It seems coaching is not widespread in the construction industry.

I think there are many reasons for this, the main one being people don’t know what coaching is including some that call themselves coaches. I even come across HR people who you’d think would know but don’t – one said to me “Johnny is bloody useless; he really needs a good dose of coaching!”.

In an attempt to raise awareness, I am going to set out here what coaching is and is not so you can take responsibility and act accordingly.

Is:

• Coaching is raising awareness and responsibility – we all have blind spots that are holding us back. Once we are aware of them, we can do something about them, freeing up performance and progress
• Coaching is working with healthy coping adults, enabling them to achieve their objectives
• People want to advance, get to a better place – coaching is future focused and positive
• Coaching is different, expect weird questions
• Coaching is a balance between support and challenge
• It’s about creating and holding a safe space for generative thinking
• It’s about promoting ‘new’ thinking. You want to get to a different place which usually involves different actions. Your old thinking produces more of the same, so new thinking is needed. We are not talking about Albert Einstein, invention thinking but rather stuff you have not thought about before
• Coaching is a partnership not a service. In a service situation you might expect me to tolerate all your peculiarities and abuse though in a partnership I might be the only person on the planet who is honest with you. Particularly if you are everyone’s boss.
• In coaching we allocate thinking time together and stick to it and each of us turn up prepared and ready for the work.
• As my former coach, Claire Pedrick, says the process of coaching is like an airplane flight. At the start of each session, we are going to work out what the work is today – this is the take-off. Then we are going to do the work – cruising at 40,000ft and then we are going to check we have done the work – smoothly landing the session, together.
• At executive level, coaching is more about “being” – how the leader shows up and who they are – and much less about their “doing”. The leader brings their whole self such that their people are inspired to follow. This is not easy and yet, with the necessary inner work, it becomes natural.
• As a coach I am listening for beliefs and values rather than: history, background, situation, detail, problems (what coaches call ‘presenting issues’), scripts and ego.

Is not

• It’s not a friendly chat, though it can be if that’s ‘useful’ occasionally.
• It’s not teaching, giving advice, involvement in content or leading the thinkers thinking, nor is it telling what to do or even making ‘helpful’ suggestions.
• It’s not wrestling over opinions or fighting for airtime
• It’s not listening passively while the thinker constantly off loads
• It’s not counselling nor therapy or helping the thinker handle or heal from their past
• It’s not consulting or subject matter expert input.
• And it’s definitely not fixing people or seeking to change them to become your version of them.

How to find an experienced and qualified coach

Now we better understand what coaching is, is it OK to work with anyone who calls themselves a coach? I’d say, no it’s not. You need to find an experienced and qualified coach, that you get along with and trust.

Firstly, experienced. They need to be operating at your level. If you are CEO then, someone who works with C suite executives.

Qualified? If you are a recent graduate civil engineer you are academically qualified. You then put in seven years of hard work and gain chartered status – Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, MICE. You are now professionally qualified.

That’s what I mean by “qualified”, professionally qualified. Someone who has done a coaching course at a business school might be academically qualified but as yet they are not professionally qualified.

For me, becoming a professionally qualified coach took longer and was harder than becoming MICE (MICE was and remains massive for me, as does my FCIOB) and I am a much better coach for having gone through the credentialing process and done the work.

I’d recommend you look for a credentialed coach rather than a graduate. I am credentialed (PCC) with The International Coaching Federation (ICF) – “The Gold Standard for Coaching”

Having found such a coach, seek to have a few sessions with them to check out the chemistry between you; do you like working with them? Do you trust them?

Make sure you have a written Coaching Agreement – it’s an ethical requirement of the ICF. And then put your whole self into the work, you will be amazed at yourself and rightly so.

Johnny is amazing too. And he always was.

Leadership Team Coach Dave Stitt works with construction industry executives and project teams enabling them to deliver remarkable results in a remarkable way. Dave is the creator of  Coach for Results, an accessible online course teaching the basics of a coaching management style so managers can grow confidence, capability and enthusiasm in the people around them.

