All the successful people I know are always looking for ways to improve — they think of themselves as learning machines. Just think of your favorite athlete. They have a coach. Even people who are already at the top of their game — like public company CEOs — know that coaching can enable them to improve.
Regardless of their current level of success, all CEOs will benefit from coaching.
Coaching will help CEOs develop greater self-awareness, learn new skills, and gain clarity on their goals. A coach will also provide support and accountability, helping CEOs stay focused and motivated.
If you’re a CEO who’s interested in taking your performance to new heights, coaching is just what you need. Here are three ways that coaching can benefit you:
1. Improve Your Self-Awareness
A CEO coach will help you gain a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. It’s critical to understand how what you do and say impacts those around you. Once you know, you will make better decisions, delegate more effectively, get a lot more done, and know where to focus yourself on growth.
A coach will help you gain greater insight into yourself by asking tough questions and providing honest feedback. The process of tough questions paired with honest feedback can be incredibly eye-opening, and it’s an essential first step in making meaningful changes in your life and career.
2. Learn New Skills
I know several great CEOs. They tell me that one of their secrets is a focus on learning new skills. Great coaches identify your growth areas and provide you with the tools and frameworks you need to learn new skills.
A CEO coach will provide you with the guidance and support you need to make real progress.
3. Gain Clarity on Your Goals
A coach will help you gain clarity on your goals and create a strategy and plan for achieving them.
This process of gaining clarity is incredibly helpful in keeping you motivated and focused, especially when the sh*t hits the fan. Having a clear goal to strive for will help you stay the course during difficult times and continue moving forward toward success.
Coaching can benefit CEOs in many different ways. If you’re interested in taking your performance to the next level, work with someone who’s been a CEO before to help you achieve your goals. Successful CEOs are always looking for ways to improve themselves. These CEOs know that coaching will take their game to the next level.
All Great Athletes Have Coaches, Why Shouldn’t a CEO?
There’s an old saying that “success leaves clues.” And nowhere is that more true than in the world of professional sports. The best athletes in the world all have coaches, sometimes multiple coaches.
Having a coach is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of intelligence. If you are coached, it shows that you are motivated to learn and grow and that you understand that even the best performers need someone to help them reach their full potential.
The same is true for CEOs. The most successful CEOs in the world all have coaches. Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai (Google), Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan), Satya Nadella (Microsoft) and thousands of other successful CEOs have all had coaches.
The benefits of having a coach are clear. A CEO coach will help you gain insights into your own performance, give you honest feedback, and hold you accountable to reach your objectives.
How to find a CEO Coach
Finding a CEO coach can take time. My favorite way is to find one by asking for referrals from trusted sources.
Ask fellow CEOs. Ask your investors. Ask other trusted advisors. You can even search for coaches online and get a feel for their approach from their website.
A CEO coach will provide you with invaluable insights into your own performance and help you develop strategies for success. When choosing a CEO coach, select someone who has experience with other CEOs like you and who you feel comfortable working with — someone you can trust.
Here are some tips to find the right CEO Coach for you:
1. Make sure the coach you select has been a successful CEO. A coach who hasn’t lived through it before will have a very hard time providing advice.
2. Look for someone with experience with CEOs like you. Do they have experience with companies at your stage of growth?
3. Find a coach who will customize their approach to meet your needs. Do they have a structure they always follow or are they willing to bend with your requirements?
4. Choose a coach who you feel comfortable working with. You will be sharing your most important secrets. Make sure you like and trust them.
Work with a coach early and often to make sure they are adding value in every meeting you have.
How Do I Know if CEO Coaching is Right for Me?
A CEO coach can bring a lot to the table, but is coaching right for everyone? Here are some key things to consider to determine if CEO coaching is right for you:
- How ambitious are you? How committed to growth are you?
- How valuable is it to you to have a sounding board for your ideas?
- How much do you want to gain better communication and leadership skills? Do you consider that a strength or weakness?
- Do you want to learn how to delegate more effectively, or is your workload down and performance up?
- How important is it to you to focus on up-leveling your team?
Think about these questions, and ask yourself if CEO coaching may be right for you.
Contact an Experienced CEO Coach
My name is Glenn Gow, CEO Coach. I love coaching CEOs and want to help make you an even better CEO. Let’s decide if we are a fit for each other. Schedule a time to talk with me at calendly.com/glenngow. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
