As leaders, we’re faced with the need to make decisions every single day. With experience, some decisions can seem easy to make, but others might be quite challenging and require a lot of thought.
At The Leadership Coaches, we often speak with leaders who feel like they make decisions too quickly or slowly. We also speak with leaders who feel as though their decisions lead to poor outcomes.
If you find yourself nodding in agreement, there is a solution: executive coaching.
No matter whether you want to improve your decision-making skills, increase your confidence in making decisions, or learn how to gain the trust of stakeholders, executive coaching can support you.
In this blog, we look at the impact of making decisions and the benefits of executive coaching for decision-making. We also share a case study from a leader who has been through the coaching process.
The Impact of Making Decisions Too Quickly or Slowly
The ability to make sound decisions is super important for leaders. Yet, it's all too common to feel caught between the pressure to decide quickly and the need to weigh every option.
Rushed decisions can lead to missed opportunities, while prolonged deliberation can stall progress and frustrate your team. Getting the right balance is crucial, not just for your effectiveness, but also to inspire confidence in your stakeholders.
Let’s look at an example.
Imagine you’re the COO of a large financial organisation. You’ve been tasked with deciding whether to invest in a new technology platform to streamline operations and improve efficiency within your team.
Making this decision quickly may appeal to you. After all, saying yes to the technology would help you and your team get things done faster. It would also reduce overhead costs. But, what if there's another technology out there that offers better integration with your existing systems or stronger security features? Rushing into the decision might mean missing out on an opportunity to future-proof your operations and gain a competitive edge in the market.
On the other hand, let's say you're working on data analysis, poring over spreadsheets and market reports, trying to make the perfect choice. Meanwhile, your team is waiting anxiously for your decision, eager to move forward with implementation. Although you want to make a well-informed decision, all this scrutiny could lead to missed opportunities and growing frustration amongst your team members.
So, what do you do?
Finding the right balance is crucial. It's about leading with confidence and decisiveness, when necessary, whilst also valuing collaboration and strategic thinking.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been leading a team for one year or ten, sometimes even the most experienced of leaders need a helping hand, which is where executive coaching comes in.
Benefits of Executive Coaching for Decision-Making
If you’ve heard of executive coaching and know people who have been coached, you may already have an idea of the general benefits of coaching. But you might wonder what the benefits of executive coaching for decision-making are, especially if you’re thinking of investing either for yourself or those in your workplace.
Below, we share 10 benefits of executive coaching.
Clarity: Working with an executive coach is like having a trusted guide helping you figure out what matters to you in the big picture. Once you're clear on your values and goals, making decisions that align with them becomes a lot easier.
Improved Self-Awareness: Coaching encourages you to explore your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. By understanding your tendencies and biases, you can make informed decisions that not only positively impact you, but your team and organisation too. With improved self-awareness, you’ll also find that you stop second-guessing yourself so much.
You’ll see things differently: Sometimes it’s hard for us to make decisions because we can’t always see things from every perspective. Working with an executive coach encourages you to think about things from different angles that you might not have considered – think of it as having a fresh pair of eyes on your challenges.
Sharper Analytical Skills: Coaching is fantastic for improving your analytic skills. Not only can coaches provide tools and frameworks to help you assess situations more effectively and make data-driven decisions, but they’ll support you in planning and solving problems too.
Increased Confidence: Executive coaching can help build your confidence by reminding you of your strengths and providing constructive feedback. They can also help you make sense of the feedback that you receive from your peers to help you grow as a leader. With greater self-assurance, you’ll feel more confident in your decisions, even when the stakes are high.
Stress Reduction: Making decisions, no matter how big or small they may seem, can be stressful. In some situations, leaders take these decisions home with them and find it hard to switch off, wondering whether they’ve made the right choice. Working with an executive can help you learn techniques to stay calm and focused, even when under pressure.
Accountability and Support: Sometimes, it can be hard to keep ourselves accountable, but with a coach supporting you, you’ll find yourself feeling more and more accountable for your decisions. You’ll also have a safe space to talk about how you find making decisions.
Faster Adaptation to Change: In today's fast-paced business environment, adaptability is crucial for effective decision-making. Executive coaching can help you develop your resilience and agility, enabling you to navigate change more confidently and make timely decisions in dynamic situations.
Better Communication Skills: Effective decision-making often requires clear and persuasive communication. Working with an executive coach can support you in mastering your communication styles and skills, ensuring that you’re able to explain your decisions clearly and get support from your team. You’ll also find that you can communicate better with your stakeholders and make good use of the feedback that you receive.
Long-Term Development: One thing many people don’t realise is that executive coaching isn’t just for the here and now. It offers leaders long-term development that can last them their whole careers.
Case Study: Executive Coaching to Develop a Strategic Mindset
To keep up with the ever-changing demands of the landscape, now more than ever, senior leaders are working towards developing a strategic mindset to support them in identifying opportunities, overcoming challenges, and envisioning what the future may look like.
Recently, Changlei*, a senior leader, was recommended coaching by his sponsor, Alana*. After speaking with Changlei, Alana believed it was the right time for him to prioritise his development and put him forward for executive coaching.
Executive Coaching for Your Leaders
At The Leadership Coaches, we have a team of twenty credible coaches on hand to support you and your people.
With first-hand experience working in a wide range of industries, our coaches are familiar with the type of decisions leaders need to make on a daily basis.
To ensure we’re able to support you and your people in the best way possible, we’ve designed three executive coaching solutions: coaching with a sponsor, coaching with stakeholder feedback, and coaching for talent/future leaders.
