Work with a Professional Executive Coach

Your work with a professional Executive Coach can increase your effectiveness many times over. A Coach can challenge your blind spots and encourage you to bring your thinking and actions into alignment with your strengths and values.

Elite athletes are at the top of their game. They depend on their Coaches to help them get there. Similarly you need a Coach to help you go beyond where you have traditionally gone.

To maximize the benefit of an executive coach, plan on a relationship spanning several years. Move from strength to strength with someone who is actively engaged in your moving forward.

Invest the money needed to get just the right Coach for you. This is an investment in you and should equal or surpass the investment you make in those things which depreciate in value – a car, for instance. You are your greatest appreciating asset.

Five Days of Coaching to Find a Professional Executive Coach

DAY ONE

Take the time today to think about your future.  What matters?  What contribution would you like to leave as a legacy?  Where are you stuck, wanting or needing something?  How could a professional Coach assist you to achieve your desired outcomes?  This thinking time will lay the positive groundwork for finding the right expert.

The Coach asks:

• What are those things you can achieve on your own given the time, but could accelerate with a professional executive coach "in your corner?" 
• How could a thought-partner help you think better and more expansively about your situation and future plans? 
• What are those things in your own behavior, habits, and attitudes that might be limiting you from moving forward more successfully? How would you like a coach to assist you with these? 
• Write a clear outline of what you want to use coaching to achieve, personally, professionally and/or organizationally. Get this in a format that you can pass on to your potential coach.    

DAY TWO

Choose your leadership and executive Coach carefully. Research Gary's website, gewood.com as an example to learn about choosing your coach and what might be accomplished. Quickly click and scan all of the pages listed on the Navbar.  

The Coach asks: 

• What is your first impression of this coach? How clear is this coach about what they specialize in? Do they seem they would understand your situation? Do they understand your "pain?" Can you tell within seconds what it is they do, and what they stand for? 
• Is there evidence of them having solid experience in what they say they do? How long have they been professionally coaching? How serious was their original training?  Can you see who they have worked with? Can you see in what sectors they have experience? What is their maturity level? Do they come across completely pitchy or authentic but available? 
• What evidence is there or their creativity? (real, not AI) If you have a thought partner, it's important to have someone who things clearly and constructively. 
• How clear is this coach about how your coaching relationship would work? How well does this fit with what you think would serve you? 

DAY THREE

Research two or three Coaches.  Choose the one that you feel is most appropriate for you and contact him or her to discuss your situation and what you would like to accomplish.  Picture this person as your long time coach much like an elite athlete would.  Do they have what it takes?  If necessary, contact the others on your list as well until you find the right fit.

The Coach asks:

• Initiate the connection. Be clear about what it is you are initially looking for in your coaching relationship. Ask all the questions you need to? 
• What kind of a connection did you make with this person? Do they seem to be someone you could work well with? How well did they "get" your situation and desire for change you expressed? 
• Carefully go over the Coaching Agreement. Does it clearly outline the amount of access you have to this professional executive coach? The fees? Confidentiality? Other logistics and details you consider important? 
• Who will you work with? 

DAY FOUR

Engage your Coach.  Celebrate the fact that you have initiated a relationship that will result in significant growth and momentum in your life and leadership.

The Coach asks:

• Contact your chosen Coach and commit. Follow through on the administrative and preparatory work they give you. 

DAY FIVE

Be as thorough as you can in letting your Coach know about who you are and how you operate.  Give them background information, previous assessments – anything that would help them be your partner for progress and success.

The Coach asks:

• How willing are you to share background information with your new Coach? The more they know, the better they can be in coming alongside you with just the coaching that you need. 
• Celebrate the fact that you have been intentional about your personal and leadership development. Those things we tend to can experience considerable improvement and growth. 

Spiritual Reflection for Christian Leaders

As a Christian Executive Leadership Coach I encourage Christian leaders to reflect on God's Word to add to their wisdom.

• Pr 1:5  Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.

• Col 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

• Pr 13:10  Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.  

• Pr 20:18  Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.

• Is 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor ...

• Pr 19:20  Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. 

• Pr 12:15  The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

• Pr 20:15  God there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. 

If you are a leader, executive, or senior level professional looking to work with a Christian Executive Coach, I invite you to connect with me here.

If appropriate, we can meet by phone or Zoom to discuss your situation. 

Record Your Progress

This is your opportunity to track your progress. Start by asking yourself how important this practice is to you? Record the importance as - not at all, somewhat, fairly, highly or extremely. 

Now next to it ask yourself how well you carry out this practice. Record your performance as - very poor, poor, okay, good or very good. 

The things we track, we pay attention to. Across time, come back and record your new results. You will find that as you are intentional about making improvements, you will bump your "score" up higher. 

This is significant. Don't miss the opportunity to acknowledge your success, and use it as a springboard for making even further gain.

Notes

Look, I'm biased. I've been coaching executives, leaders and senior-level professionals every working day of the week for a long time.

I put in many years of effort training Christian men and women who aspired to become professional coaches. For a few years, I owned and directed the premier organization representing and serving Christian coaches. I know what I'm doing. 

In all of this I can assure you that those who retain a seasoned professional executive coach do better. They do. And that's because they have a dedicated professional in their corner who is focused on them and their interests.