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What Is That? Great Executive Coaches Add Perspective

Written by: Grant Fairley

Article Overview: Successful entrepreneurs understand that executive coaches can add an important dimension to their growth in business and as people. Great executive coaches add perspective.

What Is That? Great Executive Coaches Add Perspective

Optical illusions are great fun. You can look at the classic picture and see in the same sketch the old woman and the young woman's face depending on how you choose to view it. A fun house at the fair will use many optical illusions to change your shape in a mirror or make you feel off balance in a room that is constructed normally but feels like it tilts.

In the 90s, computer generated art allowed for the creation of hidden image stereograms. By changing your focus -- you could suddenly see a second image inside the picture. People would stand around in malls staring at these displays and then suddenly shout - I'm in! Both images are there and yet we often only see one. It's all great fun.

What is not fun is to be an executive who is looking at a project, problem or opportunity but can not see the "other perspective" that might give them ability to see the solution. The executive coach can help the
executive see things in a different way. This does not mean that the executive coach is involved in the details of projects - but the positive effect of a great executive coach is to allow the executive to have perspective.

The tensions and frustrations that are part of executive life can cloud and blur our perceptions of people and decisions. The coaching process encourages the executive to have a pause to free them to see everything that is there. Then the executive can make judgments and decisions that are their best work because they are not made without seeing clearly.

In the coaching process, the executive coach works with the executive to be able to step back from the immediate and the urgent that is part of the everyday crunch. Instead, the executive is able to begin to become centered. This allows the executive to move from the crisis mode of just getting through the quarter or the month-end or even just today to the big picture.

We believe that the big picture is always in the best interests of the executive and their work. Many decisions that are made in the heat of the moment have devastating unforeseen consequences that might have been identified with a coaching pause. The pressures for instant results and short-term solutions will often rob the executive and the company or organization of their best choices. The process of coaching provides that perspective that ensures that the executive is seeing all the parts of the picture that can be known.

This gives the executive an added sense of confidence and clarity as they make the decisions that need to be made.

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  Is Executive Coaching For You?
  Why the Movement to License Business Coaches to Executive Coaches

Article Tags: executive coaches, perspective, successful entrepreneurs



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$1000 and a stupid idea - [quote="OmnivoreInk":8mkh1lv7]Bill and Heidi Dittmar: Executive Lifestyle founders of a magazine called Executive Lifestyle. Started in 1991. Revenue has grown more than 200% since 2004. 4 full time, 3 part time employees "We started off with $1,000 and a stupid idea." It began as This Month, a guide for tourists, and morphed into Executive Lifestyle.[/quote:8mkh1lv7] Hi Barbara, I find this story about Bill and Heidi Dittmar's success to be especially interesting! Would you happen to know what the catalyst or tipping point was for their change from a guide for tourists to an Executive Lifestyle magazine? Thanks
5 Entrepreneur's success stories - My local paper's business section profiled 5 successful entrepreneurs in the Jan 6, 2008 issue of the paper. Thought I'd share just a bit of it here. Bill and Heidi Dittmar: Executive Lifestyle Jeff Wassmer: Spectrum Deloise Hawkins, Star Whitaker and Lenzy Hill: Touch of Elegance Stephen Brosius: Advanced Door Systems Pam Watson: Goodrich and Watson Insurers Bill and Heidi Dittmar: Executive Lifestyle founders of a magazine called Executive Lifestyle. Started in 1991. Revenue has grown more than 200% since 2004. 4 full time, 3 part time employees "We started off with $1,000 and a stupid idea." It began as This Month, a guide for tourists, and morphed into Executive Lifestyle. Jeff Wassmer: Spectrum Company specializes in computer network security and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Wassmer was an 11-year Air Force guy, so he had "ins" in order to form this business. Deloise Hawkins, Star Whitaker and Lenzy Hill: Touch of Elegance Founded business in 1994. 12 employees. Their company designs and plans an average of 25 events each month in Hampton Roads and other parts of Virginia. Stephen Brosius: Advanced Door Systems Started company in 1995. 5 full-time employees, plus subcontractors. After having worked as a subcontractor for others in the construction business for 20 years, he decided to start his own business. Pam Watson: Goodrich and Watson Insurers At age 49, she was approached by an insurance colleague to buy out their employer's insurance division. They did so, and became employers themselves., witj 4 full-time people.
Mentors vs. Coaches - martin, that's a good point about Coaches Vs. Wise old owls... would be great to have a "wise old owl" with Coaching abilities... I have noticed a previous mentor of mine was not open to new ways of doing things as she mentioned that the tired and true method that worked for her was the only thing she would support that I do. It worked ofcourse and we got the desired outcome just as planned - so I'm not complaining.
Re: History of Women in Business in the United States - Yes. Women have increasingly made positive economic contributions to society and their position is being recognized more and more as seen on the Forbes List of Executive Women. In general, women can be a bit more practical in their approach as entrepreneurs too.
Re: what position to request? - What do you think of: Executive Manager? Director of Product Management? I am not interested in working as a freelancer. As I mentioned, the purpose of what I am doing is to get involved into a startup that may become successful in the future. This is a situation when a group of people get together to launch something promising and invest into this their time and energy and even may be money.


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