Do you have BIG leadership goals for 2022? If you answered yes, executive coaching may be exactly what you will need to achieve them.
The road to success is not always easy, and many obstacles can get in the way of your goals and dreams. It would help if you had someone who understands what it takes to succeed, knows how to deal with failure, and can help you find a path forward when things don’t go as planned. That person is an executive coach!
Executive coaches work with an individual at all levels of their careers—from first-time managers through senior leaders in Fortune 500 companies—helping them achieve their professional goals by addressing everything from career development issues like leadership skills or managing change to personal challenges such as balancing work life and family demands or coping with stress. Oh, that dreadful word stress – does it come from within, or is it externally thrust upon us?
An executive coach helps people identify their strengths and weaknesses to make better decisions about how best to use those resources for maximum impact on the job. And because coaching is a collaborative process between client and coach, clients feel more empowered than working alone without support from an expert guide, an individual they trust implicitly.
When was the last time you began working on a project and realized you may not have the skills required to successfully complete everything required to make your client, or your team, happy?
What did you do?
In today’s world, it’s becoming increasingly uncommon for individuals, especially leaders, to ask for help when they need it. Our ego, our pride, and our self-confidence gets in the way of us admitting we might need outside assistance.
This is just one obstacle on the road to success. Let’s quickly go over some of the others..
Leadership Goals – Obstacles on the Road to Success
Some obstacles may be easier to see coming than others. You may even be able to plan ahead to avoid or minimize the impact they have. However, they will all appear on the road at some point along your journey.
Some of the main obstacles are the following:
- The Average Mentality
- Trying to Please Everyone
- The Pursuit of Perfection
- Lack of Vision/Focus
The Average Mentality
The average mentality is the idea that “good enough” should be what we aim for. It’s the belief that a completed project is better than a project completed in the right way. This doesn’t mean you’re searching for perfection, which we’ll discuss shortly. It means you’re skipping vital steps or important feedback from your clients simply to reach the finish line.
If you want to achieve your leadership goals, you’ll need to do what others won’t.
Trying to Please Everyone
One of the most common obstacles all leaders face is the belief that they can please everyone. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t possible. There will be times when the wants or needs of your clients and team members directly clash. It’s your job as a leader to weigh the desires and identify which path you should take. Looking at the short-term vs. long-term benefits is one strategy that you can use to help solve this problem.
Sure, your team may not want to stay late to complete a project your client needs done today, but the increased trust and loyalty you’ll gain from that client once it is complete will outweigh the cost of staying late.
As a leader, you need to clearly identify priorities and realize when it’s impossible to please everyone.
The Pursuit of Perfection
This obstacle is the most common amongst leaders and teams alike. Everyone wants to put their best foot forward every chance they get, but what’s the true cost of trying to achieve perfection?
Perfection takes time, it takes increased collaboration, and it takes energy. Oftentimes, the struggle you endure by reaching for perfection isn’t worth it.
Perfection is extremely difficult to achieve, and you may be one of those people that achieves it more frequently than others, but it shouldn’t be your main goal on every task or project. Just remember, often 20% of the effort will yield 80% of the value.
Lack of Vision/Focus
As a leader, one of the most important traits you can have is increased vision and focus. By keeping your eyes on the prize, it will be easier to make quick decisions and identify what sacrifices are worthwhile to reach our end goal.
A leader doesn’t worry about the day-to-day challenges they have to work through, they focus on the end goal and overcome any obstacle that gets in their way, regardless of how difficult they may be.
Maintaining your focus and keeping your original vision in mind throughout your journey on the road to success is arguably the most important skill you’ll need.
Executive Coaching – Reaching Your Leadership Goals
Some obstacles may be impossible to overcome on your own. Your past experiences may hinder you from truly seeing the pitfalls you’re experiencing that prevent you from reaching your end-goal, and that’s why even the top executives at some of the largest and most successful companies in the world require the aid of an executive coach.
If you’re struggling to develop the skills you need to become a top leader in your organization, or in your field, reach out today to see how I can help.
Every leader has had help reaching their leadership goals, why would you put yourself at a disadvantage by trying to achieve the same goals on your own?
I’ve been coaching corporate executives like you to achieve peak performance for years. Contact me today at pholberton@holberton.com or call 781-608-1966 – Direct/Text to find out how we can work together and what we can achieve.