Read more blogs from Dave: ‘Coaching management style relieves pressure on younger managers’. 

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Many make the mistake of talking to an entrepreneur mentor that is not appropriate for their start-up’s needs or stage of development. Frequently, I see founders delay these conversations and sometimes a poor mentoring fit can even derail their company’s plans altogether.

Joan’s Journey: The Case for an Entrepreneur Mentor

From NGO to Start-up

Let’s take Joan, who has a fledgling medtech start-up. In the past she has worked at large NGOs and has created a wide network of contacts. Now, she wants her start-up to succeed and she reached out to her network for advice. Unfortunately after many attempts, most of the channels did not return the guidance and advice that she was looking for. Why would such a successful person experience such a low level of support from her strong network?

The answer is actually pretty straight forward, but hard to see. The network that she had built out while working at a large NGO is the wrong fit for her start-up. Those professionals might be doing fantastic work in NGOs, and they are probably good people.  But, in their roles and with the resources that they have available, they might not have the room or processes to integrate or help small companies like Joan’s.

So how can we advise Joan to take her venture to the next level?

It starts with imagining the start-up journey as a ladder. Each step on that ladder represents growth of some sort: people, revenue, budget, opportunity, or another area. As the company grows and matures it will climb those steps until it reaches market growth equilibrium. Keep in mind that those steps may be different for every company, especially across different industries.

Once Joan understands that her company’s growth will reflect this image of a ladder,now the networking part starts. Joan has to find and identify companies and entrepreneur mentors who are just slightly ahead on the ladder – perhaps those which have a few million more in revenue, a few more contracts, or a few more closed opportunities. These mentors are just within the “context window” of market trends, changes, and connections to be the most useful to Joan’s current level start up. Their stories and their tricks will still be valid in the current market environment and specifically at Joan’s level.

Maintain Connections for the Future

Even though Joan’s optimized network might look differently than it did while she worked at NGOs, it is still useful to maintain her connections to larger companies. Organizations that are 10-20 steps ahead of hers on the ladder and can help her track long-term plans. While those plans might not be the most fruitful for her to focus on right now, they will become a lot more useful over time as Joan’s company scales the ladder.

Krista: Professional Recruiter Turned Founder

Let’s take another example. This time of a recruiting professional Krista, who is now trying to start her own recruiting agency. She has been a professional recruiter working with the large consulting companies for the past 20 years and decided that it was time to venture on her own. She started to engage her network, crafting very personal messages and following other professionals on LinkedIn. But alas, just like in Joan’s case, she quickly gets frustrated with her lack of results. She does not get any replies, and those who she is able to get on the phone cannot be as helpful as she hoped. What should she do differently now? How is her case similar to Joan’s?

Choosing an Entrepreneur Mentor Wisely

While there are a lot of similarities between Joan’s and Krista’s frustrations, the solution is slightly different. Since Krista is now pursuing to start her own practice, she would benefit the most if she reaches out to others who have started practices before and have been on the market for a few years. Krista should be discerning in her outreach between “product” companies and “services” companies. Service-based organizations will have the most relevant experiences to share with her. The differences between product- and service-based companies are slight, but focusing on those that have the most in common with her can ensure that her business development goes through the most appropriate channels for her practice.

The Value of Strategic Questions

Krista’s existing network can still be extremely useful, but the question she asks has to be slightly different. Instead of asking “how can you help me find candidates and positions?” Krista should be asking “What are your company’s processes in engaging with the independent recruiters and companies of smaller size?” Krista is used to having a lot of doors being open to her due to big consulting brands she was representing, and now it would be more appropriate to humbly step back as her individual brand does not carry yet the same weight.

Takeaways from a Seasoned Entrepreneur Mentor

These are just a few examples of approaches that you can take to adjust your mentorship and advisory outlook. The few key takeaways are:

1. Your current network will likely not get your start-up to your goals, and has to be expanded. Be intentional about networking within a strategic  “context window” or with organizations of similar size.

