Everyone needs a coach.

If you’re an athlete or a sports fan, you already understand the value of a coach.

I’ve been strength training for years, but it’s also been years since I’ve worked with a trainer.  When I stopped seeing progress from my workouts, I knew it was time to get help.  So I booked a few sessions with a personal trainer I trusted, and sure enough, I discovered I had fallen in to some bad habits.  He set me on a new course and bam, it’s making a difference.  So it goes with anything we endeavor to master – in sport and in business.  Everyone benefits from a coach.

In today’s fast-paced world of work, senior leaders with great track records are surprised to find themselves struggling to keep pace with all the change.  They apply the same tried and true methods with their teams, but they often find that what worked in the past isn’t working now.

Perhaps the hardest decision for a leader who has been wildly successful in the past is to admit it’s time for an intervention.  Bringing in outside help can take different forms — individual or team coaching, leadership meeting facilitation, an operations or culture evaluation and diagnosis.   A qualified coach can help spot patterns and trends which may be tripping you up and help you identify more productive approaches.

You and your team will benefit from an outside advisor if you’re nodding your head to most of these statements:

• We need a better roadmap. To assess whether you need a new roadmap for change, ask yourself the following questions and answer as truthfully as you can. Are we paying attention to the right priorities? Do we have a clear plan of action or are we throwing spaghetti at the wall and waiting to see what sticks? Are we risk-averse to our own detriment?   Can we handle even more change if it’s necessary without dropping the ball on existing efforts?
• I understand I am responsible for leading change. Coaches do not lead the change; that responsibility rests with the senior leader and his or her team.
• I admit I don’t know it all, and I’m truly interested in learning new approaches. Coaches should bring alternatives to the attention of leaders — and leaders should genuinely be open to new ways to achieve success in the face of complex, continuous change. If you are set in your ways of thinking and behaving, you are wasting your time and will not benefit from new processes, emerging best practices, or leadership approach.
• I recognize the value of an external expert. A coach brings an external perspective. He or she is not part of the history, does not have a deep investment in the status quo, and is not afraid to question things or propose different ways of working.
• I want an outsider to research, gather information and interpret. Effective coaches engage their emotional intelligence and make inferences based on what they see and share those thoughts with the leader. They find ways to understand what is really happening by listening to a variety of voices, understanding patterns, paying attention to objective data and listening to the things people really care about. They can’t help you if you won’t let them in.
• I want to build a trusted relationship. A coach should not breeze in and out; nor should you expect a surface-level relationship or solution. Give the process and relationship the time and attention needed to establish credibility and build trust between you, your team and the advisor.
• I don’t expect to be told what to do. The adviser should educate you about what has worked for others but more important, engage you in a discussion regarding the ways things could be done. Flexibility, openness and ability to shift and adjust are important for everyone involved in leading change.
• I realize there is no guarantee of success. Changing engrained habits isn’t easy for anyone. Even when a coach is helpful, the organization may be facing more change than it can possibly manage with the amount of time and resources available.   I’m ready to trust the process and make the hard decisions.

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