Executive coaching is a process of a one-on-one interaction between a coach and their client focussed on helping the client break through personal and professional barriers. The aim of executive coaching in an organisation is to prepare and equip an individual to a higher level of leadership and professional performance. Professional executive coaches help individuals upscale their existing skills, become self-aware and gain insight into their own emotional quotient as well as that of others. Executive coaching can help individuals connect better with their juniors and team members as they build the ability to lead and motivate their teams.
Executive Coaching and mid-level manager
As things are today, most organisations focus on executive coaching for CEO’s and other CXO level individuals. However mid- level managers can also benefit immensely from Executive Coaching.
Executive coaching can become a stepping stone for a Mid-Level Manager to develop into a CXO level leader. The executive coaching process helps mid-level professionals improve their skills and capabilities. The engagement helps middle-level managers to enhance their leadership qualities, manage their time, and engage the skills of the team effectively. Executive coaching aids middle managers to work to their highest potential and develop into senior leaders as well.
Reasons why mid-level managers need executive coaching
Organizations invest in good executive coaching training for their senior most employees at regular intervals but they do not realise that even middle managers need executive coaching. Here are four ways in which executive coaching of Middle Managers can make a huge impact on organisational success.
- To train and prepare mid-level managers for higher-level responsibilities.
By introducing the mid-level managers to executive coaching, the organization can identify potential leaders and can effectively nurture them creating a pipeline of senior level leaders. Given the high levels of attrition at senior levels these days, creating this succession pipeline can be the reason between the failure and success of an organisation. Executive coaching can fast-track the career prospects of the middle – managers, helping them fill any gap which may occur in senior management easily.
- To bridge the gap between the organization’s vision and its execution
Mid-level managers play an important role in executing the vision and mission of an organization. The drilling down of the vision and mission to the junior most employee and its deployment in every day activity, requires both technical abilities and people skills. Executive Coaching can help Middle managers work through the barriers they are facing in executing the mission that the organisation has tasked them with.
- To turn mid-level managers into company assets
Organizations are always on the lookout for good mid-level managers who can take the company to new heights of success. With executive coaching, mid-level managers can build more cohesive teams that can deliver their own objectives as well as work in a holistic manner with other teams in the organisation. They are also able to coach their own team members to higher performance levels leading to the development of high- performing teams which add to the bottom-line of the organisation.
- For strengthening gender equality
Many organizations encourage female mid-level managers to enrol in executive coaching in order to strengthen diversity in the organisation. Executive coaching for female Middle Managers can ensure that they are able to build the skills needed to evolve to CXO level managers. Executive Coaching services can be tailored to helping female managers hone their leadership skills as well as enable them to be more assertive. This helps the organisation build as well as retain diverse talent.
Executive Coaching for mid -level managers helps develop an open culture which in turn makes for an organisation that can easily migrate to today’s changing business landscape. Affording Middle Managers executive coaching opportunities helps the organisation truly build a strong backbone, that can be a support to the organisation’s growth.
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