Executive Coaching and Empowerment

I was asked recently what I like best about coaching. There are several things I actually love about coaching, but probably the biggest reason I love coaching is seeing the “click” in the client when things start to make sense. Think of it as a “lightbulb moment.” 

The “click” is just a huge rush – when the client really gets it. Sometimes, the client will come in and say they don’t know what to talk about. Or they are really angry (or anxious) about something. Or they just want to talk about a particular problem. Or they aren’t happy with one of the employees.

Many times, they just don’t know how to proceed. But in coaching, we can have a conversation and at some point, it distills down to a moment where they see it. They get it. And that “click” is so cool.

Here’s an example of a C-suite leader (not a CEO) that I was working with. She was very technically competent, but she did not feel confident in her leadership. I was able to ask her simple questions like, Where have you had your greatest leadership successes? What contributed to those successes? How will you apply your strengths to this new leadership role?

As we talked it through, at one point, she stopped me and said, “Wait. I’ve actually got this. I know what I need to do.” Yes. What she needed was a space to talk it out to realize she had the tools all along. As she said, “Oh. I just needed to get out of my head.”

Another time, I was meeting with the head of a company, and she struggled with a lot of self-doubt. Because the role of CEO is so isolating, this is actually a common experience. In this case, she needed to reach out to a client to get the data, but she really didn’t want to do that. Her fear was that it would reveal bad news.

“What’s the worst news that could come back?” I asked. And we talked through the worst news scenario. Basically, the client was going to do some seminars, and she was worried that the client would say they couldn’t move forward because they didn’t have what they needed. The owner feared this would be a bad reflection on her.

But after talking that through, the question was, “Is this a bad reflection on you?” That was when I saw the “click.” At that moment, she understood that this would be a bad reflection on her client, not her. Suddenly, she was able to release her anxiety and ask for the data. Now, if it came back as bad news, she knew how she would respond. Yes, the client did, indeed, come back with bad news, but because she planned what her response would be, there was no more anxiety.

What I love about coaching is that it empowers the client. Usually clients already have the tools and just need someone on the outside to be a thought partner with them. By asking questions and drawing out their expertise, we help them find their own solutions. Talk to us about coaching at www.vibrancyunlocked.com.