Why have a business coach?

In the course of a long career I’ve learnt that there are three reasons why you should have a coach:

Firstly it is very lonely being a senior leader.  You cannot confide your hopes, fears and problems to your peers, you don’t want to explain them to your boss or your board.  But you do need someone to be a sounding board, particularly when you are taking big strategic decisions.

Secondly, they should have experience at the level at which you work.  If you are a CEO, they should have been a CEO).  That way they understand the challenges you face and can help you as a thinking partner.

A good coach does not need to be from your industry, but they do need to be from your level.  CEOs rarely need external industry experience from a coach (they will know more about running power stations, food companies, green energy, telecoms or any one of the hundred industries than their coach ever will).  Where leaders need help is in working with all the problems that human beings create.  Those sorts of problems are very rarely industry specific, leaders need to talk through the big strategic decisions; discuss their issues in a way that they cannot with their Board.  Managing up and down are major areas of focus.

The third area where a great coach can help is in taking an holistic view of your life and career.  There are very few people you can discuss your next move with.  Where is this job taking you, where do you want to go?  If you are senior then is this your last job, in which case what is your legacy?  Or are you looking to move on to something different?  What skills do you need for the future and how can you find them in your present role?

Getting a clear perspective on your own future can make you a much better leader in your present role.  If you know where you are going you can help others with their futures by building succession plans.