By Timothy Kitching , Executive Coaching Director at the KONA Group.
Choosing the right Executive Coach is the first major decision as you enter into a coaching relationship. This sounds easy but there are many coaching styles and schools of thought in the marketplace.
Our advice is to have a detailed conversation with your prospective coach before you engage them and ensure your coach has a proven track record across multiple industries (not just experienced in yours) or is accredited by one of the recognised coaching organisations either nationally or internationally.
Executive Coaching is different to Australian Sales Management Training and Leadership Training so another area to explore with your prospective coach is does your coach practice Mindfulness?
Remember you want your coach to be able to create an environment that takes away the limitations that usually come with your history, environment, expectations and assumptions.
In your conversations with your coach you will need a space of open reflective exploration.
If your coach is coming into a coaching relationship with you from a place of inner calm and confidence they will be more effective.
You don’t want a coach who is taken in by the latest fancy techniques or flashy models of executive coaching written by some American ‘guru’ who has no idea of the Australian culture and attitudes to success and failure (read our recent article on ‘Why are Australian sales teams scared of success?
Your Executive Coache’s job is to help you expand your mind, your way of thinking, your emotional awareness and personal performance.
Coaching that incorporates mindfulness is more effective as they have been found to create benefits for clients in everything from personal health and relationships to decision-making and leadership.
Some of the advantages of a coach that practices mindfulness includes:
- A clear and focused mind. For the executive coach, mindfulness is characterized by a clear and focused mind. The ever-present, persistent chatter we are so used to in our lives is absent in this type of coaching as it is the key to allowing something to happen in someone else. A busy mind negates efforts to have others express themselves. Remember those conversations with colleagues and family? How often did you get the feeling that they weren’t really hearing you because they were too busy telling you about their own situation or why you shouldn’t let your issues bother you so much. On the other hand when someone hears us with an open, clear and focused mind, we get a sense of our own value and substance and ability to move forward
- A measured approach to conversations and exploration. Coaches who prefer working with quiet thoughtfulness are of exceptional value as they give you room to move from one perspective to another, from one idea to another, from one incomplete thought to another until they become whole thoughts and form as a basis for growth.. In conversations with executive coaches, this mindfulness is experienced positively as you have the space to think, feel, wonder and explore while keeping the relationship open and collaborative. An effective executive coach establishes an emotional area where you don’t get worried about being controlled or manipulated.
If you are looking for an executive coach to help you boost your leadership skills and overall wellbeing remember to keep executive coaches who practice mindfulness in mind and contact Tim Kitching on 1300 611288 or info@KONA.com.au
