Congratulations! You’re starting work with your Executive Coach!
But you’ve never done this before, so of course you’re not quite sure how to take ultimate advantage of the opportunity.
The number one thing you can do to take advantage of the coaching is to know what you want to accomplish with the coaching. Perhaps this idea is foggy to you at first, perhaps you want to gather data from the 360 assessment you’ll do in order to hone your objectives. All of that is fine, as long as you’re determined to come up with some concrete objectives for the coaching and share these with your coach.
Secondly, devote time and energy to the coaching as you would if you were attending a Masters class. The work of coaching takes place mostly between the coaching sessions, so plan to make adequate space in your mind and calendar to do the work between sessions – this is where you will take best advantage of the investment.
Be willing to experiment. Coaching is the opportunity to look at things differently and to do things differently. You have to be willing to hear other perspectives, come up with new and creative options that perhaps you haven’t seen before, and then be willing to try different approaches that may feel odd (at least at first). The more you’re willing to experiment, the more you’ll get from the experience of having a coach.
Lastly, make sure you’re in the driver’s seat for the coaching. The coach will go as slow or as fast as you drive, so take advantage of the opportunity by being organized and planning to get the maximum value out of each of your sessions . Come prepared with what you want to work on in the session, and most importantly, what you want to leave the session having accomplished/decided/explored. Keep a notebook or one central place for your coaching notes so you have a place to refer to during and between your sessions.
Of course, your coach is your best resource to discuss this: if you want to get more from your coaching, bring it up to your coach and they’ll be happy to work with you to maximize your experience.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact us to discuss how you can set up your coaching from the start to your best advantage.