs, or work styles.
A coach can help you recognise this bias in yourself and work against it by helping you see and question these assumptions and by offering you tools to support you in understanding and creating strong and vital working relationships with a wider variety of people.
6. Achieve What You Want to Achieve
A coach can help you get more explicit about your goals and dreams and about what you’re capable of doing to achieve them. They can be a powerfully useful support system on your journey. Unlike your family or your employees, your coach isn’t dependent on you for their success.
They can be honest with you about how you’re doing, reminding you of what you’ve said you want to achieve and letting you know what you’re doing that’s supporting your intentions or getting in your way. Finally, your coach can teach you new ways of thinking and operating, new skills that will allow you to reach your goals and create the career you want.
Do You Need More Leadership Coach Benefits?
Remember, these are just the leadership coach benefits that you might not know about. There are even more reasons to consider getting in touch with a professional who can share with you knowledge and experience that you perhaps won’t get on the job. If you’re stuck for development ideas, consider getting in touch with a leadership coach to reach your goals.
If you need tips and tricks on how to become a strong leader, then make sure to follow the Better Boss Blog. It contains a lot of advice and strategies on how you can improve in your role. Follow pwf services on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, so you never miss a post.
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