There is a growing trend among leaders today, which is the practice of getting a career coach to develop the skills necessary to be successful. Leadership is not for the faint of heart. It takes time, practice and plenty of patience to get right. In order to speed up the process, and get the support of a mentor, many leaders are turning to leadership coaches. There are an estimated 30,000 professional career and leader coaches around the world currently, according to the International Coach Federation. This growing phenomenon shows that leaders are serious about developing the right skillsets to do the job right.
So, the question remains—do leaders actually need coaches? What are the benefits of working with a coach vs. learning by mistake? The obvious answer is that leaders are in demanding roles and there is no room for error. There are other answers that compel leaders to obtain the services of career coaches and leadership coaching programs.
In a 2009 survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review, of a group of over 140 leading UK and US executive coaches, the most popular reason why leaders choose to work with coaches (48% of those polled) is to develop high potential or to facilitate transitions into leadership roles. Additionally, 26% used leadership coaches as a form of feedback, while 12% wanted to focus on behaviors that could possible derail a leader’s ability to be effective in this position.
The survey further went on to show that coaches working with leaders demand a fairly high hourly rate, as much as $500 USD per hour, but this is worth it to the thousands of leaders who take advantage of this service annually. Over 76% of the leaders had used coaching as a way to solve both professional and personal issues. The benefits far outweigh the investment, and many leaders view this as vital to the success of their organizations. An effective leader can easily turn his or her skills around to become millions of dollars in increased revenues and better overall company performance, as an indirect result of the coaching sessions.
When looking for a coaching program for leaders, it’s important that it comes from a reputable source with proven results, has been certified to conduct leader coaching, and offers ongoing training as needed to meet the demands of being a leader of today. Expect to spend between 7 to 12 months of intense coaching in order to maximize the benefits of working with a leadership coach. Get your FREE Leadership Guide from Dale Carnegie today and consider taking one of our leadership courses today!
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