2. Your new brand has a lot less value than the brands of the companies that you have represented before. It takes time to grow the brand and over time, but with great effort, you will get there.

3. While I strongly recommend building out your new networks, your old networks can still come handy in the long term when your company reaches a certain level of maturity. Alternatively, you may also find out that mature companies have special programs for engaging with companies of your size.

To dive deeper and discuss more personalized advice for your unique situation, schedule a coaching session. I look forward to meeting you!

Vladimir Baranov has spent over 20 years in start-up and technology industries across fin-tech, wealth-tech and space-tech. He had founder and executive roles that exposed him to many meaningful experiences. Vladimir has gone through a lot of personal growth that helped him sort and format the knowledge so he can share it with you.

The post How to Find the Right Entrepreneur Mentor for Your Company appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

Here are my suggestions for before, during and after your sessions to help you get the most from them

Spend some time preparing to focus before each session

• What are the things that matter to you most? What really inspires and energizes you? How do you define success?
• ·What one thing, if you could improve it, would fundamentally transform how you operate?
• What do you most need help and support with. Bring a topic, question or an example to each session as a place to start
• Review your reflective journal and learning from previous sessions (see below)
• What do you most need help and support with. Bring a topic, question or an example to each session as a place to start
• Be ready to focus on what may feel hard: What do you most fear? What triggers anxiety in you?

During coaching sessions

• Be in a quiet place where you won’t be overheard and can work without distraction or interruption
• Be ready to engage with curiosity, openness and honesty. Let your coach know if you feel uncomfortable or stretched, it may be part of your journey, but your coach will be able to help and support you
• Be open to feedback, challenge and any other inputs your coach may offer, they are doing it to help you!
• Make notes of the important “nuggets” that you find and the actions you commit to, taking your learning into practice

Take action between coaching sessions

• Reflect on the learning you get from each session and look for opportunities to apply it
• Use what you are learning in some real-life situations, start in a low-risk way to see how you get on
• Use a reflective journal to note down what you tried and what the outcome was, along with your observations and learning from your actions

If you would like to start exploring then get in touch with Madeline for a free 30 min taster session – or peruse the wide range of Executive Coaches on the Trusted Coach Directory.

Madeline Cranfield is a highly experience Executive coach. She has worked internationally for complex organisations across sectors as diverse as finance and engineering, FMCG and technology. She combines strong business skills in strategy implementation with an ability to engage and motivate people to deliver more of their potential utilising a behavioural approach.

Read more blogs by Madeline

The post What can you do to get the most from your Executive Coaching experience? appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

You need to know something of what it will be like, comfortable or challenging, supportive or stretching?

We can develop skills and abilities that serve us well and then something changes, and they don’t work so well. The job of a coach is to help you work out what has changed, and how you need to grow to meet the new challenges and opportunities. This is not a smooth or totally comfortable process, and you will need to build trust with your coach to explore how you can make progress.

What are your experiences, qualifications and approach? How do you use them in coaching?

You may look for someone who has been there, seen it, done it who can share their experience. However, this alone would be mentoring and not coaching.

The work of any coach will be informed by certain core beliefs, which they may well have explored and honed during their qualifications. You will want to know how they impact their style of coaching and how, in turn, this might help you.

Coaching is about something that needs to change. You will want your coach to explain how they will support you in achieving a change, otherwise things may just stay the same.

What is the format of a coaching session?

The coaching relationship is a partnership, led by what you bring to the space. In each session you will have an opportunity to share and direct the focus of the work, whilst the coach will be supporting and challenging you to look at different perspectives and connect to your overall objectives. The coach will be listening for patterns or assumptions that could be getting in your way and may highlight them to you, by asking questions or offering a reflection.

But make no mistake, you will be doing most of the work, much of the talking in the session and the majority of the reflection and application between sessions.

How will you know if the coach is doing a good job?

In each session you can bring new topics, and the coach may remind you of your objectives, but your own reflection and feedback will decide the value for you.

If the coaching is not working, then you should feel you can raise this and discuss it with your coach, as the basis for progress is an open and honest relationship.

