Historically, leadership development was largely focused on participants’ involvement in training programs or reading a book. This was all based upon one completely invalid assumption—if they understand, they will do. Wrong!
Everyone who buys diet books makes the same assumption as everyone who goes to training programs or reads a book: If I understand how to go on a diet, I will do it. Wrong again!
As the sales of diet books have skyrocketed, readers have become more and more obese! You don’t lose weight by reading diet books. You lose weight by actually going on a diet—and sticking with it.
Training programs alone don’t work
Why do so many leaders attend training programs, return to work with a short-term “religious conversion experience,” and then end up making no real change? The reason why many leaders don’t apply what they learn in traditional training when they’re “back on the job” is that they are buried in work. Leaders in major corporations today work harder than leaders have worked in the past 40 years. They feel trapped in an endless sea of e-mails, voice mails, and requests.
They barely have time to meet the minimum requirements of their jobs—much less focus on their long-term development as leaders.
Combine Executive Coaching
Incorporating Executive Coaching in a leadership development program can help leaders bridge the huge gap between understanding what to do and actually doing it. Your coach is a person who sticks with you over time and makes sure that you do what you know you should do, but have a tendency to “put off until tomorrow”—a tomorrow that (without help) may never come.
In today’s corporate world, the stakes have gone up, the pressure has gone up, and the need to develop great leaders has gone up. The time available for executives to do this has diminished. Executive coaches facilitate the transportation of leaders to new levels of development and effectiveness and can help high-potential leaders become great leaders!
The future
Looking ahead to the future, executive coaching will continue to increase in importance as organizations learn how to include Executive Coaching in their leadership development programs.
SheXec offers senior leaders and high potentials a few immersive and intellectually rigorous programs that enhance critical leadership skills and advance business acumen. Transform and empower yourself with new ways to think strategically, extend your influence, and have a greater impact in your organization. Contact us for more information or email: jake@thrive-cm.com.
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