Are you on the fence about whether or not to hire a transformational leadership expert to provide one-on-one coaching? Maybe part of the reason for your trepidation is that you’ve never been coached before, and simply aren’t sure what to expect. What will you and your transformational leadership expert talk about? What will you do? What’s the timeline like?
It’s perfectly natural to have questions about the logistics of coaching, and the truth is, it looks a little bit different from one case to the next. Different leaders have different needs and goals. And, each coach has their own unique style.
With that said, there are some basic expectations you can have when you enlist the services of a transformational leadership expert. Here are some guidelines.
Getting Started with a Transformational Leadership Expert
When you and your coach first meet, the relationship may seem a little nebulous and ill-defined. This is perfectly normal. You may still be thinking about your goals, what you hope to get out of the experience; your coach, meanwhile, will still be trying to assess the best ways to help you.
The beginning of your relationship will be what I call the discovery phase. You and your coach may spend a few sessions just getting to know one another and setting some parameters for what you hope to accomplish. One recommendation here is just to be candid. Tell your coach about where you see your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. And, be open; listen to your coach’s suggestions about where they think you should be headed. A little give-and-take can be very healthy during the discovery phase.
Working with a Transformational Leadership Expert
Once you get into a more consistent rhythm with your transformational leadership coach, you can expect there to be a few regular activities in which you participate. Again, it can vary from person to person, and coach to coach, but some typical activities include:
- One-on-one meetings
- Learning assignments
- Assessments and feedback
- Progress reviews
- Developmental activities
Some of these activities you’ll do together with your coach, but other activities may be assigned to you as “homework” between sessions. I’ll just note that it’s important to really invest in these assignments and to take them seriously; there’s little point in working with a coach otherwise.
How Your Coach Will Help You
But what you may want to know is, exactly how can a transformational leadership expert help you? Here are a few of the benefits you can expect from your experience working with a coach.
- Establish goals, and a plan to achieving them. All leaders have room for improvement… but the hard part is determining exactly how. One way in which a leadership coach can assist you is by helping you articulate your goals, set specific benchmarks, and then develop a practical plan for advancing toward those goals.
- Develop a sense of self-reliance. One of the biggest misconceptions about coaching is that it can be a crutch; that you rely on your coach to help you achieve your goals. While a coach should help point you in the right direction, the real merit of a transformational leadership expert is how he or she assists as you locate the resources and tools you need to move forward on your own. The goal of working with a coach is not to become more dependent, but more self-reliant.
- Gain more satisfaction. Working with a coach is, indeed, work! You won’t get much out of it if you’re not willing to hustle. With that said, the end goal isn’t just for you to constantly be sweating or fretting. The end goal is really to allow you to gain more satisfaction in your career and in your life. Ideally, you’ll find a coach who can help you come to a place of real contentment.
- Become a resource to the people you work with. How do you advance in your career, scale the ladder of your industry, or make progress within your organization? The answer is, you make yourself valuable. You turn yourself into a resource that your colleagues, team members, and supervisors can count on. A transformational leadership expert can help you make that happen!
- Work better with others. Transformational leadership isn’t really about barking orders. It has a lot more to do with inspiring, collaborating, and working well with others. Those aren’t necessarily things that come easily, but they are skills a coach can help you hone and cultivate.
- Communicate better. Along the same lines, an executive coaching program will aid you as you facilitate stronger, clearer, more persuasive communication skills. That means both written and oral communication, and when conveying and receiving information. Indeed, one of the most consequential ways in which a transformational leadership expert can help you is by working with you to develop better active listening skills.
Speak with an Executive Leadership Coach Today
I hope this information has been helpful to you as you think about what you can anticipate from an executive coach, and as you weigh the different advantages and benefits you can expect.
Do you have additional questions? Are you ready to get going? Either way, I’m here for you! Reach out any time you’d like to chat with a seasoned transformational leadership expert.
Contact me at www.rickgoodman.com or call 888-267-6098, and let’s get into the details of your coaching needs.
