Do you have someone walking with you and holding you accountable?

Do you seek to have a more positive impact on your team, to build better relationships or to simply understand how you got stuck and what to do about it? Executive and professional development coaching is the support you need.

Organizations often employ coaches to develop high potential talent or to bolster a leader’s impact. In other scenarios, motivated business owners, leaders and professionals hire their own coaches to accelerate development, overcome challenges or plan career change. They know that coaching support sets them apart from those not reaching their goals.

The most significant outcomes of coaching are self-awareness and emotional intelligence, both leadership essentials. It is important to identify your values, motivations, triggers and personality traits to recognize how they impact your behaviors, choices and relationships. You can also learn to test assumptions and slow reactions, fostering self-discipline, calmness under pressure and mindfulness.

Coaching also helps you uncover your blind spots and obstacles. Often my clients seek support for leadership development in areas such as influence or management effectiveness only to uncover limiting beliefs or behaviors holding them back rather than lack of skill.

Others simply want to know why they seemingly “have it all” and are still frustrated and discontent. Our coaching uncovers simple changes needed or that they are living someone else’s version of “having it all” entirely.

Once you identify your derailers, you can overcome them and unlock your full potential.

WHAT IS COACHING?

Executive and professional development coaching is different than mentoring or advising. A trained coach will not tell you what to do but will guide you through a process to set and reach your own goals and unique path. The process requires you to work hard, but your coach will support you with feedback and accountability.

When is the last time you had an opportunity to reflect on what you want to accomplish and what’s holding you back? The benefits of the coaching process can be life changing.

Through my own coach years ago, I learned more about myself as a professional, leader, spouse and parent than I ever expected. I learned how life experiences (and age) shifted my career choices, motivations, values, and relationships. They are all interconnected. Through assessments, feedback and coaching support, I uncovered my obstacles (ahem, me), set goals and crafted a plan to reach them. I rarely ask for help, but quickly realized the benefit of objective support to move me forward.

Here are great reasons to enlist a coach.

• Elevate leadership skills
• Become a better manager
• Navigate career change
• Integrate work and personal life through various seasons
• Manage stress or reactions to stress more effectively
• Ease role transitions (individual contributor to manager or leader)
• Lead and work with others more effectively
• Heighten your impact on your organization
• Gain new perspective
• Learn more about yourself
• Understand others with more clarity
• Obtain feedback
• Get “unstuck”
• Improve performance and productivity
• Increase resilience
• Develop Emotional Intelligence (Empathy, Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation and Social Skills)
• Overcome work frustrations with clarity, feedback and action plans
• Change behaviors and habits
• Learn tools for lasting change

Before you select a coach, you must be ready to embrace change and discomfort and be open to feedback and learning. Change and development is not a passive exercise, but the hard work can be incredibly rewarding.

Rochelle Ramos is a certified executive coach and leadership development consultant. To find out more about coaching for you or your organization, schedule a consultation at www.the-development-source.com.