Executive coaching can be a life-changing experience for leaders. It’s an opportunity to advance to the next level of leadership and to improve the quality of your life. That is, if leaders can let go of resistance to change and come prepared to grow.
To make the most of your coaching experience, your mindset matters. Here’s how to maximize your leadership sessions with the right attitudes and actions:
1) See coaching as your golden ticket to growth
Everyone could use an executive coach, but not everyone gets one. Organizations invest in high potential executives. Coaching is an opportunity, not a critique. Seeing it as a shot in the arm will enable you to progress much farther, faster in the process.
2) Come to your sessions with goals in mind
What are your primary areas of focus, such as learning how to be more strategic or overcoming issues with delegation? Prioritize the areas you want to concentrate on. Keep in mind that you need to focus on the professional and the personal to drive change in your career. Make sure the topics covered in your sessions help you turn the dial just a tad with the right behaviors.
3) Be open and honest with your coach
The best coaching relationships are built on trust. The more you share with your coach, the more information your coach will have to help guide you in the right direction.
4) Fire up your internal engine of change
Sometimes we have the tendency to see change as a chore. Or, we think that somehow the situation will improve itself on its own, so why bother? The churn of constant self-improvement propels high-performing executives. When executives are willing to go along for the ride, coaching can ignite the engine of change in an executive’s life.
5) Accept uncertainty
Learning how you affect others around you and adjusting your behavior accordingly to reach different outcomes in your career isn’t an exact science. People are complicated. There isn’t always an easy answer. Coaching is a time to embrace experimentation and imperfection. It takes being patient with yourself.
6) Enjoy the journey
It typically takes an average of two-three years to integrate new behaviors. Seeing coaching as a long-term prospect will strengthen your commitment to the process and supercharge your results.