The best executive & career coaches help clients to unlock fresh thinking and perspective in order to articulate, plan for & achieve goals and/or to overcome obstacles that for whatever reason appear to be inhibiting their progress. The most successful coaching engagements and outcomes occur when clients’ goals are clear and there is need to address them in the immediate term.
Great coaches are very attentive listeners and seasoned observers of verbal and non-verbal communication. They ask thoughtful questions and encourage clients to stretch beyond the obvious into new frontiers of possibility.
The best coaches don’t waste time, they inspire a deep level of trust quickly with their clients based on their unique style, coaching competence & experience and in demonstrating that they have their clients’ best interests at heart and an obvious willingness to journey with them. When these elements are present great things can happen and light bulbs of enlightenment begin to pop.
One of the most important success factors in my coaching is to meet clients where they are and apply an eclectic mix of techniques to help clients to frame their real ambitions, asking open-ended & thought-provoking questions such as ‘What situations have brought out the best in you and what skills/characteristics did you demonstrate?’ or conversely ‘What situations bring out the worst in you and what effect might this have on others?’. These refer to behavioural triggers, which can be both positive and negative and can be managed through awareness and coaching to great effect, especially in aspiring leaders.
Once trust is established, most clients love to talk about themselves, especially to an actively engaged coaching audience, especially what motivates them and what challenges they face.
Great coaches encourage and challenge clients to find & utilise their inner strength, to embrace the choices they are empowered to make, to imagine the possibilities, to assess ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ and to ponder taking appropriate, calculated risks. The simple act of verbalising such thoughts & feelings can create substantive breakthroughs.
I love my work and get a real buzz from working with smart leaders and executives who want to become more self-aware and ultimately a better version of themselves, both in business and in their personal lives. Life is too short and time too precious to mess around. I’m passionate about helping clients to leverage their time, money and effort in an engaging and enjoyable way such that the payback is a no-brainer. The coaching outcomes can be truly spectacular & liberating if the stars align and the client owns them all personally. Seeing these emerge from the deep recesses of a client’s mind also brings me immense satisfaction.
Chris Leach
Founder, Bramley Advisors
