Put the coach in
Sunday’s New York Times carried an installment of the “Personal Best” column by Gina Kolata. The title was: “Want to go faster? You need a trainer?”
Ms Kolata describes how athletes do better when they’re guided by a good coach. The same is true for you and your career. Earlier this year, Lisa Rosendahl, a prominent blogger, described how coaching worked for her.
“Leadership coaching is one of the best professional decisions I made for myself. I started working with a leadership coach while a member of an executive team strategically preparing for company growth. I continued the coaching relationship after changing employers and focused on my leadership. For me, coaching has been invaluable.”
That matches research that was reported in the Ivey Business Journal in 2006. Here’s what the executives surveyed listed as the benefits of coaching.
Continuous one-on-one attention
Expanded thinking through dialogue with a curious outsider
Self-awareness, including blind spots
Personal accountability for development
Just-in-time learning.
Coaching is a good idea for most people. Here’s some advice for you based on thirty years of coaching and using coaches myself.
No law limits you to one coach. Many top athletes have different coaches for different aspects of their game.
Coaches specialize. Choose a coach who has the skills and experience that you need.
Chemistry counts. It doesn’t matter if your coach knows more than anyone else if the two of you don’t get along.
You have to ready to be coached. If you can’t handle criticism and suggestions for change, don’t waste your money hiring a coach.
You have to do the work. At the end of the day, a coach can help you learn and develop skills. A coach can push you gently to the edge, but you’re the one who has to fly.
Coaching can give a big boost to your career, but only if you choose the right coach and commit to doing your part.
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 am
Hi Wally:
This is a nice piece and I concur with two points in particular: 1) people need to be ready for coaching, and; 2) there’s no law limiting you to one coach.
I have encountered point number 1 so many times over the years that I developed the following quote to address the issue: “Those who seek shelter in the wisdom of sound counsel must also be willing to take refuge there. Those unwilling to do the latter really don’t value the former.” (Mike Myatt, 2009).
With regard to point number 2, no single coach/mentor has all the answers. There is great wisdom in seeking advice from both topical subject matter experts as well as generalists. I have more than a few clients where I am just one of many advisors who comprise a coaching team.
Keep up the good work Wally…