20 Impactful Topics To Discuss With Your Executive Coach

"Joe, Just what the heck is all this Coaching stuff you're going on about?

Excellent question, I'm so glad you asked.

Recently I did a presentation to a Junior Officer conference on the benefits of Executive Coaching and just Coaching in general, and though I think they saw the value I'm still a little bummed that more don't know about this topic - so here we go!

What Coaching can do for you.  As you may have seen on my "Why Coaching" part of my site, Coaching is a process that can take you from "A" to "B". You've got a goal (or goals) for yourself, your career, your team, etc... and Coaching is a powerful tool to help chart your action steps to get there. Moreover on the journey the Coach and "Coachee" work together to find those hurdles that may be both real and perceived, and known or unknown.

An example of this?

SITUATION: John can't get their staff to make decisions without their express approval, slowing them down on trivial matters.

-What the Coach and John found? - John never communicated to their staff they have the freedom and autonomy to make the decisions.

-Action Step: John spent the next week discussing decision making boundaries with their team to see what decisions they could make at the lowest level.

SITUATION: Steve keeps failing their professional licensure exams, they study and know the material, but freeze up during the exam.

-What the Coach and Steve found? Steve didn't realize it but struggles with confidence, and moreover found this thread in multiple areas of their work/life.

-Action Step: Steve spent some time in reflection on where their confidence issues could come from, including some impactful conversations with their spouse, and they developed a list of reminders to empower and remind them that they're a smart, experienced, and capable leader. Steve may carry this character trait for the rest of their career - however they are now aware and can take action accordingly. (Way to go Steve!)

SITUATION: Susan can't get out of their inbox, hundreds of emails a day, each with a request or critical (probably not) information that they need to act on (or again, probably not).

-What the Coach and Susan found? Email isn't energizing for them, meeting with their staff and answering questions / giving guidance ignites significantly more momentum.

-Action Step: Susan introduced strict boundaries on email and developed a more effective meeting structure with their team for a better flow of information and decision making.

In these (real) scenarios above the leaders felt stuck and they weren't sure how to proceed. These real-life coaching situations feel like simple solutions, but often the leader may be myopic in their focus and those earnest conversations can pull out an often simple tweak to optimize performance.

Need another way of showing what Coaching can do for you or members on your team? 

Here are twenty (20!) relatable topics:

  -Troubleshoot Anxiety

  -Increase Self Awareness

  -Develop A Plan

  -Increase Resilience

  -Increase Collaboration

  -Delegate More (and Better)

  -Be More Effective

  -Be More Efficient

  -Think Strategically

  -Develop Empathy

  -Boost Your Team

  -Set A Vision

  -Develop A Brand

  -Communicate More Effectively

  -Lead With Courage

  -Lead Through Conflict

  -Develop A Strong Culture

  -Better Work/Life Balance

  -Make It Feel Effortless,

  -Create Strong Momentum.

...And many, many more.

So Leaders I close like I do with most sessions, with a reflection, and encourage you to ask yourself: "What's holding you back?"

Thank you for your time today,

Joe

More Insight on this topic?  Here, and Here are two good articles from Betterup and Harvard Business Review on What Coaching Can Do For You.

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Have you ever tried Executive Coaching or Professional Coaching? Want a free, no obligations discussion on it?  Let's Connect and give it a try.