Ways to Improve Work Performance, Build Resilience and Increase Adaptability

Every one of my clients wants to find ways to improve work performance. Because they feel overloaded, they recognize changing a few critical strategies, behaviors and attitudes isn't optional. It's essential.

Many times when experiencing overload or burnout, work performance goes down. It's frustrating to the executive. It becomes apparent to the team. And it doesn't contribute to the organization's success.

When we meet, each client puts more emphasis on one or two specific areas they deem important to their success in regaining performance.

I've kept track. Over 26-plus years of coaching, clients have identified at least 12 key work performance "themes." In any given week I end up discussing several of them.

12 Areas Where Executive Coaching Clients Have Identified Gaps in Their Leadership 

Here's the summary. An expanded write-up is further down on the page. For me they seem to group in three areas: self-leadership, working with people, and getting the job done.  

Self-Leadership

• Time Management, Managing Stress and Avoiding Job Burnout
• Career Satisfaction and Transitions
• Values, Integrity and Personal Contribution
• Changing Possible Career Limiting Behaviors

Working With People

• Managing Critical Conversations and Communications
• Motivating, Leading and Developing Others
• Succession Planning and Grooming for Advancement
• Building Key Relationships

Getting the Job Done

• Increasing Daily Productivity and Effectiveness
• Planning, Goal Setting and Decision Making
• Fostering Significant Ideas and Projects
• Maximizing Opportunities in Change and Transition

In order to prevent burnout AND move forward with greater effectiveness in today’s challenging environment, you must at some point, pay attention to something in each and every one of these areas. 

Below, you can reflect a little more on the 12 areas of attention if you wish.

Look here to read what clients work on, in their own words.

Read some of the benefits of executive coaching. 

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What to Do Next if You are Interested in One on One Coaching

• Review this site, to get an understanding of who I am, how I work and whether or not you would be the type of leader I assist. 

• Contact me to let me know you are interested in having a conversation where we can discuss your situation and what you would like to achieve with executive coaching.

• I cannot always guarantee we can start coaching right away, but if after we have a conversation together we feel we are a match, I'll give you the next available opening.

• Once you have completed the Coaching Agreement and paid your Coaching Retainer, we'll get started.

"Gary, Thanks to Your Coaching ..."

It is not uncommon for me to hear leaders in diverse fields of endeavor say, "Thanks to your coaching," they have achieved more than they ever thought they were capable of.

Generally, it's a smaller percentage of leaders who will put in place the coaching support they need to achieve more than they thought possible.

Will you be one of those individuals?

I welcome the opportunity to discuss your specific needs and how executive coaching might assist you or your organization in finding further ways to improve work performance. 

Ways to Improve Work Performance in 12 Significant Areas

Here's a longer version of the 12 key themes. Focusing in on one or two of these to initially start our work together will help you find ways to improve work performance and beat burnout. Be intentional and you will be surprised by what is possible.

1. Increasing Daily Productivity and Effectiveness: 

Streamline your efforts. Make sure the things you need to have happen get done - every time. Do the right things better and accomplish more important things each day that will make the biggest difference to yourself and your organization, now and in the future. We will work together on consistently working the priorities.

2. Planning, Goal Setting and Decision Making:

Short, medium and long-term planning are the backbone of an executive’s moving forward – both for themselves and their organization. We’ll work on having you craft and convey a superior plan for tomorrow, next year and beyond while providing clear leadership in day-to-day operations.

3. Fostering Significant Ideas and Projects:

You’ve got a great staff! You see exciting possibilities. Now make those needed adjustments to get the most from your people and yourself by fostering creativity and shepherding terrific ideas and suggestions through to fruition.

4. Maximizing Opportunities in Change and Transition:

Periods of change provide windows of opportunity to those who are attentive. I’ll work with you to take transition and use it to your advantage, arriving at the best outcomes possible, even in the poorest of circumstances.

5. Managing Critical Conversations and Decision-Making:

Often times, success or failure can hinge on a single conversation, or even a brief moment where you have to “make a decision on the fly.” I’ll help you prepare to have increasingly better conversations and make the best decisions possible when doing so may make a significant difference.

Coaching leaders and professionals always ends up dealing with issues surrounding people, because ultimately it’s the people who will provide performance and productivity. Additionally, some of them (hopefully very few) might also contribute to increased stress in the leader.

6. Motivating, Leading and Developing Others:

You’re leading this organization or some significant part of it. Congratulations! We’ll work together to have you do what it takes to delegate responsibility, be a great motivator and get the most out of your supporting players. Since working with people is an area that often causes the greatest stress, it’s possible you’ll want to spend considerable time here.

7. Succession Planning and Grooming for Advancement:

Whether your plan is to groom or be groomed, we’ll work on helping you get a better understanding of how to enlarge your capacity for successfully carrying out greater responsibility. Discover and cultivate the best talent for moving forward key priorities.

8. Building Key Relationships:

Family, Work, Community: 99% of the time, people and your relationships with them will determine your success. I'll coach you as you work to achieve stronger, healthier, more loving relationships at home and enhance and navigate those critical to success and satisfaction at work. Again, this is a critical area most leaders and executives spend time on.

9. Time Management, Managing Stress and Avoiding Job Burnout:

Do you want to stop working the insane hours and carrying the world on your shoulders, while staying on the upward path of advancing your vision? We'll work together, helping you determine and manage your priorities and put in place self-leadership habits that are the best for you.

10. Career Satisfaction and Transitions:

What good is all your hard work if you aren’t really happy with your personal work situation and leadership? We’ll work together to help you achieve real satisfaction on the job – or find a new track that gets you there!

11. Values, Integrity and Personal Contribution:

Is what you contribute and how you do it, at work, at home and in the community, in sync with your values, beliefs and who you are as a person? I’ll show you why those who pay attention to this internal compass are the most likely to get ahead and be the most personally fulfilled.

12. Changing Possible Career Limiting Behaviors:

You might be holding yourself and your workforce back and not even realize it! I'll provide an objective, outside sounding board about possible negative behaviors you might be exhibiting, and how to get rid of them intentionally.

Twelve opportunities for professional development. Twelve ways to improve work performance. And all aimed at improving your capacity to work and lead with greater effectiveness. Where will you start? Would you like to have a conversation about it? 

* A large number of my clients are Christian leaders and executives. They work on the very same areas, but approach them from a faith-based mindset.  

Recap

On this page we have discussed: 

• Leaders in overload or burnout often recognize they have had an erosion in their performance
• One of the goals of executive coaching is to regain and improve performance and contribution
• Over 26 years of professional coaching, clients have identified gaps in their leadership. Starting there we find ways to improve work performance, while dealing with the burnout that caused its decline.
• If this is you, what you do next is important. Contact me for a conversation.
• I am grateful to report, leaders are often saying to me, “Thanks to your coaching ...”