Clients generally enter into coaching to work on one or two problematic areas in their communication, management or leadership. However, when we give ourselves permission to learn, more broadly, what it means to influence and make a positive impact on others, a number of topics and learning lessons become clearer over time. If you’re interested in becoming a more curious and insightful developer of others while gaining insights into your growth journey, this is a list of common topics on professional development that clients typically work on with their coaches. Perhaps there are two or three topics that resonate with you?
- Deepening self-awareness and insights for problematic aspects of communication, management or collaboration with others.
- Communicating with confidence and clarity at the table to feel more effective and project the leadership messages that are important for you, your team and the organization.
- Overusing familiar strengths that no longer work in certain situations and where new insights and skills are necessary.
- Using available time more effectively on the most important priorities versus doing other people’s jobs and missing critical moments to lead more strategically.
- Maximizing team performance by learning how to effectively manage, motivate, empower and hold talent accountable for results.
- Establishing an aligned mission/strategy/plan to reduce ambiguity, elevate leadership brand and obtain buy-in.
- Applying curiosity through neutral questions, rather than judgments and defensiveness, builds the ability to influence and align with others in constructive ways.
- Contributing to a healthy team dynamic by developing greater sensitivity to the needs of stakeholders versus getting immersed in one’s own unique priorities.
- Investing in continuous learning and professional development improves emotional and tactical agility and improves competitive advantage.
- Clarifying roles and responsibilities avoids dysfunction, unproductive conflict and workaround behavior.
- Developing the skills of my team frees-up critical time to achieve my own unique goals, make time for strategic planning and empowers subordinates to step-up.
- Developing greater confidence managing through stressful situations ensures a balanced mindset.
- Moving quickly to notice negative interpretations and defensive reactions helps to manage mood, fatigue and out reactions with others.
- Understanding one’s professional gaps and what needs to be put in place in order to show up as a strong candidate for promotion.
- Introducing new management techniques to hold employees accountable for delegating responsibilities, setting and achieving goals and empowering the team.
- Elevating executive presence, through exercises to prepare and deliver talking points in calm, direct and impactful tone and manner.
Elevate your Leadership Potential
To learn more about professional development and executive coaching, reach out to Neal for a consultation.