Slow Down to Speed Up!
Covid recently hit me and my family; whilst fortunately our symptoms weren’t nearly as bad as many others have experienced, I was still off work for a week to recover and look after my children. The one silver-lining was that it gave me some much-needed time to take a step back and think clearly about my work priorities. Life can be hectic and often we may have to force ourselves to spend some quiet time focusing on what really matters to us.
A few of my coaching clients have commented on how chaotic their lives are and that they are always ‘switched on’; leaving them drained, less effective and unfocused. In the midst of constant demands, can we develop PURPOSEFULLY and FASTER, by in fact SLOWING DOWN? Developing a habit of setting aside thinking time is essential for this. Leaders are navigating a complex, time-poor environment where they are required to steer colleagues through uncertainty and to support the development of happy, engaged and effective teams, within the reality of simply not having the time. This is where leadership coaching can play a key role; providing leaders with ‘focused thinking time’ to work through complex problems and progress forward in a clear-headed and confident way.
Create focus and clarity
A huge benefit of coaching is having that dedicated time to think more clearly and deliberately, directing our attention to solve complex problems and identify new opportunities. When I challenge my clients’ thinking, it helps them develop a clearer vision of where they are now, what they want to achieve and to identify what the ‘elephants in the room’ are that may be hindering their progress. I encourage clients to think hard and ask themselves “what really is the problem here?” By identifying and being clear about the obstacles preventing them from achieving their vision, we unlock doors to taking meaningful action. Naturally, in life, we attend to the ‘symptoms’ rather than the ‘real problems at hand’ simply because it isn’t always clear to us what these barriers truly are. We can often become overwhelmed and procrastinate because we don’t want to face those issues head on!
How can leaders help themselves to be more strategic and faster moving?
Slowing down to speed up by carving out quality, focused thinking time
Establishing what problems you are trying to solve
Identifying the real obstacles in your way (what are you fighting or flying away from?).
Coaching for Clarity
I coach Directors and Senior Managers who are committed and have a desire to make a positive impact for themselves and others, by providing them with a space to think accompanied with supportive challenge. This helps leaders gain awareness of themselves and their priorities, become clear about their direction by identifying and working through their barriers and to feel empowered to independently tackle current and future challenges.
Next Steps
If you are interested in leadership coaching, you can explore my four separate and complementary services below:
Leadership Coaching: 6 months Coaching for Clarity Programme for Directors and Senior Managers
Leadership Development: Leadership training, including Emotional Intelligence and Agility in Leadership and Leaders as Coaches: Coaching Skills
Leadership Assessment: Leadership exploration, feedback and development on a range of leadership tools, including EQi and Hogan.
Coaching Culture Strategy: Coaching Audit to analyse current coaching state with recommendations. Also, Coaching Culture Clinics for Learning and Leadership Development Professionals to embed coaching culture.