Coaching through the Leader’s Journey (Part 3)

From Efficiency to Excellence

Three years on and the leader has made outstanding organisational performance and personal improvement. (Thanks to the support of their coach obviously), they have substantially grown their income, margins, profit contribution and share price. They have refreshed and renewed their product portfolio which they now distribute to a broader global offering thanks to effective use of technology and growing brand awareness. The management team is highly motivated and love the company. The leader has stepped back from the day to day and is fulfilling a more strategic role based more often than not, at the edge of the organisation where the business meets its customers and suppliers. The leader has learnt a lot about themselves. They have developed the resilience to continue when things weren’t working, they have stuck with their personal values throughout, they have held faith in their team when they disagreed and fought, and they still get to parents evening and sports day.

So, what now? More of the same? Enter new territories? New business models? New products and services? Acquisitions? Do the team have the bandwidth? There is much strategic thinking to be done to move the business towards excellence. But what of the Leader? Move on and do the same elsewhere? Stay and reset for the new challenges?

Enter the Coach

At this stage of their career the Leader is much more comfortable with themselves. They are invariably fairly independent from others, are capable of achieving their goals and are more efficient and effective. They are in control of most things but have learnt from experience that they cannot control everything and therefore their next steps can be daunting. Staying and doing more of the same or leaving and doing it again are the easy and comfortable options.

The Challenges

A particular feature of the effective executive at this crossroads is that they wish the next step to be not only challenging but to fit with their life ambitions generally. Their hard work in recent years may have left them feeling personally isolated and they have mild sense of dissatisfaction despite great achievement. The role of the coach is that of a mindful companion who can steer a rigorous reflection process. The leader will benefit from considering:

• Their contribution to recent years successes
• How their strengths were brought to play
• The things that they would have done differently
• How their values may have changed, and do they have a clear picture of them now
• Has their personal growth been at the detriment to others in and out of work?
• What pictures are emerging of their ambitions and personal development in the next 5 years or so

As leaders evolve, their capacities develop at differing rates depending on their challenges experienced and ability to reflect and change. Their needs, cognitive abilities, emotional control, moral compass and values all change. A competent coach can help the leader gain a greater perspective on their self and help them map out their desired future.