From Expertise to Excellence: Why Top Performers Need Coaching to Soar in Leadership Roles

Often executives have outstanding expertise. It’s measured in Key Performance Indicators, and by positive reputation. It’s a natural career progression to move outstanding performers upwards. The idea with promotion is to expand a team member’s valuable participation, have them take on more responsibilities, and deliver more value to the organization. That’s the theory. With the best in class at the top of the team, this logic works, right? It’s an assumed theoretical idea.

In reality, when promoted to CEO, President, Board Member, or executive team leader, some executives adjust well to the increased responsibilities and expectations. They take to leadership like ducks to water, knowing instinctively what to do. They get on with the job as if it’s made for them. Such understanding and natural competence is often derived from personal background life experience, and being blessed with good natural leadership role models to follow. Such an already developed personality matches the task at hand.

Other high-performing executives, who lack previous leadership experience, or role models, if asked, may prefer avoidance of a higher-level leadership role. The possibility of leading employees can trigger a lack of confidence or fear of confrontation when matters need to be sorted out. For these executives, fear is greater than commitment to meet performance deadlines. They cannot at a first review of the opportunity see themselves doing whatever it takes to achieve the objectives.

Other executives have a perspective of what leadership is, by observations of how others perform and express the view, ‘it’s not for me’. This may be a realistic, perceptive view, or it may be an uninformed idea. For either perspective, those who think they can’t do it, a coaching conversation can change this to a realistic perception.

Other executives don’t feel confident managing people, nor appreciate having others report to them. It may feel like more pressure in an already pressurized role.

Some executives feel they don’t know how to address tension between people generally, especially how to deal with angry people or imposing associates who apply pressure. They’ve seen the personality issues which arise and want to avoid them.

Other executives resist taking higher levels of seniority due to extra administrative responsibilities, constant team reviews, the need to prepare reports, and provide leadership in meetings. Their perspective is – more work, with additional meetings to attend.

The prospect of spending more time in meetings doesn’t appeal to many capable people. Some dread speaking up in meetings, even though they’re a treasure trove of valuable feedback, information, and opportunities for productive intervention in the corporate organization.

Others simply prefer to leave the running of the company to people who like doing that.

With trepidations like this in the minds of executives, employees can still be given the mantle of leadership without backup, support, communications training, while lacking a mentor.

When someone isn’t an experienced, or natural-born leader, without personal development coaching or mentorship, an executive can lose their pre-promotion performance momentum. They’re in a different role, needing upskilling and expert guidance to up their performance value to the company.

The purpose of promotion is not only to salute a high-performing executive for a level of achievement to date; it’s also expected that the Executive CAN add even more value to the business.

So what do you do when your skill set for promotion isn’t enough?

What Do You Do If You Don’t Know How To Lead a Team More Effectively?

    Set out the team objectives.

    Consider your plan.

    Look at the Team Participants.

    Can you lead them to the target outcomes?

    Ask yourself whether you can hit that target on your own.

    Maybe discuss this with senior colleagues who know your capabilities.

There’s always a measurable performance target for any executive function.

A wise executive, not experienced in leading a team, will ask for help. Help comes with coaching that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the executive. Coaching helps an emerging leader to develop strong personality and communication skills and to strategize in order to deal with what you need and don’t have. There’s always a way to succeed in a new role.

When the unique personality and key contributions of the executive are ascertained by the coach, coaching can facilitate higher individual executive performance and increase executive self-confidence. We all want to be winners, right? It’s a very positive experience to be promoted to a new position. After a while, you realize you can do this! There are techniques and new attitudes to develop, and then you’re flying.

Knowing how valuable it is, executives seek self-development and leadership training.

One-on-one coaching, tailored to the unique personality and role requirements, gives the executive knowledge and insights to take themselves to new levels of performance.

Coaching enables executives to meet corporate performance requirements, and personally, to experience an overall improved sense of well-being. Then both sides of the promotion are winners!

Why wouldn’t someone want to be promoted if they realized personal benefits like this were to be had? Psst… put the word out!!!

You may be in a leadership position holding responsibility for outcomes, or maybe you’re being pushed or strongly encouraged into a more demanding leadership role. Maybe you simply aspire to be a leader and don’t know how to get noticed.

Have a vision of what you’re aiming for, and take actions to get it.

Get coaching today to be a high-performance executive, competent in team leadership.