Something that we all strive for as individuals is excellence. Excellence in our work, our personal lives, and our ambitions. That pursuit of excellence is the goal of any workplace leader because they want to help their employees reach their potential and excel in every aspect of their job. The goal of coaching and leadership development, for either an individual or an organization, is also to help the coachee reach their highest level of potential.
There are four basic ingredients that factor into this goal, each interdependent on each other:
- The sponsor
- The capable coach
- The motivated coachee
- The defined purpose towards which they are working
Of these, number 4 is the most important. The approach, time, and nature of the coaching conversation is shaped by the most potent of the four ingredients: purpose. Without a clear purpose to the conversation, whether it be between coach and coachee or consultant and company, the two parties can enter an ill-defined cycle of asking: Why are we here and what are we doing this for? Without the answers to these questions, the motivation and momentum of the coaching will stall and nothing useful will be accomplished. For coaching to work properly, the desired purpose must come from shared conversations between the first three ingredients in the list: the sponsor, the coach, and the coachee. Once this purpose is defined, it will fuel motivation towards that agreed-upon goal.
When an organization is looking at investing in a leadership development program or an executive coach, they need to be 100% honest about their intentions and desired outcome. If there is an honest and open dialogue between the coach and the sponsor, they can come to an agreement as to the specific purpose of the coaching engagement. This partnership provides a definite direction for the program and will give clarity to the coachee about what is expected of them. With this agreement in place, the purpose of the training will be clear and the goals will be well laid out.
Building leadership development programs for companies and individuals requires a partnership. Every organization has different goals, dynamics, and mission statements, and therefore there is no “one size fits all” approach to coaching. We want to facilitate your goals, your purpose. OUR goal is to help you achieve YOUR goal, and an open dialogue is needed to build a program that has been specifically created for you.
This, of course, requires an organization or individual to know exactly what their purpose is. What outcomes do you desire? A company should be specific about what they want to achieve and how they want to get there. There should always be a specific plan in place–one that is flexible enough to change based on new factors. Once you are able to answer these questions, you will know exactly what aspects of your organization need to be examined and improved. You can then ask yourself what steps you are willing to take to achieve your purpose.
The bottom line is this. Purpose drives everything. So what is your purpose?
Have a story about what your purpose is? I’d love to hear it and help further learning on this topic as well as hear your good news!
