A specific element in Executive Coaching is the fact that a leader at the top of the organization, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO... etc., Plant Manager, Division Director, or Business Unit Director needs a partner to facilitate what it's called independent thinking and to form a habit of self-reflection that leads to the best possible quality of decisions.

The thinking partnership that Executive Coaching creates can keep them connected to the measurable business results they are responsible for in a way that allows them time for guided reflection so that they don't get in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

A specific element in Executive Coaching is the fact that a leader at the top of the organization, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO... etc., Factory Director, Division Director, or Business Unit Director needs a partner to facilitate what it's called independent thinking and to form a habit of self-reflection that leads to the best possible quality of decisions.

The thinking partnership that Executive Coaching creates can keep them connected to the measurable business results they are responsible for in a way that allows them time for guided reflection so that they don't get in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

At the executive level, the leader acts in a system that influences his decisions. And that doesn't make anyone's life easy because you always have several balls in the air and the result is at stake: often one of these balls is glass (a critical stakeholder, a critical result, too high a risk, etc.). The executive coach brings structure and firmness in pursuing the goals that the leader wants, but also a lot of empathy because he understands the context and the type of pressure that the executive manager feels, without there being any stake in this relationship related to power or value judgments that keep the executive manager in a state of alertness and expectation. It is a safe space with a partner where mutual respect and professional ethics provide the foundation for a healthy discussion about important topics.

A leader at the top of the organization, in the era of the fluidity of change and exponential innovation, has a critical need for skills characterized as "soft"... in fact, these are the most "hard" skills, they are those skills that ensure relationships and fuel the processes that lead to the outcomes for which they are measured. Past success is no guarantee of future success precisely because of the highly dynamic and volatile environmental conditions. Personal resilience and organizational resilience are born from a very careful connection and a collective commitment that is inspired by managers at the top of the organization.

Today I focus on two essential skills for the executive manager, skills that can be trained through Executive Coaching and that can be sustainably integrated into the skill set of these leaders.

Independent thinking

In essence, independent thinking is the ability to analyze situations through one's own set of criteria and values, to make decisions using one's judgment thus avoiding the need for compliance and validation from public opinion (team, bosses, etc.) even if sometimes it is needed to take the risk of being unpopular, going against the majority or being seen as different.

Especially at the beginning of taking over a mandate, the team of an executive manager comes with a lot of elements and anchors from the past. The first 100 days mean not only thinking about a new strategy and a new approach but also strengthening relationships with the team with which you are going to produce results. In the case of an acquisition and the integration of some managers into the company's board, or in the situation where there are important stakeholders outside the immediate circle, to which it is necessary to take decisions contrary to their potential opinion, in all these situations the ability to think independently of the executive manager has a lot of value, so as not to fall into the trap of making compromises and pleasing those around you, to gain traction. Compromises that will produce consequences later...

The ability to develop this kind of thinking is based on understanding your own cognitive and emotional biases and how they can influence your decisions. To be able to resist their influence they must be understood and, often, we are not aware of them.

Your partnership with an executive coach is about uncovering these biases, understanding their source, understanding the type of assumptions they create, and the possible mental or behavioral patterns and patterns they induce.

A difficult process to go through alone because you can very easily be "kidnapped" by these things that are intimate to each of us and, often, unaware. An executive coach tests you without judging you, they provide instant feedback based on what they observe, through direct and respectful communication, without "packaging the truth" in such a way as to please you.

This process of questioning the beliefs and the usual way of making decisions, which takes place in executive coaching conversations, favors for a manager to thoroughly research the criteria of value and put them into perspective, so that when the manager returns to the "real" world, to his team, has a formed point of view, increased in objectivity and also increases his level of confidence with which he can support the points of view he has formed.

It seems that in coaching processes, the "responsible" for listening is the coach. But the reality is that the one who learns to listen and listen to himself is the leader who benefits from coaching. Because, you cannot have the strength to challenge those around you if you do not have the strength to challenge yourself, to listen to how your formulations, ideas, and beliefs sound, the assumptions and assumptions you make, and, to look at them with detachment and without attachment.

All the research shows that as you rise to the top of the organization, the quantity and quality of feedback you receive drops dramatically. It is said that a CEO receives about 25 percent of the feedback that managers receive from the bottom of the organization, feedback or feedforward that they would need.

Executive coaching provides this opportunity to receive feedback and observations, and this fosters the clarification needed for independent thinking.

The capacity for self-reflection

Reflection as a habit can significantly change the executive manager's stress level. A recurring process of sitting with oneself and reflecting, both on the successes in the time frame you relate to (usually a week, as a level of granularity) and on the things that were not successful, without necessarily being failures, creates a routine that brings much closer to the depth of perspective involved in executive-level decisions.

Self-reflection directly develops the ability to think strategically and the ability to communicate the vision of business or change in a way that inspires.

However, self-reflection is a difficult process: our thoughts take us in all directions and we often get distracted by other thoughts or what is happening around us. This ability can be trained through guided reflection with the help of an executive coach until you form a personal routine. If this routine is formed, including the effectiveness of the coaching process, it increases a lot because you can come to the session much better prepared and focused on the results you are aiming for.

How can you do that? Simply put in your calendar time with yourself and time dedicated to learning through the coaching partnership.

• Time with yourself can simply be half an hour, recurring every week: same time, same day, same time. To be able to develop the habit and to increase the reflective capacity.
• Time with an executive coach: once a month, an hour or an hour and a half, a course of about a year because the process of personal growth takes time and is not linear.

What this capacity for self-reflection can reveal:

§ The area hidden from others – each of us has aspects that we want others to see about us or that we do not want. Understanding the motivations behind these things better shapes our identity and helps us be authentic.

§ Area hidden from self – we all have blind spots. You can ask yourself: what is seen in others and not seen in me, and how does that influence the relationship, the decision, my impact on others, and their impact on me?

§ Emotional connection and the development of empathy - at the executive level there is a temptation for emotions to be suppressed because we start from the idea that emotions can influence us negatively. And yet… we appeal to trust which is one hundred percent emotion. We expect collaboration and engagement, and these are based on emotion. The emotional barriers we put up are based on beliefs we learned either from family or early in our careers when we tried to define and develop a recipe for success. Reflecting on all these aspects and then discussing them increases emotional awareness and has a direct impact on the quality of our decisions and the way we relate.

§ Openness to create a team-thinking environment – this is probably one of the most important themes of executive leaders. And this topic requires a lot of self-reflection. What can I do in the way I interact with my team and guide team interactions so that people genuinely begin to think together?

Source: https://www.prwave.ro/