How do I know if the coach is developing and stretching themselves to become a better coach?

When you look for a coach, you will also want someone who is exploring and developing themselves, who is striving to be more aware of their own drivers, assumptions and barriers, and challenging their practice through supervision (a process where a coach gets supported and challenged on their coaching by another professional)

Conclusion

The critical point to note about these five questions is that it is more about having the right conversation than finding the right answers. Your discussion will give you an idea about the coach and their style as well as a taster of what it could be like to collaborate with them.

Trust your gut, if you see a connection and find some new or surprising perspectives you are on the right track. You could ask for a taster session.

If you would like to start exploring then get in touch with Madeline for a free 30 min taster session – or peruse the wide range of Executive Coaches on the Trusted Coach Directory.

Madeline Cranfield is a highly experience Executive coach. She has worked internationally for complex organisations across sectors as diverse as finance and engineering, FMCG and technology. She combines strong business skills in strategy implementation with an ability to engage and motivate people to deliver more of their potential utilising a behavioural approach.

Read more blogs about Executive Coaching

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Through a systematic literature review and research, I sought to get to grips with what exactly the construct is and how it differs from self-knowledge and self-consciousness.  It is a complex construct complicated by the fact that the individual elements of ‘self’ and ‘awareness’ have a multiplicity of definitions.  The literature review revealed that the construct is multi-layered made up of several components, which can be divided into intra- and inter-personal elements.  The inter-personal elements comprise of those which can be observed by another person and include perception of others and behaviours.  This of course means we need to attain feedback from others when we are developing self-awareness.  This is fraught with difficulty as we tend to ‘filter out’ what we may not want to see or hear, so this means that developing self-awareness and knowing that one has developed it accurately is a real challenge.  The intra-personal elements include beliefs and values, internal mental state, physiological responses, strengths and weaknesses, motivations and needs.  In sum, self-awareness can be defined as:

“Self-awareness consists of a range of interpersonal (the perception of others and individual behaviours) and intrapersonal components (beliefs, values, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, internal mental state and physiological responses) in order to develop self and human connection with others.”

In terms of differentiating self-awareness from self-consciousness and self-knowledge, it was identified that self-consciousness is the intra-personal components of self-awareness, whereas self-knowledge is the output of self-awareness i.e., self -awareness gives us self-knowledge of our biases, prejudices, responses, needs and wants.  It is this self-knowledge that can then help us develop deeper connection with self, which is an essential pre-requisite for developing connection with those around us.   This is perhaps why it is linked to increasing leadership effectiveness.  However, developing self-awareness is an ongoing journey which requires motivation, commitment, and effort.

If you want to read more please have a look at the published systematic literature review (Carden, J., Jones, R.J. and Passmore, J., 2022. Defining self-awareness in the context of adult development: a systematic literature review. Journal of Management Education, 46(1), pp.140-177).

Julia Carden is an Executive Coach and Coach Supervisor. Alongside Julia’s coaching and supervision practice she is a visiting tutor at Henley Business School teaching on the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, MSc in Executive Coaching and Behavioural Change and heads up the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision.

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Around the time of the pandemic lockdown, I was working with a company executive team comprising seven people – the MD and his six regional directors. About halfway through the programme, one of the directors, Jane, wanted to talk about her ‘struggle’ to get people back to work in the regional office. The others said they were having similar difficulties and thought it was a good conversation to have in our session.

I asked them what their company policy on remote working was. Jane said, “We haven’t got one, this is all new.” I then asked them for their Executive view and they told me they had not talked about it.

“How about you talk it through now? Deciding on company policy is a leadership conversation.” This was my invitation for them to explore views and reach alignment.

Stephen said, “It should be mandatory, everyone back in the office.” Simon, the MD, countered, “You can’t make this mandatory, there will be some who for good reason cannot do that.” Colin then said, “Free for all, work where you want,” which was quickly ruled out as “too loose”.

