The Olympics are a time when nations unite to support the athletes who have worked so hard to represent each country. Through hard work and dedication, athletes have become leaders in their chosen sport. They accept that responsibility with the hope of becoming the best in the world.
We sit and watch with breathless anticipation to see who will win the coveted Gold Medal, while the coaches are the ones standing in the wings, cheering their athletes on, continuing to coach them to the very end of the competition. The coaches and athletes have trained together for years, working hard to perfect the talent and skills of the athlete.
Much like the Olympics, an executive coaching partnership relies on these top 5 qualities to achieve greatness:
- Time and Effort: It is essential to put in the time and effort to affect behavioral changes. Athletes don’t become champions overnight. They train their whole lives to reach the pinnacle of their sport, the Olympic Games. Similar to developing strong leadership skills, the executive coaching relationship takes sweat and equity.
- Proper Equipment: Athletes require top-of-the-line equipment and uniforms to break world records and excel within their expertise. Executive coaches offer resources, books, activities, tools, assessments and much more to strengthen a leader’s knowledge, skills and abilities. Great leaders cannot perform with the proper equipment to guide their development.
- Dedication: Athletes put in thousands of hours and countless time devoted to becoming world class. Commitment is key! Dedicated leaders must practice their abilities every day, and their coach will hold them accountable to perfecting their “sport.”
- Self-Awareness: Champion athletes spend countless hours honing their bodies’ abilities to perform the skills required by their sport. Like these athletes, leaders become aware of their individual strengths and areas of improvement through their interactions with their coaches and feedback. Enhancing your self-awareness allows a great leader to perform under any condition.
- Teamwork: Athletes and coaches work, succeed and fail as a team. Like these Olympians, executive coaches and their “athletes” must form a bond of understanding, expectations and trust to achieve the highest form of leadership attainable.
As leaders and executive coaches, it is important for us to remember these aspects of The Game. There will be obstacles to overcome but partnering with an executive coach, you have the power to “Go for the Gold.”
Tell us about your experience working with an executive coach. How did you achieve leadership ‘gold’? Are there additional qualities that you would add to this list?
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