6 signs you might need an executive coach — and 2 signs you don’t

Getting all of this done is not an easy job, especially for someone who’s never led this kind of change before.

“Most IT leaders only focus on tech but if you change that without changing the people and the process, you’ll have a train wreck,” says Larry Bonfante, executive coach and founder of CIO Bench Coach. “When people are going through change in an organization, you need to get them to a different place. You need to help them think differently and work differently. People and process change requires you to see the benefits of change and to motivate people to do it. It’s about shaping people’s minds and hearts.”

4. You’re having trouble retaining team members

If members of an executive’s department are stressed, bored, or otherwise unhappy, they’re not going to stick around. Instead, they’ll leave for jobs where they can do more interesting work, use more cutting-edge technology, or simply make more money. And that leaves managers with the headache and time suck of interviewing a long list of candidates to replace them, as well as the expense of onboarding them. That’s not even counting the work slowdown that comes along with losing and replacing workers.

“You have to learn how to create an environment that retains top talent,” says Tracy Podell, an executive coach and partner with Evolution, a Los Angeles-based international executive coaching business that specializes in startups and high-growth tech companies. “In IT, there can be a lot of stress and a monotonous nature to the work. How do you make sure employees are engaged? Do they know why [their work] is important? Do they feel valued and cared about? Are they able to grow in their job? Do executives know how to look for signs that someone is burned out?”

Laina Fredieu, director of information technology at McIlhenny, noted that coaches can help directors with the actual process of bringing on new people and getting them onboarded. “They can help with a shift in mindset of what we can do with people on the team,” she says. “Maybe we can fill positions with people we already have. Maybe we can broaden the role, shift gears, and look for someone outside of who we’d normally look for.”

5. You’re struggling to motivate your team

One of the problems that can lead to employee retention issues is when a manager fails to motivate their team. Sometimes the problem derives from people not feeling respected. It also can stem from people not being in the right roles or if they’re overburdened and stressed.

Whatever is causing the team’s lack of motivation, it’s up to the manager or the department leader to fix it. And that’s generally not an easy task.

“You need to get people motivated and inspired to collaborate,” Bonfante says. “Making that happen uses a whole different set of muscles for a lot of people. It can be tremendously uncomfortable. It’s about communication, influence, collaboration, and political savvy. Those are areas that a lot of IT people might not have had to practice yet.”

McDonald also noted that leaders need to learn how to work with and inspire high-performing employees and middle-of-the-road employees as much as they do with people who aren’t performing well. It takes a different set of skills to motivate all these types of workers to be more productive and efficient. “You have to learn how to deal with all different kinds of people,” he says. “You have to learn how to best treat everyone.”

6. Work stress has become a problem

Everyone’s job gets stressful now and then. That’s generally not a big reason for concern.

But when someone starts losing sleep, is worrying about work when they should be off enjoying friends and family, or is becoming irritable, those are warning signs that the stress has gotten out of control. When it’s that bad, it can start to impact people’s home life and relationships — inside and outside of work. It could even impact their health.

“A coach can help when there are work stresses and outside factors that are adding to someone’s stress,” says Fredieu. “It’s not just about whatever is going on at work. Issues at home can affect how someone is feeling at work. And leaving work at work, and home at home, isn’t always realistic. We’re all human.”

An executive coach can talk with the exec about their anxieties — which parts of their jobs are overwhelming, how work is affecting homelife — and then create a plan to work through those issues.

When coaching might not be needed

Not every situation a manager faces calls for a coach. Sometimes they can find a mentor or someone else who has been in their position before or has faced a similar challenge. Relationships like those are worth nourishing.

“If someone is a mid-manager or below, they should look for advisors internally because they know the company and probably the work,” advises Cramm. “Drain every last ounce of what you can learn from the people around you. Volunteer for things. Raise your hand and try new experiences. And if someone doesn’t work for a company where those advisors exist, they probably aren’t at the right company.”

Coaches and executives alike noted that anyone unwilling to put in the work or humble enough to admit they have something to learn isn’t a good candidate for coaching.

“In coaching, just saying, ‘No, no, no, not possible,’ isn’t an option. You can’t solve problems if you say every approach won’t work,” Scott says. “You have to try things, maybe in small doses and with patience. You can’t quit because something isn’t 100% better. Set expectations and realize when things are getting better.”