Over the course of the hour-long conversation, several other options were offered and discussed. With five minutes to go, they had not decided on their collective stance on the matter. I asked, “What are you going to do now?” Simon said, “We’ve made a really good start here. I think we should meet again by the end of this week and finalise this, and have published our policy before our next session with you, Dave, in a fortnight.”

At the start of the next Curated Leadership Conversation, I asked them how they got on. “Great,” Jane said, “we met as agreed and thrashed it out and decided. HR then drafted it up in policy terms and published it across the whole company.”

Stephen jumped in, “We were talking about it yesterday; it’s going really well. Some of our people can’t comply but we are working with them on an individual basis to agree suitable arrangements with them.”

Colin said, “I’m really glad we had that conversation with you as normally each of us would have decided our own regional policy on the hoof and in this situation that would have been chaos.” Simon added, “Spot on, we are not joined up on this people stuff. Our usual focus is profit and loss, and fixing bad projects. It’s great that we are talking leadership with you Dave.”

A simple and low-cost leadership team development programme

The Curated Leadership Conversation programme usually lasts six months, with hour-long sessions on a fortnightly basis. It is highly effective, quality focused time and is great for leadership team development.

I’ve been thinking about how I can give this to you for next to nothing. The idea is a bit like a business book club. You buy a copy of the six books below and give one to each team member (based on a team of six, but you can work this as best to suit you). Each person reads the book they’ve been given and at the end of the month, you meet as a team and talk about aspects of the books that relate to the context of your business. You then swap books around and repeat for another six iterations.

After six months, you all have read the six books and had some great leadership conversations. You will have come together as a team and will be operating at a higher level and your people will be benefitting from more joined-up leadership. You will all be buzzing.

So, a six-month leadership team development programme for the cost of six books.

6 books for leadership conversations and joined-up leadership*

1. Who Moved My Cheese? (1998) Dr Spencer Johnson – A classic book about what you want to have in life or business and how you handle change. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life or business and the maze is where you look to find it. I used to give this to everyone I coached; it reveals profound truths and only takes an hour to read.
2. Quality Without Tears – The Art of Hassle-Free Management (1984) Philip B. Crosby – For me, the bible on quality. Where ‘Zero Defects’ and ‘Right First Time’ came from. The four absolutes of quality are explained: The Definition, The System, The Performance Standard and The Measurement. Quality is a leadership matter rather than a management paperchase.
3. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002) Patrick Lencioni – I actually bought this book about 10 years ago and never got to read it until recently. It’s amazing how many parallels there are between the author’s work and mine, as a leadership team coach. I now intend giving every team leader I am working with a copy to read so they can gain a deeper understanding of the work we are doing together and to enable them to do more of it with their team in between our Leadership Team Focus Days.
4. Deep and Deliberate Delegation – A New Art for Unleashing Talent and Winning Back Time (2016) Dave Stitt (me!) – I was working with a top team and the leader asked me to do a workshop on ‘delegation’ … “because all of us think we are the only people who can do this and that is disempowering for our people”. I said no, but then realised he was onto something. Delegation is in every conversation I have with business people – a lack of it is a major frustration. I did the course for him and many since for others and then wrote the book. If you want to win back your time – this is how to do it. ‘Time management’ doesn’t work.
5. Coach for Results – Empower your People to Achieve the Extraordinary (2022) Dave Stitt (me again!) – I argue, the default conversation in industry is command and control. When you tell someone what to do, and worse, how to do it, they stop thinking for themselves. And you have to do all the thinking round here. Adopt a coaching style of management (it’s easy) and watch the empowerment and engagement take off around you. Surely, this is what you really want. This book explains just the essentials of a coaching style and how to get started. Comes with lots of recommendations from people who have made the shift, their experience and the impact on them and those around them.
6. The Song of Significance – a New Manifesto for Teams (2023) Seth Godin – Possibly my favourite book, ever! Packed with wisdom and insight for people who want to create a resilient, human organisation that does work to be proud of. That’s you and me. Read this for inspiration and then inspire your people to embrace significance and create the future. What would happen to your company if this was the best job you and they ever had? I think this could reinvigorate your company.

