How Coaching Helped Me Become a Better Leader and How it Can Help You!

I know the power of coaching. One of the reasons that I decided to get my doctorate in Strategic Leadership and Executive Coaching was due to a powerful and transformative experience I had while being coached as an executive many years ago.

I was working for an organization and doing well. I was climbing fast. I have always been willing to learn and I was achieving some great results. I was using many of the disciplines that I formed while playing professional basketball in Europe: teamwork, no complaining, first in/last out, and utilizing the wisdom gained from my master’s degree in Leadership.

One day, our organization’s president asked if anyone would like to receive executive coaching. No one from the team volunteered. But I took the risk, not really knowing what executive and success coaching was. In my head, I thought,

“You know, I really don’t need this.”

After all, I had accomplished something that only .06% percent of all athletes in the world accomplish - playing professional sports. I had been in my current line of work for four years and had already received my master’s degree.

What could this executive coach possibly teach me?

            The astounding answer? Much more!

Short story: I went from being a really good performer to a top performer. The coaching helped me triple the amount of revenue that I brought in for our company. I went from someone that brought in low six figures to bringing in seven figures for the organization.

But that’s not even the most exciting part!

Coaching helped me multiply my influence and leadership capacity. Through my coach’s powerful questions and curiosity, he helped me identify blind spots, blockages and limiting beliefs that were hindering me from helping those I was leading, to truly develop and grow.

He helped ME discover new and innovative ways to develop those around me.

To say that this was transformative for our organization is an understatement. Those I was leading:

• Began to grow by leaps and bounds

• Had newfound confidence

• Took appropriate risks

• Started growing the organization

I quickly took the principles that I learned and began teaching our other C-suite executives. The principles began to permeate our entire organization, creating more health, excitement, and productivity than ever before. We quickly went from a small shop of 10 to 52 employees. I attribute much of this growth to the coaching I received.

The right kind of coaching can do the same for you. Recent research from the nation's top consulting firms point out that coaching can help leaders in the following areas:

Self Awareness - Leaders that experienced coaching found increased levels of self-awareness. They reported feeling better able to understand themselves and their self-concept, leading to more insight into how they influence others.

Self Confidence - Leaders also reported an increase in self-confidence. Through coaching they were able to identifying and overcome limiting beliefs and were able overcome both, real and perceived obstacles.

Self Leadership - Leaders who were coached reported that as their own development, knowledge of themselves and self-confidence grew, so did their awareness of their own self-leadership. Coaching helped and allowed them to explore and better understand themselves and the expectations they set for themselves. For some of the participants, unrealistic expectations were uncovered and through coaching, they were able to develop their ability to lead themselves with more compassion and self-acceptance.

Relationship To Personal Life - Coaching also provided leaders the chance to explore and reflect on their work/life balance and their responsibilities, particularly regarding family. Coaching helped leaders make links within work to parts of their life outside of work, adding a seemingly helpful holistic aspect to the work. Coaching in this way has shown to help clients find insights around how things in their lives connect.

Coaching for All

Coaching appears to be the wave of the future for organizations and its leaders. Warren Bennis, a famous and respected leadership expert, points out that, “Coaching will become the model for leaders in the future. Coaches teach, mentor, and empower. I am certain that leadership can be learned and that terrific coaches…facilitate that learning.”

Coaching and power coaching in particular, is not just for people who are in trouble or having difficulties anymore. In the past, coaching was thrust upon problem employees, under performers or those who were having trouble fitting in.

Today's power coaching is for people who are doing well and are ready for their next level of development. Coaching is for those who are willing to grow, want to increase their capacity, and ready to think about what's ahead for them. Leaders now understand that forward thinking and growth-oriented employees are invaluable to an organization and find power coaching to be a huge benefit in their development and retention.

I believe that wherever there is mastery, coaching is occurring and whenever coaching is done, mastery will be the outcome.

Andrea J. Lee

Coaching, as leadership methodology, is helping organizations become healthier, more organized, and more productive and can help your's as well. A study by Kampa-Kokesch finds that executives gain increased self-awareness, self-esteem, and better communication with peers and subordinates, through coaching. This, in turn, can lead to increased morale, productivity, and profits.

This new view of power coaching is a radical shift from the top-down approach of leadership of the past. It’s a methodology that will help you and your team “stand out above the crowd.” You will find yourself and your team “popping the top” off of limiting beliefs, growing faster and getting more done. 

 I have experienced the power of coaching and I want to encourage you to as well. If you would like to learn more about coaching and how it can help you become and better leader and help grow your organization check out successfullycoaching.com or contact me at clint@successfullycoaching.com.