Why You Need a Coach

By Heidi Sadecky, MAOL, PCC – Executive Coach & Director, Townsend Leadership Program

I recently discovered a young finch stuck and struggling in its nest under a downspout against my house. This young bird was frantically flapping its wings but not able to fly. I watched as the pattern repeated. The mother bird would come, feed it, encourage it to fly but this baby bird wasn’t leaving the nest.

I watched this struggle for a while and eventually became concerned enough to take-action. Armed with a ladder, rubber gloves and a small box, I gently explored and quickly discovered the cause. This little bird didn’t have a problem with wings or mindset— it was literally glued down. Its tiny feet were stuck in dried junk in the nest. While the bird didn’t have much choice in being taken nest and all from its perch, it did seem to have the courage to allow a human to help. With a little warm water, I was able to dissolve the junk, place the bird back in its nest and within thirty minutes, success…it flew away!

This symbolic message got me to thinking. When you want to achieve the next level of leadership but you’re stuck and you’re not sure why, what do you usually do? Trying harder isn’t the answer… asking your spouse or significant other isn’t the answer either. The truth is that we all need someone from the outside to observe what’s going on sometimes, and help us navigate our way out of the junk.

The main reason that many leaders don’t seek support from a coach is because of a belief that they are self-sufficient. They will figure it out themselves. Or, they’re embarrassed that they need help so they won’t ask. Over the years I have noticed that leaders who hire a coach are the opposite of weak- they are strong and brave, not because they are flawless, but because they have the courage to say, “I’m okay in asking for help.”

A good time to begin working with a professional coach is when you no longer want to be:

•   stuck in a difficult situation

•   feeling overwhelmed or alone

•   moving slower than necessary

And when you are ready to:

•   go further faster

•   uncover your leadership blind spots

•   track performance

•   navigate setbacks instead of being sidelined by them

•   boost your capacity for tough things and tough people

•   increase your confidence and accomplish bigger things. 

I know that you have colleagues and friends with whom you can seek advice, but remember, friends and colleagues aren’t a replacement for coaching.  While a friend will often make themselves available with a supportive ear, a coach will show up for you intentionally with objectivity and dedication, dedicated to helping you gain results. A coach is your thinking partner—and our brains perform better with a thinking partner. These are all significant reasons to hire a coach.

Here are my 5 steps to help you find a coach that’s a great fit: 

1.     Think about one or two ways you want to grow as a leader and make a list of the issues that seem to be sabotaging your leadership.

2.     Ask for referrals and recommendations of coaches and choose three or four that seem like a good fit and have education, credentialing and experience.

3.     Schedule a virtual or face-to-face discovery meeting with your top coach choices.  To determine best fit for you, ask about their:

•   background and experience

•   coaching process

•   assessments offered

•   coaching packages

•   results with similar clients

4.     At the end of each meeting, journal about these questions:

•   How did you feel during and after the meeting?

•   Did the coach deeply listen to you?

•   Did you feel that the coach was with you and for you?

5.     Choose a coach to become your trusted partner and get started!

The next step is a choice:

Will you keep struggling and trying so hard with little results?

or

Commit to working with a coach, allow yourself to get unstuck and fly farther faster? 

I believe you’ll find that with a coach, you won’t be trying so hard with little results. Instead,  you’ll get unstuck so you will soar.

Heidi Sadecky is a highly-trained executive coach with over 35 years of combined corporate and coaching experience. She helps her clients operate at a higher level, overcome workplace challenges and achieve measurable results.

She is an in-demand facilitator of the only Townsend Leadership Program in the North East United States.

Virtual leadership groups are now forming.