“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.”
Jonathan Rosenberg, former Senior Vice President of Products at Google and current advisor to Alphabet Inc.’s management team and board.
One of my inspirations for becoming a leadership and executive coach is the late Bill Campbell. Bill Campbell was a former college football coach who helped build some of Silicon Valley’s most successful and profitable companies including Alphabet (Google), Apple, and Intuit. He mentored and coached the likes of Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sundar Pichai, Shellye Archambeau, and Sheryl Sandberg. Trillion Dollar Coach, one of my favorite books, is about his life, legacy and the coaching philosophy Bill used to guide these companies and their leaders to greatness and to create over a trillion dollars in market value. The success of these companies is a testament to the power of coaching. Companies rise and fall based on the quality of their leadership and the strength of their teams. For most leaders, particularly at the executive level, technical expertise is a given. They have spent a long time getting very good at what they do – whether it is in law, finance, tech, or sales- but being great at doing your job is not the same as being an effective leader of their people.
“[Y]our title makes you a manager; your people make you a leader.“
Donna Dubinsky, CEO of Numenta
Effective leadership requires different skills like understanding your strengths, and your team’s strengths and maximizing them in ways that benefit both the team and the organization, building your emotional intelligence, building psychological safety, making sure your team has clear goals and a sense of purpose, and meaningful impact. This is where coaches come in. I have had the benefit of great mentors throughout my career but the real breakthroughs and transformations I have experienced came from working with a coach.
“Whereas mentors dole out words of wisdom, coaches roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They don’t just believe in our potential; they get in the arena to help us realize our potential.”
Adam Grant, Author and Professor, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Coaching helps professionals develop awareness of “how they show up” as leaders. Through coaching, clients get to the heart of their beliefs, thoughts, assumptions, feelings, and potential blocks that may affect their outward performance and their ability to achieve their personal and professional goals. By helping a client create that awareness, a coach can facilitate a shift in the client’s mindset to one that aligns with their values, their deepest desires, and the results they want to achieve. Coaches also help clients develop actionable plans and stay accountable for achieving measurable results.
If you are ready to invest in yourself and take your life and career to that next level, contact me at [email protected].
