Executive and Leadership Coaching

What is Executive and Leadership coaching? (Developmental coaching)

Executive and leadership coaching is an evidence-based coaching psychology approach to help leaders and executives succeed and thrive in a highly complex fast-paced and seemingly chaotic world.

In executive and senior positions, leadership coaching is not about the acquisition of basic leadership skills. At this level executives and leaders have already cut their teeth in various roles and possess the everyday leadership competencies and skills required to manage.

At the executive and senior level, the leadership development conversation is about leadership mastery. To be highly effective at this level, it is the mastery of leadership that is the aim of executive and leadership coaching.

What does development mean? “A combination of changes in a person that manifests in a sustained increased capacity to engage with, and to influence their environment and to look after their internal needs and aspirations” (Bachkirova, 2011).

From a leadership development perspective, this means working to develop the capacity to see the ‘whole system’ in a way which is more encompassing than the current viewpoint.

We see and experience the world and organisations through one set of eyes, our own. To be able to deliver on ever demanding business objectives, this singular view is insufficient.

Simply put, building perspective-taking capacity is the ability to look at things from a place where you are not. Executive coaching focuses on building this capacity.

Increasing a leader’s ability to hold multiple and sometimes contradictory and competing perspectives and lead effectively is a crucial aim of executive and leadership coaching.

How effective is Executive and Leadership Coaching?

When leaders possess a curiosity about their leadership and a strong desire to develop, the research is clear, partnering with a professional executive coach is a highly effective way to build leadership capability and improve leadership performance.

The research also demonstrates high levels of return on investment for organisations who invest in developing their leadership. Leadership coaching both individual and team coaching are both highly effective leadership development strategies supported by peer-reviewed research.

Investing in executive coaching and leadership coaching creates a ripple effect within organisations that benefits the organisation. The effects of coaching are not limited to the leader who engages in leadership coaching. This leader, in turn, will proliferate what they have learnt through behaviour change and the modelling of new behaviours. 

This ripple effect that leadership coaching creates sits at the centre of our philosophy of coaching leadership approach to coaching delivery.

How I work with executives and leaders

One simple but powerful word to start, CONFIDENTIALITY. Confidentiality is the foundation that a trusting and effective executive coaching relationship is built on.

Your confidentiality and psychological health are the most critical factors when we work together as part of creating and building a productive leadership coaching dialogue.

I am here working in your service, to be in your corner,  partnering with you to develop your leadership, enabling you to perform at a higher level and pursue a successful career path in your chosen field of leadership.

Coaching is hard work, but it should also be enjoyable and get you where you want to be.

There are two other factors which are essential for leadership coaching to be effective. There are two things you must bring to the table. Without these, coaching has failed before it starts.

Firstly, you must possess a level of humility that permits examination of your current world view and view of yourself. Secondly, courage, to try out new ways of operating, daring to make mistakes and be wrong and courage to explore new behaviours that will serve you more effectively.

This is science and philosophy that informs the way I work with you:

Who we are determines how we lead and how other people experience us. Who we are as a leader determines how successful we are within that leadership context.

The self is the instrument of leadership. Coaching is focussed on how you are experienced by others as an agent of influence and change. The work of development is focussed on developing the self.

Organisational cultures require leaders to be able to influence across structures, geography, organisational cultures, national cultures, and international boundaries.

Developing mental models to lead in a modern organisation requires Olympian cognitive ability. Only by investing the time to develop this capability further can we hope to successfully lead through complexity and ambiguity to deliver positive, sustainable business outcomes.

Any CEO can push up productivity and the share price for twelve months, very few can continue to do this sustainably for 20 years for the benefits of a workforce, a community and the environment.

What we do know is that leadership is highly contextual and who we are and how we behave in that specific context determines how successful, or not we are.

We are the instrument of leadership, therefore, coaching focuses on the development of the self.

What are the outcomes of Executive & Leadership Coaching?

These are some the outcomes you can expect to experience after working with me, this is based on feedback from many of my clients.

• An increased level of awareness of yourself and how you are experienced by others.

• Increased agility in being able to flex your leadership style to accommodate people you would usually find it hard to communicate with

• A greater sense of control and clarity in difficult situations

• Increased confidence in dealing with difficult situations and difficult conversations

• Increased wellbeing from improved emotional regulation and improved ability to separate your work life from your personal life

• Increased capability in your ability to coach your leadership team

• Clarity regarding where you want to take your leadership career and the legacy you want to develop