When you’ve decided to work with an executive coach and made that commitment to them and yourself to take action, how do you ensure that you make the most of the experience?
Like with most things, the right way will depend on what you need for yourself as well as how much effort you’re prepared to put in. One of the most valuable aspects of working with a coach is the protected time you gain to completely focus on yourself, your life, your relationships and your career. There is the potential for coaching to change your life if you’re prepared to let it.
However, your coach can only work with the level of commitment you’re prepared to bring to the coaching conversations as well as how you use what you’re learning outside of the coaching sessions.
In order to provide some clarity and help iron out any misconceptions, I’m going to walk you through my top five recommendations as to how to make the most of working with an executive coach:
1. Be prepared to participate fully
Coaching is about creating a partnership where the coach and the client are both focused on the same goals of helping you to move forward.
You’re hiring a coach because you want to learn more about yourself and make positive changes in your life and career. Your coach will be 100% committed to helping you achieve the best possible outcome.
However, as in any partnership, you have to be equally committed to the process; the ultimate responsibility of achieving your goals rests with you.
2. Be willing to question yourself
Coaching is about questioning the status quo. If you were happy with where you are now, you wouldn’t be hiring a coach. That means questioning your core values, what you believe about yourself and any assumptions you’ve made about your life and your career so far.
It might come as a surprise but you actually already have the answers. Your coach will be actively asking questions to challenge you, to help you to focus, to learn, to prioritise and to motivate you.
3. Be ready to let go
This includes any preconceived ideas and assumptions you may have about your life, how you respond to certain situations and what you’re likely to achieve through working with a coach.
There are many myths about coaching but each experience is unique and individual to you. There is no right or wrong way, only the way that works for you and produces the results and success you want.
It also means letting go of your office or your home life for the entire coaching session. If you’re distracted by your phone, your inbox, your kids or your partner, you won’t get the full experience.
You need to give your coach and ultimately you, your whole attention.
4. Be prepared to take action
Coaching is most effective when it leads to action and ultimately it’s up you to do the work. The actions should be enough of a challenge to keep you learning, but not so difficult that they fill you with dread.
Your actions will naturally come out of your discussions with your coach and the level of honesty you have with yourself about what you want to achieve.
5. Be open to having fun
Hiring a coach can be the start of a lifelong journey of learning about yourself.
Learn to love it, all the messiness, the discomfort, the emotional work; it’s all leading to increased self-awareness, success and ultimately a sense of fulfilment with and in your life.
You’ll create connection with your coach that you’ll always remember and that, if done right, will change your life for the better.
Next steps
Want to more about hiring a coach? Check out my other blogs on how much an Executive Coach costs and what an Executive Coach actually does.
Or if you want to focus on your career direction, why not book in a free Career-Next-Step Strategy call. I can help you identify the one thing that is stopping you make the changes you want and support you to work out what you can do to take action now.
I’m always open to chatting to women like you who want to step up more as leaders; I’d love to hear from you.
BW Jackie x
