Do You Need An Executive Coach?

By Coach Sandy

Answer each of the following questions in Part I and Part II by responding yes or no.

Part I

  1. Are the majority of your daily actions driven by external demands and the possibility of poor performance reviews? _______
  2. Do you need to improve your managerial skills? _______
  3. Are your communication skills inadequate for the position you currently hold, or the next position you intend to secure? _______
  4. Are you lacking a confidant who is non-judgmental and has no “hidden agendas” to receive constructive criticism from before making final decisions about the best course of action to take? _______
  5. Do you feel you could be doing a better job or lack commitment toward the responsibilities of your position? _______
  6. Do you have trouble making decisions and often experience insecurity once a decision has been made? _______
  7. Do you experience difficulty bringing projects to a satisfactory completion? _______
  8. Do you experience difficulty applying new “on the job” learning or traditional classroom training into effective behaviors? _______
  9. Do you need to begin preparing for a future leadership role, but haven’t begun yet? _______
  10. Are there new skills you need to learn, but have been putting it off? _______
  11. Do you have trouble staying focused on the current task at hand? _______
  12. Do you have trouble delegating or are often disappointed with the results? _______
  13. Do you often feel overwhelmed ? _______
  14. Are your current systems of organization in need of improvement to be more efficient? _______
  15. Do you wish you had more support when new responsibilities or roles are assigned to you? _______
  16. Do you often feel like you are not doing your job the way you are “suppose to”, but don’t know how? _______
  17. Do you often wish you had a better attitude toward the duties you just don’t like doing? _______
  18. Do you experience difficulties coordinating various activities on a day to day, week to week and month to month basis? _______
  19. Are your conflict management skills in need of improvement for the level at which you are resolving conflict? _______
  20. Do you experience loneliness due to the lack of an objective outside partner to discuss your challenges with on a routine and as needed basis? _______
  21. Is your performance driven by perfectionism or a need to maintain control? _______
  22. Do you need to improve your political savvy within and/or outside the company? _______

Part II

  1. Do you have a long term career plan with yearly goals, specifically defined for the next 10 years, and if so, are you on track with meeting those goals? _______
  2. Are you internally motivated to meet the performance requirements of your organization? _______
  3. Do you routinely set aside time for introspection concerning the personal development of your capabilities (i.e. strengths and weaknesses) and how it relates to the mission of the company and your long term advancement in that environment? _______
  4. Do your goals have specific “definable criteria”, so you will know without question whether they have been accomplished or not? _______
  5. Do you have clearly defined performance standards and know what behaviors are needed to support them? _______
  6. Do you have a source of consistent support that provides encouragement for continued success? _______
  7. Do you have a system of time management that works well for you both at home and in the office? _______
  8. Do you have an expert and reliable source of support that is available on a consistent basis for the purpose of developing action strategies to meet both your personal and professional challenges? _______
  9. Are you clear about the skills you need to learn to move forward and which ones are a priority? _______
  10. Are you clear about the expectations of both your current position and the next position that you aspire to attain? _______
  11. Do you have a system for assessing your progress and is it used on a consistent basis? _______
  12. Are you able to maintain a healthy balance with your personal and professional endeavors? _______
  13. Do you feel equipped to manage the company vision and purpose? _______
  14. Have you written a personal mission statement that you are comfortable with? _______
  15. Do you know your learning style and how to best utilize it for enhanced performance with less effort? _______
  16. Do you remain confident and committed after a set back, or when the results of an outcome are not as expected? _______
  17. Are you satisfied with the way you are able to integrate and utilize information obtained from a performance review? _______
  18. Do you have strategic agility? _______
  19. Are you able to easily unlearn behaviors that were suited to the effective performance of one position, but prove to be limiting in a new position? _______
  20. Do you have a supportive source for gaining new perspectives and creative options? _______
  21. Are you able to assess problematic situations in a systematic way? _______
  22. Are you effective at empowering your employees? _______

Scoring:

Give yourself one point for each "yes" answer in Part I and one point for each "no" answer in Part II.

0-4       If the computer industry is your field of expertise, Bill Gates would be a fool not to hire you in a flash, but be sure to tell him that if he provides you with an executive coach, you can really show him your stuff.

5-10     You have done well to get this far with out an executive coach, but may end up frustrated where you are, or be limited in future positions by more challenging demands without one.

11-22    There are many areas in which both you and your company can benefit from by hiring an executive coach. Stop struggling and start looking for a coach now.

23+        Executive coaching is not an option for you, but a need – if success is what you desire.