Buy the six books, ask your team members to read the short descriptions above and choose which they want to read first then hand them the book – meet in one month, talk about the books in the context of your business, agree what needs to happen and make it happen together. Repeat.

*All books available on Amazon.

Leadership Team Coach Dave Stitt works with construction industry executives and project teams enabling them to deliver remarkable results in a remarkable way.

Dave is the creator of  Coach for Results, an accessible online course teaching the basics of a coaching management style so managers can grow confidence, capability and enthusiasm in the people around them.

Read more blogs from Dave: ‘Coaching management style relieves pressure on younger managers’. 

The post Six steps to inspire truly joined-up leadership in your business appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

These could be professional or personal decisions clients are facing. Generally, we work on understanding the hurdles, why they might prove difficult for my client, exploring options for a way forward, examining pros & cons, and setting clear and actionable (SMART) goals and next steps.

2. Building resilience

My fellow executive coaches can probably confirm that this is an important and re-occurring topic.  It means helping clients with their resourcefulness to effectively manage crisis situations and challenging times (personal and professional). It can also revolve around ways to help deal with uncertainty and change. Helping to develop a growth mindset that enables clients to view challenges and perceived failures as opportunities for growth and learning, play an important part. Working on self-care to avoid burn-out also features regularly.

3. Managing (new) organisational culture and expectations

Organisations spend considerable sums to recruit managers from abroad. There is then an expectation that they will hit the ground running, which can put some immense stress on my new starter clients who are trying to settle into their new work and lives without much further support. I work with my clients to tackle those first hurdles to make the process of settling in and becoming productive less stressful and more rewarding, which in turn has proven to increase their commitment to the organisation and their length of tenure.

4. Managing workloads/ improving work-life balance

You won’t be surprised that this is another big and frequently re-occurring theme, also closely connected to building resilience. It generally includes exploring where work impinges on personal lives and why. We work on prioritising, setting healthy boundaries, planning, delegation, and exploring how balanced clients perceive the different aspects of their lives and what they might want to change. Working on well-being strategies and how to manage energy levels also features regularly.

5. Stakeholder management

Particularly for clients who have taken on new responsibilities or roles, getting buy-in from new stakeholders and building alignment across new teams can prove challenging. Sometimes it involves managing rather difficult relationships and we work on exploring how to tackle that successfully and sustainably.

6. Sense of wider purpose/ career planning and refocus 

Many of my clients are at the brink of a big change. I have coached clients approaching retirement or other big life or career changes that they may not have initiated themselves. We work on how to feel more in control and on gaining more clarity of where to go from here and how. I love accompanying clients on parts of these journeys and then – a year onwards or so – to see the exciting life choices they have made and their accomplishments.

7. Processing and working with psychometrics and feedback

Particularly, when working in support of leadership development initiatives, we discuss psychometric and 360 outcomes to see where we can build on strengths and work on development areas. When I am supporting leadership training, we tend to work on how to apply learned concepts to specific work scenarios and challenges. Based on their unique need and goals, I help my clients self-reflect and identify areas where they might need some additional support or practice, developing suitable action plans.  Ensuring clients stay on track and committed through effective and manageable goal setting and accountabilities, we also work together to identify any possible barriers to learning and develop strategies to overcome them.

8. Exploring role fit

This is closely linked to the last two topic areas and something clients want to explore for their current or potential new roles. We explore how my  clients’ values fit with their current role, where they draw most of their energy and enjoyment from and what that might mean for their way forward in their current or a new role.

9. Leading a (new) team

This might be part of new responsibilities or an existing team. I have worked on inclusivity, managing varying requirements of members in diverse teams (culturally or behaviourally), managing relationships, effective communication, developing others, and ensuring ownership and accountabilities.

10. Improving leadership presence and credibility

Some of my clients have been promoted into more senior roles and have come into our coaching relationship to work on  areas, such as confidence, assertiveness, and greater comfort operating at senior levels.

