It’s natural that you will want to get the most out of the investment you make if you hire an executive coach. If you arrive at your first coaching session without any preparation, you can stall the process. If you take the time to prepare and implement certain strategies, you can ensure your most important goals are reached and you learn from the experience efficiently. Once you have hired an executive coach, here are some things you should do to set the stage for success.

Establish realistic goals.

Defining specific goals will be a part of the coaching process, but you should have some idea of what they are before you begin. If you’re uncertain Consider three specific goals you wish to achieve. Delegation skills, effective communication, and conflict resolution skills may be some areas you should improve.

Working with your coach will help you develop more specific goals and will help you develop specific objectives that you can work on from one coaching session to the next so that you won’t feel rushed to accomplish everything all at once.

Consume information.

Before or during the coaching process, ask your coach if he or she recommends any reading material. Take notes and ask questions during the coaching process. Look for resources online or ask your coach for recommendations. Discuss your findings with your coach. Coaching clients who are eager to learn and who invest time and effort in becoming informed and educated are better suited to polish their skills and put them to use.

Become more receptive to feedback.

Everyone likes to think they’re open to feedback, but are they? Have you ever experienced feedback that stung, or when you did not accept it well? It is important to try to determine what caused this, and to address the underlying problem. It is possible that you were just having a bad day and the feedback was enough to ruin it completely. It is possible that you are not as open to feedback as you believe. You must open yourself up to honest feedback in order to undergo true change.

Keeping a journal is important.

Keep notes about the coaching process in a notebook or document. It is impossible to retain all the information shared during a coaching session. Write down all the information as you complete coaching assignments and take notes during coaching sessions. When coaching assignments involve real-world issues, write them down. Understanding how your improved abilities affect your performance can help motivate you to keep working hard.

You can ask for assistance.

Sometimes we all get stuck. Achieving a particular goal can be challenging if you cannot figure out where the difficulty lies, so ask questions. The best coaches answer questions frequently. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help when you are having trouble. Any good executive coach will help you identify obstacles and figure out how to overcome them.

It’s true that executive coaches work wonders, but only if their clients are just as focused on improvement and change as they are. Coaches aren’t magicians or miracle workers. Great things happen only with commitment, enthusiasm, and preparation from both parties. It’s a good start to hire a coach who is thoroughly vetted and has an established track record.

As a result of additional preparatory steps, and then commitment to certain practices during the executive coaching process, results that are previously considered “good enough” can be turned into superlative outcomes.

My leadership coaching services are available if you are interested in learning more on what your next steps should be after hiring an effective executive coach for your business or leadership development.

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