Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Little Secret Good Coaches Know


Good executive coaches know a little secret about the goals you focus on during your work together:  it's not about the goals.  Accomplishing the goals you set is important, but the goals are achieved in service of a more valuable and enduring outcome.  It's really about what you learn about yourself as a leader, and the new habits you build, as you pursue the goals.


Strategists in the workplace see this dynamic playing out often:
  • It's not just about the promotion; it's about the leadership skills, relationships, and experience you develop to become promotable.
  • It's not just about your team's performance targets; it's about how they have to learn to collaborate, communicate and be accountable to each other to achieve them.
  • It's not even about increasing your sales;  it's about learning to hear your market's voice, recognize emerging needs and build the kind of reputation that produces strong sales.
So the next time you're confronted with an over-stuffed calendar, deciding what to tackle first, look for the bigger impact. Assess each item, asking 
  • "What will accomplishing this help me learn, or do better?" or
  • "How could I approach this in a way that helps me achieve a bigger goal?"  
And then, after considering your answers, go for the bigger win.