11. Working on time management

This is an interesting area, as often it turns out that there is an underlying barrier which might interfere with effective time management. We explore how to overcome such barriers and help improve focus and prioritisation.

12. Situational management (style and results)

Sometimes clients bring examples of situations at work into our sessions, where they might not have achieved the outcomes they expected. We examine what happened and explore perceptions from all parties involved. We then explore how alternative actions might result in different and preferred outcomes.

13. Preparing for difficult conversations

This could involve conversation with colleagues, stakeholders, or personal situations. We work on building rapport, working on useful beliefs about oneself and the person involved and emotional states that might help get what my clients wants to get out of their conversation. Using ‘gestalt’ methods, such as the ‘empty chair technique’ have proven to be popular and successful with my clients.

While this (not exhaustive) list summarises some of the common themes my clients have been keen to work on in their coaching journey, the focus is always on my client rather than just the goal they have set to achieve. Often my clients enter a session with a clear objective, but when exploring it, this objective might shift as there are other more pressing priorities that come to the surface. Importantly, my clients know that our sessions provide a safe space for them to reflect, explore and gain more clarity on where they want to be and how to get there. Recognising and celebrating successes plays a big role throughout our coaching journey together.

Britta Corrigan is a multi-cultural and bi-lingual German/English executive coach. Britta specialises in coaching professionals to adjust to new work challenges, by helping them reflect and develop a deeper understanding of what they want to achieve and how to get there.

If you’d like to know more, Britta offers a complimentary, non-obligation ‘discovery’ call to explore where you currently are and where you want to be, where the gaps are and what you might want to focus on. You can also  peruse the wide range of Executive Coaches on the Trusted Coach Directory.

Read more blogs about Executive Coaching

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• you have been promoted and are struggling to be effective
• you have received feedback that you would like to process and utilise?
• you know there is more you could do but not sure where to start?
• you have reached a plateau, or are you considering a how to change direction?

In Executive Coaching, you have a safe space to explore possibilities, identify practical and energising ways to move forward, and even try them out! Sessions are stretching and challenging as you explore different perspectives whilst being creative, flexible and practical.

Some topics that recent clients have worked through in their coaching sessions include:

• Enhancing personal impact, performance
• Leadership presence, building gravitas and confidence at Board level
• Identifying solutions to specific work-related issues
• Overcoming obstacles in achieving their career and developmental goals
• Effectiveness in current role / promotion ambitions
• Delivering in a role which is a step-up – dealing with imposter syndrome
• Building the confidence to be effective in complex / changing circumstances
• Strategies for managing stress, change, conflict or crisis.
• Finding a career path that is rewarding and fulfilling
• Self-motivation and finding a leadership style that is real and personal

Does any of this sounds like you and the situations you are facing?

If you would like to start exploring then get in touch with Madeline for a free 30 min taster session – or peruse the wide range of Executive Coaches on the Trusted Coach Directory.

Madeline Cranfield is a highly experience Executive coach. She has worked internationally for complex organisations across sectors as diverse as finance and engineering, FMCG and technology. She combines strong business skills in strategy implementation with an ability to engage and motivate people to deliver more of their potential utilising a behavioural approach.

Read more blogs about Executive Coaching

The post Who needs Executive Coaching? appeared first on Trusted Coach Directory.

Adaptation

Adaptation is the key to survival in every aspect of life, including leadership. In the face of uncertainty and change, leaders who are adaptable are more likely to thrive. The ability to pivot quickly and make well-informed decisions is critical to navigating through crisis situations. Leaders who are not able to adapt to new circumstances may not be able to change their tactics or strategy to address the challenges they face. To become adaptable, leaders must be open to change, flexible in their thinking, and willing to experiment with new ideas.

Resilience

Resilience is another critical quality that leaders need to possess in order to face the challenges that come with change. Resilient leaders are able to bounce back from setbacks and stay focused on their goals. They are able to maintain calm and composure in the face of uncertainty, which enables them to make better decisions. Resilient leaders also learn from their mistakes and use these experiences to grow and adapt. Developing resilience requires self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to see the bigger picture.

