Some leadership development coaching programs are strictly for motivation or entertainment, while others only offer one-size-fits-all strategies that might not work for everyone.
My executive leadership coaching program is different in that it provides practical wisdom and methods that simply work. I’ve spent over 30 years working with hundreds of executives in the government, tech and other business sectors to help them overcome obstacles and become Extreme Leaders.
How Extreme Leadership Development Coaching Can Advance Company Culture
So, what are the benefits of executive coaching? When you are in a C-Suite or executive position, it is important to keep improving your current business model and company culture to ensure long-term success. Executive coaches can help with this by providing the necessary tools and resources you need to cultivate an effective company culture and maintain a competitive advantage.
Similarly, the impact you have on your co-workers or employees is a large part of effective leadership. If you want to make a positive impact, you have to start analyzing your leadership style and determine whether or not you’re leading your team with love. Learning to lead with love and respect can be far more challenging than you think.
It’s not always easy to find an executive coach that helps you develop leadership skills to transform your company culture efficiently and successfully. When you find the right executive coach, it can shift your mindset and broaden your network so that you can bring the best out of the people you work with.
How to Find an Executive Coach for Leadership Development
Finding the right executive coach can have an incredible impact on your career. In today’s business world, there has never been a more relevant time to find a responsible and ethical executive leadership coaching program.
The right coach will not only get you thinking of ways to improve your leadership style, they will also expose you to the joys of Extreme Leadership on a higher level. Here are some of the things you should look out for when researching executive leadership training:
1. Evaluate Their Executive Leadership Coaching Style
Executive coaching is more than teaching someone how to become a better leader, it’s also an opportunity for you to become the type of leader that teaches others how to improve leadership skills in their own lives and realize their dreams!
Leading with love and audacity is when the real magic happens; this is when everyone on your team feels valued and everyone is achieving their true potential while working towards a greater goal.
Below are some questions I highly recommend you to ask if you want to hire an executive coach. You can often find answers to these questions simply by reviewing their portfolio or website.
- What has your career as an executive taught you?
- Why is executive coaching important to you?
- What major life events have impacted your career?
- What frustrates you or has frustrated you during your career?
- How have your mentors impacted your life?
- Have you ever ignored good advice? If so, why?
- What kind of timetable or stages are involved in your services?
- What do you love most about developing leadership skills?
- What motivates you to evolve and change?
2. Does the Executive Coach Fit Your Style and Personality?
Just like any relationship, it shouldn’t be hard to decide whether you like someone at first sight. And just like dating, everyone has a certain preference.
Think about the people who’ve had the greatest impact on your life. These people may even be public figures you’ve never met. Take a moment to think about all of the people who have motivated you and which of their qualities you admire most. Does the leadership coach you are looking at have any of those same qualities?
On top of that, appreciation is a big part of motivation. We all need a certain amount of attention. Remember when you were little, yelling, “Hey mom, watch this!” No matter how old we are, that desire to be seen never goes away. So, of course, you’ll want to find a coach that gives you the attention you need.
A coach that fits your style and personality also gives you energy and confidence will be able to help you develop leadership skills that bring out that same energy in others.
3. What Goals Do You Want to Reach When You Hire an Executive Coach?
Ask yourself why executive coaching is important to you. Perhaps you’re just starting out or maybe you’ve been in business for a while and are looking to achieve another round of ambitious goals.
Before hiring an executive coach, it helps to make a list of your personal and professional goals for the coming year. What about the next five years? Include benchmarks for how you will measure your progress. Often executive coaches will help you figure this out if you aren’t quite sure exactly what you want.
Also, think about the obstacles you’ll face on your journey, your limitations and how you can overcome these challenges. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to achieve your goals.
If you know what you want, even better. Maybe all you want is to refine a skill you’ve already mastered. The right executive business coach will have proven success helping people achieve those same goals you are chasing.
4. Evaluate Their Coaching Method and Process
The best coaching methods are developed over time and the best coaches are masters in their niche. Methods and processes should be based on new information and the latest paradigms, and coaching is not always about techniques or tools. The proof is in the process.
The discovery process is one of the most important steps for any coach. You can’t make someone a better leader unless you can accurately assess their situation and possible outcomes.
Take note of how an executive coach walks you through the discovery process. This may include defining your challenges, finding out where you want to go in your career and helping you figure out how you are going to get there.
The most successful coach defies run-of-the-mill executive leadership coaching and helps you break out of a limiting mindset with a personalized leadership development framework. One such approach is my LEAP method, a step-by-step leadership development framework that stands for Love, Energy, Audacity and Proof. Learn more about it here.
5. Imagine What Your Journey Will Look Like
The true test of commitment is action. If you say you are 100% committed to becoming an Extreme Leader who leads with love but you never walk the walk, it’s just talking. People who wear the “leader” label without putting themselves wholeheartedly into the act of leading won’t reap any of the benefits of executive coaching.
Take a look at your potential executive business coach’s tenacity and their likelihood to support you along the way. If you are ready to start your journey, you’ll want to find a coach that’s passionate and excited about you and your success.
6. Will Your Leadership Development Coach Challenge You?
There is always a price to pay if you want to reach great heights. Before you hire an executive coach, you’ll first want to make sure you have time to implement the new knowledge and practice daily to reach the next level. One way to calculate the cost of your willingness is the Taxicab Principle. In other words, before you start working with an executive coach, you should make sure you can afford the ride.
Extreme Leaders and coaches are there to inspire, but they should do more than that. They should also be a straight shooter. They are not here to make your life easier; they want you to succeed! The right executive coach is not going to blow smoke. Instead, they will inspire you and give you the tools you need to reach the finish line.
If you want to really change, it’s a good idea to make sure your leadership coach understands your strengths and weaknesses. A good coach that understands you will know when you need a kick in the pants or a pat on the back. They also know how to apply verbal, visual and kinesthetic techniques to make improvements.
7. Find a Leadership Coach That is Living Proof of Their Message
You are what you do. Many executive coaches simply go through the motions without actually finding new opportunities or advancing their skills. Executive coaches who are the real deal, however, live their philosophy every day and continue to ceaselessly learn and improve their leadership skills.
One of my core beliefs as an executive leadership coach is that success is related to proof. If you’re not willing to do the work, you won’t be able to achieve what you want in life. As an executive coach, I’ve seen this firsthand and have always emphasized the importance of practicing, staying flexible and doing the work.
When Do You Need to Hire an Executive Coach?
We all put off doing what we want in some area of our lives, especially when things get difficult or complex. But to be extreme enough to reach our potential as leaders, we have to be audacious, ambitious and driven, no matter the circumstances.
When it comes to self-development, DIY doesn’t always apply. Putting your dreams into action is almost always easier when you work with an expert. If you don’t want to let obstacles become more important than your goals, now is the perfect time to find the right executive coach.
Hire Steve Farber to Become the Leader You Want to Be
Everyone has the potential to multiply their influence by becoming true leaders – but nothing happens by accident. It takes hard work!
We don’t always get a second chance to seize an opportunity. If you’re not already working with an executive coach or leadership keynote speaker who specializes in professional growth and has a proven leadership development framework, start today. Are you ready to take the LEAP and put your ideas into action? Contact us now!
