Be prepared for the executive

How can you have the confidence that you’re heading for the executive level? Your talent, experience and achievements have got you this far into the game.

But the people who reach the finals will be the ones who’ve mastered self-reflection. They’ll be adept at dealing with constant change. Sure, they work the hours, but they also balance work and family. They see complex issues from different perspectives, using those people skills to bring everyone with them.

Can you read the play?

When you go to 10 different schools, as I did, learning to read the play fast is critical. Move between enough environments and reading people becomes intuitive. But coaching other people to do the same didn’t begin until I entered the Australian Defence Force Academy.

When new recruits had doubts about whether the Academy was for them, other senior cadets would send them to me. My natural ability was to get these younger cadets to step back and bring into focus what they wanted out of life. If they chose to stay, they had me on their side, pushing them to excel in a competitive environment.

My army mind-set

The army is a high-stakes, competitive environment — so is corporate leadership. The leaders who excel in both domains are the ones with the ability to think in 3D, to approach problems from different angles.

Leaders need the mental agility to see around the corners. They need to be able to adapt to the individual styles in their teams. My army training strengthened my adaptability, my approachability and my empathy. And it gave me even more. While I remained laid back, I left the army able to call things out and change gears when tough decisions were required.

My evolution into a coach

I overlaid leadership experience with a decade facing the commercial realities of running my own business. My business was in executive search, which played into the coaching skills I’d developed. For 10 years, I helped corporate leaders to identify their strengths and weaknesses, building the former and mitigating the latter. We worked through team dynamics and how to win authentically in those environments.

Over time, I evolved into an almost full-time coach. The executives I placed called for my perspective on dynamics and situations. James, they wanted to know, what am I missing? And how can I go further without leaving the things I enjoy doing and my family behind?

They knew I didn’t judge, but my feedback was unvarnished and exposed new angles.

Eventually, I sold the executive search business to focus on where I was providing the most value.

Are you looking for a coach?

Today, my coaching clients work for ASX 200 companies, private companies, government departments and consultancies. They’re in Australia, Japan, PNG and Malaysia. They trust me to see what they can’t, to show them what that is, and to work with them confidentially to get them where they want to be.

If that sounds like you, please give me a call for an obligation-free chat.