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Getting the Most Out of Your Coaching Sessions
June 18, 2019
There was once a time that business and executive coaching was reserved for the top-tier of C-suite members or the presidents of multi-million dollar brands, but in recent years it’s been difficult to dismiss the value of coaching for entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
The benefits of coaching have been proven time and again, with the biggest being increased self-awareness and a boost in emotional intelligence. It’s often easy for leaders and business owners to get carried away with the daily tasks, and it’s often not so easy for them to take the same time for self-development. Coaching can provide that opportunity.
Ultimately, the goal of coaching is to learn how you can learn about yourself and find ways to better manage your best assets — your employees — so that your entire organization and staff can grow and thrive. The only thing better than having an amazing product or a globally recognized brand is supporting a workplace culture where managers lead by example and employees are fully on board as ambassadors to the company.
Just like with any other process in your business, however, your return on investment will be proportionate to the amount of time and effort you put into growing your personal skills. Coaching is a big investment — both time-wise and financially — and it’s important to know how to get the most out of your journey.
Open Up a Little (or a Lot)
You may be very comfortable giving feedback to employees or other team members, but how open are you to hearing about yourself in a professional capacity? Be prepared and stay receptive; there’s a good chance you may not initially like what you hear about yourself and your skills as a manager — but that’s okay. The coaches you work with will have unique insight and experience to identify both strengths and weaknesses and give you actionable tips to help with both.
Don’t Get Comfortable
There’s a great chance you’ve turned to coaching because there’s a feeling you hit a plateau or your professional life (or business) has stagnated, it’s because you’re not being pushed to think outside the box. A coaching professional’s fresh eyes will help you get a new perspective on the bigger picture and may identify areas where you can throw out the playbook and find a better, more productive way to do things you may already be doing every day to help run your business.
Keep Your Goal Game Strong
Coaching doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and a good coach will always start the process by discussing and setting goals for you based on where you’re currently at in your job and your life. Use your personal strengths as the foundation for these goals; this can give you valuable benchmarks and a strong foundation to build on as you go forward. If you get lost or find yourself off track, always return to your strengths as a reminder of what you’re working to improve.
Work on Your Weaknesses
Just as much as your strengths can propel you forward, they can also hold you back. Coaching can help you identify when you use valuable assets to your disadvantage — pay close attention! For example, some task-oriented leaders can tend to micromanage, which in turn leads to personal burnout and a disproportionate amount of stress in the workplace. With coaching, you’ll be able to understand how to recognize when you’re overreaching.
Balance Growth With Action
All the top-notch coaching in the world doesn’t mean much if you don’t follow through by utilizing your new skills — but that takes some planning, too. Not only should you be prioritizing time in your schedule (personally and professionally) you should also be honest and transparent about it with your team members. Sharing what you learn with them could have a trickle-down effect and support your own growth during coaching, along with organizational growth.
Over the last few decades, executive coaching has become less of a luxury and more of a necessity for businesses of all sizes. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits can be the fact that business coaches come with experience that can help support decision making and you can avoid common mistakes that so many other new and transforming entrepreneurs can make.
Through our business coaching services and advisory board, you can get the support and ideas you need and avoid the hassle, stress, and isolation of having to figure it all out on your own. If you’re ready to get moving and start growing, get in touch with our team so we can make your vision a reality.
