Executive Coaching: A Hard Look at Reality

Your Journey to Exceptional Leadership Begins Here: A Hard Look at Reality

Research indicates that a leader's effectiveness is based more on EQ that IQ. EQ, or Emotional Intelligence, describes self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management as essential elements for leadership effectiveness. The development of EQ starts with self-awareness, or a hard look at reality that gives you an opportunity to see yourself as you really are. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish. Most good leaders say they welcome feedback and many often solicit it. However, there is a certain self-protective nature in us that can lead us to soften the feedback, especially if it becomes a little painful. That softening of the message leads to rationalizations and justifications for our behavior. So rather than making a change, we easily continue on doing what we have always done. Unfortunately, the old phrase does not apply here, you don't keep on getting the same results. The results of failing to pay attention to feedback and not taking a hard look in the mirror is the primary cause of leadership derailment.

It is true, some people simply refuse to change. Others fail to see the need for change, until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain associated with changing. Unfortunately, these changes often come too late to redeem the derailing leader.

The challenge is to get ahead of professional derailment and to develop a strategy that leads to being an exceptional leader. Self-awareness can be accelerated with an executive coach, especially one who is thorough in their assessments, interviews and use of resources that will help you get a clear picture of reality. The value of the coach is the support that comes from an advocate who wants to help you succeed, who will serve as a sounding board for you and who will work with you to develop skills and strategies that have proven themselves in helping avoid derailment or recover from it.

The coach's tools, especially the professional assessment instruments paired with information from interviews and observations can give you insight into your leadership style, the impact you have on others, your strengths, weaknesses and competencies. They will guide you through the development of your personal purpose, vision, goals and objectives. They will serve as a foundation for developing a plan that capitalizes on your strengths and ensures that your weaknesses don't turn into derailers.

As an Executive Coach and as a past coaching client, I can attest to the value of the process. Painless? NO? Helpful? Unbelievably so! Worth the investment? Without a doubt!

As an Executive Coach, the process of seeing an executive move from the brink of derailment to success is incredibly rewarding.