In today’s work environment, the desire for personal growth and fulfillment is even more important, but as leaders demands from the business have changed, the professional capabilities have not.  As employees climb ranks, they find their way into management without necessarily learning the skills and techniques required to lead.

Many new managers turn to a trusted mentor such as a more experienced manager whom they wish to emulate. The problem is, being a mentor is voluntary and is based on lived experienced.  

Unlike mentors, executive coaches are tasked with improving the performance and capabilities of their clients as their day job.

There is a misconception that executive coaches are for managers who have done something wrong; they have poor communication or are not collaborative.  While it’s true that an executive coach could support a difficult employee to become a better teammate, today, an executive coach is a proactive perk that can guide managers along their desired career path.  

Here are six ways an executive coach can level up your organization. 

1. Give the professionals what they want

Working for a great mentor is up to chance, but having an executive coach is a guaranteed return.  Executive coaches ensure that your professional desires for growth and fulfillment are being met, keeping them satisfied and engaged in the business.  It’s an investment in time and effort that will manifest through their greater responsibilities, helping them grow and evolve from their own profound ability.  Coaches hold professionals accountable and help them reach their desired potential. 

2.  Get leaders out of their own heads

A person at any level can get lost in the weeds, but when a leader loses sight of the big picture, it quickly demotivates a team.  When leaders work with coaches, it gives them an opportunity to talk through their challenges with an outsider.  In having higher-level conversations, coaches guide leaders toward simplicity, lifting them out of the fog.

Coaches don’t have the answers.  They ask the right questions to evoke awareness and help professionals see their challenges with new eyes.  With clarity of purpose, leaders can empower their teams to achieve their goals.  Professionals will be united by a shared vision, reducing spin and increasing efficiency.  

3. Uncover the truth

The more senior a leader becomes, the more at risk they are of losing touch with reality.   Teams become less likely to challenge ideas and feedback becomes limited.  An executive coach is an unbiased third party who won’t tiptoe around the truth.  Of course, executive coaches are also highly trained in giving feedback and having difficult conversations, and it’s their job to do so . 

Keeping leaders honest is critical for creating a positive workplace culture and getting the best performance out of people. 

4.  Steady the waters

With mass layoff announcements on Linkedin appearing by the day, CEOs are turning over and stepping down before they get a chance to make a real impact.  The C-suite are the most important recipients of executive coaching as their attitudes, efforts and vision affect the outcomes of the entire organization.  Often acknowledged as the most isloating role in business, CEOs need a coach to get out of their own echo chamber and help them steer the ship.

5. Reduce churn

People will be able to grow their business when they are learning and feeling productive.  An executive coach accomplishes both by challenging them, acting as a means to self-improvement and supporting business growth.  

You might be thinking, why would I invest if they are just going to leave?  First, doing this makes them less likely to leave nut if they exit, Henry Ford said, “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”

6. Create a cycle of improvement

Giving managers the opportunity to be coached sends a message that leadership is invested in making more leaders. It gives something back to the much-deserving managers who give their time and energy to the good of the business.  Working with a coach can make the manager a coach themselves, which we know is the most valuable trait a leader can possess.

With improved ability, clarity, and willingness and motivation, trained managers create a cycle of improvement, raising up and training up the next generation of leaders rather than simply promoting them.