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Get An
Executive Coach:
The Ultimate Career Advantage
by Mike Myatt
 Executive coaching is here to
stay…Retaining the services of an executive coach or mentor represents what I
believe to be the ultimate business advantage available to professionals.
With
the numerous studies that have been authored which provide ample data affirming
the extraordinary results that can be achieved through utilizing an executive
coach I'm always amazed at the number of professionals who don't yet have a
coach on retainer.
Executives who rise to the C-suite do so
largely based upon their ability to consistently make sound decisions. However
while it may take years of solid decision making to reach the boardroom it often
times only takes one bad decision to fall from the ivory tower. The reality is
that in today's competitive business world an executive is only as good as
his/her last decision, or their ability to stay ahead of contemporaries and
competitors.
For all the things that Thomas Jefferson
was known and revered for, the belief that he was most passionate about was the
principle that led him to found the University of Virginia…He believed that
learning is a life long endeavor whose flame should not be extinguished until a
persons last breath had been drawn.
Regrettably, as sound as the Jeffersonian
principle of continuing education is, it too often runs contrary to how most
executives manage their careers. Most successful executives make heavy
investments in building their skill sets, knowledge base and subject matter
expertise early in their careers only to make minimal investments in their
professional development when they reach the C-suite.
It is however at the
C-suite level that an executive must be on top of his/her game as they have the
broadest sphere of influence, the largest ability to impact a business and they
also now have the most at risk…It is now that they should make the heaviest
investment in refining their game because it is at the executive level that
increased performance will pay the biggest dividends.
The only thing senior executives and
entrepreneurs can count on is that their performance is constantly being
evaluated by virtually everyone in the value chain. Combine that with the fact
the performance standards and expectations are constantly being raised and it is
no wonder that executives are seeking to leverage productivity through the use
of outside experts in the form of professional coaches and mentors.
In addition to my other duties at N2growth
I also maintain an active personal coaching practice. My coaching clients are
some of today's leading executives and entrepreneurs. For most of these
professionals the decision to retain my services was driven by one of two
distinct motivations. Some of my clients had a defensive motive in that they
wanted to protect what they had worked so hard to achieve while others had an
offensive motive in that they were looking to take their companies or careers to
the next level…Regardless of which camp they fell into these were already very
successful people who recognized that its lonely at the top and that they could
not afford to keep operating in a vacuum. I actually have a few clients where I
am just one member of a coaching team that is on call to deliver real time
advice and assistance when the need arises.
Think of any goal that you could set for
yourself, or any standard that you could benchmark yourself against and you'll
find an intrinsic flaw…the problem is that you only know what you know and you
don't know what you don't know. No world-class athlete makes it to the top of
their game without a coach so why should you or your executives try to perfect
your game in the vacuum of isolation. Who do you turn to for advice and
direction? Are you operating in a bubble and making decisions in a relative
vacuum? Do you know what you don't know?
The following questions represent a few
things to consider when evaluating a potential coach:
Who's paying the coach? It is my
recommendation that you personally retain the coach. You want someone whom you
can trust implicitly and whose loyalty is pledged to you and you alone. If the
coach is being paid for by the company or its investors then while you might
still receive good advice, the coach's loyalty will reside with someone other
than you.
Is your coach qualified? Remember
that the coaching industry is full of practitioners that paid a few hundred
dollars for a professional designation, but yet have little or no real
experience. Make sure that your coach not only possesses a track record, but
that their skill sets and competencies are relevant to your needs.
Does your coach have references?
The best indicator of a coach's ability to help you will be based on how he has
helped others…No successful clients equals a coach that should be avoided.
What does the coach charge for his/her
services? Remember, you get what you pay for…If your coach is only
charging a few hundred dollars a month then that is likely representative of the
caliber of advice you'll receive. If your total annual compensation is well into
the six figures then you can afford (actually you can't not afford) to retain
the services of a tier-one coach.
If you would like to discuss how coaching
can benefit you or your executives feel free to contact me.
About the Author: Mike Myatt
is the Chief Strategy Officer at N2growth. N2growth is a leading venture growth
consultancy providing a unique array of professional services to high growth
companies on a venture based business model. The rare combination of branding
and corporate identity services, capital formation assistance, market research
and business intelligence, sales and product engineering, leadership development
and talent management, as well as marketing, advertising and public relations
services make N2growth the industry leader in strategic growth consulting. More
information about the company can be found at http://www.N2growth.com
or by viewing http://www.N2growth.com/blog
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