Three Reasons Why Leaders Resist Coaching
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
– John Wooden
The news is in, and the results are official. Coaching really works! Consider that:
- A survey by Manchester Inc. of 100 executives found that coaching provided an average Return On Investment of nearly 600%.
- A Hay Group study of Fortune 500 companies found that 21 – 40% utilize Executive Coaching as standard leadership development for elite executives and talented up-and-comers.
- A recent study by the Stanford Business School found that nearly all of the CEOs and senior executives they surveyed said that they would like coaching to enhance their own professional development.
And yet . . . the same Stanford study revealed that nearly two-thirds of CEOs and almost half of senior executives aren’t receiving executive coaching.
What’s The Disconnect?
If executive coaching consistently helps executives advance their careers, transform their companies, and achieve incredible results, why doesn’t every business leader, executive, and entrepreneur have his/her own personal coach?
What prevents bright, successful individuals from taking advantage of coaching?
In my experience I think there are three main reasons why leaders resist coaching.
Three Barriers To Coaching
In some cases there is a perception gap between what leaders think coaching provides and what they think they really need. But in reality, coaching delivers results that are critical for leadership success:
- Increased self awareness
- Honest self-knowledge about motives, values, beliefs, behaviors, personality
- Increased emotional intelligence
Another reason is a misperception that coaching is “remedial” as opposed to something that supports and enhances high performance. If this is your concern, then consider that even the highest paid and most successful athletes take advantage of professional coaches.
Finally, some leaders believe that they just don’t have the time to invest in coaching. If you have too much to do and not enough time to do it then you should be considering every possible way to increase your impact and effectiveness. And coaching is an ideal way to help you make the most of your time and maximize your professional success and personal fulfillment.
What’s stopping you from being more successful and fulfilled?
Are You Ready To Take The First Step?
Regardless of what might be stopping you, I hope that you’re at least considering the benefits of finding your own leadership coach. To make sure that you get the best ROI from this important decision, you should first find out if you’re ready for coaching.
It’s easy to find out. Just take this assessment to see if you’re a good candidate for coaching. It’s quick, it’s free, and there’s no obligation.
The longest journey begins with a single step. I hope you’ll get started today!