external: performance

Leaders are not immune to worrying about their own performance, and they often experience wider issues too, as organisational performance also depends on their ability as leaders. Stress and anxiety may be also making their presence felt.  As a result of their coaching, clients report:

• Release of their teams’ talent: getting the best from their people
• Leadership, presence and behaviour that enable the results they intend
• Better prioritising, delegating and time management
• More skilful management of stress, conflict and potential conflict
• Capitalising on their strategic capabilities

Changes in business results can be linked to the changes that a client may make as a result of their coaching.  A Senior Partner in a City law firm commented:

My effectiveness as a lawyer and a partner within the firm has improved significantly. I have become a better, and more confident, practitioner and manager, and by managing myself and others more effectively, I am achieving cost savings for the firm and making more of fee-earning opportunities

The Head of Risk at a FTSE 100 company realised that when she explored her own performance, the performance of her team also started to improve, develop and strengthen. She said:

There’s a real sense of growth in the team. They’re starting to grow and flourish, there’s an undercurrent of excitement and they’re starting to take initiative and become proactive.  I’m building confidence in them and giving them more freedom to act.

And another client, a Cancer Nurse Specialist, remarked:

I’ve changed the dynamics of my team.

Our economic environment continues to be tough, and business leaders, as well as leaders in the public and third sectors, say they are becoming more concerned with achieving cost savings and capitalising on available resource. The pressures of economic constraint demand more flexibility and a long-term view as well as more insightful and more strategic leadership than ever before. Bringing what appear to be technical challenges, like making cost savings, or outsourcing, into coaching can have unanticipated results. As one client, the CEO of a charity, noted after her coaching:

We have a new strategy for the organisation. I’m proud of the strategy process we undertook, the difficult questions we asked ourselves and the decisions that we made. In the long term these will make us stronger…. My awareness of my own power has grown: I now have a far better understanding of how my leadership is for other people, and I understand the extent of my power and influence on others.

Improving performance and identifying where and how to deliver exceptional value to his company during a major strategic review was the reason why Robert came to LWL for coaching. You can read more about Robert’s coaching and its outcomes in the case study here.