The Ability To Pivot

Leaders need to be able to pivot quickly because change is inevitable. Business landscapes change rapidly, and organisations must adapt quickly to remain competitive. Leaders who can pivot quickly have the flexibility to change direction when necessary and take advantage of opportunities that arise. They are not afraid to take risks and are willing to experiment with new approaches. They have a growth mindset and see every setback as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Bouncing Back

Leaders who can bounce back from setbacks are better equipped to manage their teams effectively. When leaders demonstrate resilience, they inspire their teams to do the same. Leaders who can weather the storm and remain calm in difficult situations create a sense of security among their team members. This helps build stronger relationships and fosters a culture of trust and transparency. Team members who feel supported during tough times are more likely to remain loyal and committed to the organisation.

Make Good Decisions

In a complex business environment, leaders need to be able to make quick and informed decisions even when there is limited information available. This requires leaders to be comfortable with ambiguity and to be able to weigh different options and scenarios quickly. Leaders who can make good decisions in ambiguous situations are often more successful in navigating their organisations through periods of uncertainty.

Leadership requires certain qualities and skills. HR leaders and internal coaches should assist their teams in developing these qualities in order to build a robust and agile organisation in today’s ever-changing business environment. With these skills and qualities in place, organisations can be better equipped to face whatever challenges the future may hold.

Read more leadership blogs: Crisis Management: Essential Skills for Every Business Leader, Leading with Agility: How Agile Methodologies Can Transform Leadership

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What is leadership coaching?

Leadership coaching involves working with a trained coach to develop leadership skills and capabilities. The coach helps the leader reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and create a development plan to achieve their goals. Leadership coaching can be highly personalised, strategic, and focused on long-term growth and development.

Leadership coaching typically involves a formal arrangement, with a set number of coaching sessions over a specific period. The coach uses various techniques, such as questioning, observation, and feedback, to help the leader to become more self-aware, explore options, and work towards their goals. The coach may challenge the leader’s assumptions, beliefs, and values, and help them to gain new perspectives and insights.

What is leading with a coaching style?

Leading with a coaching style is a leadership approach that involves using a coaching mindset and techniques to lead and manage. This approach recognises that every employee has unique strengths and weaknesses and can benefit from coaching to improve their performance. Leaders who use this style aim to inspire, motivate, and empower their team by using coaching techniques such as active listening, questioning, and feedback.

Leading with a coaching style is not a one-off coaching event, but more about developing a coaching culture in the organisation. It is about creating an environment where employees feel safe to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback and where leaders encourage their team to achieve their full potential.

Key differences between leadership coaching and leading with a coaching style:

Personalised vs organisational focus

Leadership coaching is more personalised and focused on the leader’s individual development needs. It involves a one-to-one relationship between the coach and leader. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is focused on creating a coaching culture within the organisation. It involves training and developing all leaders in the organisation to use coaching techniques to improve the performance of their teams.

Coaching frequency and duration

Leadership coaching involves a formal arrangement where the coach and leader agree on the coaching frequency and duration. The coach may work with the leader for several months to achieve their goals. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is more informal and integrated into the day-to-day work of the leader. Leaders who use this style use coaching techniques regularly to help their team members improve their performance.

Goal-oriented vs mindset-oriented

Leadership coaching is more goal-oriented and focuses on helping the leader achieve their specific goals. The coach and leader may set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based) goals at the beginning of the coaching relationship. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is more mindset-oriented. It focuses on creating a coaching culture that encourages employees to take ownership of their development and use coaching techniques to achieve their potential.

Formal vs informal coaching

Leadership coaching is a formal coaching arrangement. The coach and leader may have set times and places to meet and may use formal coaching techniques. In contrast, leading with a coaching style is more informal. Leaders who use this style coach their team members continually, through on-the-job conversations, feedback sessions, and performance discussions.

Leadership coaching and leading with a coaching style are two distinct concepts and understanding the key differences between these two concepts, business leaders can become more effective in developing their teams and improving their performance.

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