Is executive coaching actually worth it? With all the talk in recent times of small business leaders and leaders / managers working with coaches (or executive coaches), what are the actually benefits? What difference can working with an executive coach have for you, your leadership, your team or your business?
We spoke with several of our current and recently completed coaching clients what they experienced in coaching and how they found the process overall. Here are some of the things they said:
‘Leadership coaching with Michael Peiniger has helped me more than I thought it would, I wasn’t sure what to expect but his coaching brought out the leader who was always in me, but perhaps was a little afraid. Michael has taught me to be assertive, organised and efficient, he also guided me to be more open with my team which sometimes means being vulnerable which is a strength I never recognised. I could list the different models which helped me (which are many) or what I now do differently every day, instead, I just urge you to let Michael into your office and chaotic mind, because being a leader is difficult. Michael will help you tidy it up, sort it out and lead your team to achieve your organisations goals.’
Francesca McPherson, Director, Educo International
‘I admit I started on the path of coaching with a healthy dose of scepticism, which I suspect is not unlike many others before me. However, I happily confess this was misplaced. Working with Michael over the last 4 months or so has been both a pleasurable and valuable experience. Michael was able to look through some of the symptoms and help me identify and start to address some of the causes of hurdles in my path to greater satisfaction in my work place. At the same time the improved clarity has helped me understand myself and a number of my outside-of-work relationships.‘
David Robinson, Theme Leader, CSIRO
Effective executive coaching and leadership coaching can have a positive impact your personal leadership. It can impact :
? Your confidence, assertiveness and and decision making as a leader and manager,
? Your organisational skills and ability to structure your time for tasks, team management and business development, and
? A clear understanding of your values and important likes / dislikes that drive your team expectations.
‘It took me a while to find a leadership coach that I wanted to work with, and I felt incredibly luck to come across Michael, who has the right mix between personal but professional and supportive but honest feedback. At first I knew there were areas I wanted to work on, but I couldn’t put my finger on what they were. Michael not only helped me identify these areas, but then grounded and rooted me in my own values, strengths and purpose which has helped realign me with my own goals and direction. The tools Michael introduced to me were so simple and effective I can recall them daily allowing me to put them into practise instantly when I recognise the disruptive behaviours in myself, my team and others around me. Another great benefit was being able to call Michael to talk through difficult problems that arose and he would always offer a very calm and experienced perspective that has helped balance my own thought processes in a very turbulent time in retail.‘
Bryony Bennett, Design & Product Manager, Target
‘A brilliant and genuine coach with a passion to help and listen. Michael empowers thought leadership through unbiased perspective while ensuring a comfortable space to express and bounce ideas. Even with the recent lockdowns, Michael created a virtual space where we challenged thoughts and ideas to improve outcomes through creative metaphors and examples in a humorous and engaging way. I was very much looking forward to our sessions together, bouncing ideas and challenges. He is very enthusiastic and dedicated(!) and always follows through, even beyond our scheduled sessions. I also really connected and enjoyed Michael’s distinctive approaches to visualising problems through aviation and his Air Force experience.
Asaf Ziv, Chief Technical Officer, CardioScan Pty Ltd
Effective executive coaching can also have an impact on specific skills that impact leadership, team and culture, such as:
? Having difficult or awkward conversations, setting team expectations and creating a compelling vision,
? Setting team expectations and how to conduct feedback in a positive, constructive way,
? Talking through specific strategic options and decision making in a rational, considered way, and
? Setting clear goals and actions to impact team behaviour and cultural shifts and changes.
‘Following the coaching I’m now more confident with running the business and knowing I’m fulfilling all aspects of my role. The outcomes from the coaching work has increased the whole teams confidence and improved their interactions with one another too. As an example, we now inoculate a person in our team to make sure they are are ready for a difficult conversation – its efficient and has a known outcome: to lift the team. One specific thing I liked was the AIR/BLEED model – everyone can be above and below the line at times but this is a fantastic model to hear and catch yourself being below the line. This realisation is the key to changing your approach and owning your responsibilities.’
John Ratten, CEO 4Legs Petfood
‘After officially taking on the role of COO in our company with no prior professional experience in such a role, I knew I would need a hand getting up to speed if I was to do the best job I could. I’ve worked with Michael for 3 months now receiving executive coaching in a range of different areas and I can’t recommend him highly enough! He’s an incredibly genuine person with a wealth of experience in the field that has really helped me find my feet in this role. (Not only that, he’s also just a great guy!) Michael has also been instrumental in helping me reclaim my time which I’ve been able to use to make better decisions and return to a much healthier work life balance.’
Bill Sullivan, COO Grease Monkey Games
What could Executive Leadership Coaching do for you and your leadership? What could it do for your team? What could it do for your business?
For further examples of what clients (past and present) have said about IMLD’s executive coaching or leadership development training and workshops, clear HERE or see our LinkedIn Recommendations HERE.
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Could An Executive Coach Be Of Benefit To You And Your Business?
Why not find out? At the Institute of Management & Leadership Development, there are two ways you could ‘try before you buy’ in regards to executive coaching.
- Call and discuss your needs with one of our Executive Leadership Coaches. You can confidentially discuss your needs, what is working and what isn’t, and one of our highly skilled Executive Leadership Coaches can discuss the process and likely outcomes with you. Or,
- Call us to complete a Velocity Leadership CheckPoint – our leadership assessment tool. Not sure what your leadership strengths or weaknesses are? Looking to get some guidance on what to improve? The CheckPoint considers 25 behavioural leadership traits, focussed in 5 distinct leadership capabilities, providing you with a ‘snapshot’ of your current leadership performance, and allowing you to make an informed decision on an proposed coaching initiative.
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