The executive coach: Sharpening leadership skills

Exec Digital caught up with executive coach Gail Voisin to learn how to sharpen our leadership skills in order to capitalise on business growth opportunities and better days ahead.

"Executives need to have a high level of self awareness, and they need to understand how their behaviour affects others. Once the economic engines begin to rev up, everything will go into a higher gear," explains Voisin. She says companies willing to develop their leaders will reap significant rewards as the economy picks up.

Executives can develop a reserve of resilience when they "have a clearly defined personal vision, are highly skilled in leadership and are committed to practicing a balanced and healthy lifestyle." According to Voisin, they develop the ability to maintain the peace and calm in the economic storms related to both work and home. "Let's face it, when corporate executives are stressed not only with less profit in organisations, but also the impact on their bonuses and personal financial portfolios, the ripple effect can easily impact their colleagues at work and customer and family relationships," she says.

There was a time when executives and employees showed up for work Monday through Friday and worked eight to nine hours each day. The boundaries between work and home were clear. But the world has changed and the growing lack of boundaries can become big stress factors that can not only negatively influence the business, but can dramatically affect one's health. While many companies toss around the term `work-life balance', few actually mean it.

More and more executives are `voting with their feet' to work in organisations where they are respected and can demonstrate high performance. In return, they expect the organisation to provide development to keep them marketable and provide a reasonable work-life balance. In particular, many of the new generation of leaders will not sacrifice their quality of life or longevity of life for the sake of an organisation. As a result, the Best Practice Companies will be able to more easily attract and retain the best talent in the future.

Work-life balance is more important than ever because, Voisin says, "most executives are under-satisfied and over-committed." For corporate executives to keep up the pace today,it is critical for them to get a handle on what matters most in balancing their career, wellness, family and friends. The challenge is to make sure that one area does not succeed at the expense of another.

When Voisin is coaching her executive clients in Fortune 500 and Fortune 1,000 organisations, she coaches them to develop a clearly defined personal vision and link it to their organisational vision. This gets them focused on what matters most in their life. Having a better-balanced and healthy lifestyle allows them to take the time now to enrich their relationships with spouses, partners, children and friends so they can continue these great relationships in an active and healthy retirement in the future.

Medical experts say that only 30 percent of our health issues are genetic, meaning we are in control of the remaining 70 percent. Once again, we're back to the choices we make. In addition to the physical ways one can minimise stress, Voisin says, "Executives are learning more about yoga, Pilates, meditation, relaxing in nature walks alone or with family and friends, listening to soothing music, and getting regular massage therapy." These techniques also support the executive in achieving more, while expanding less energy and at the same time, improving their quality and longevity of life.

At the end of the day, an executive with a clear vision, sharp leadership skills and healthy lifestyle, regardless of any economic condition, "…will always be in great demand."

Gail Voisin is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gail Voisin Executive Coaching in Toronto. She integrates/links her clients business, leadership and wellness performance results to the strategic business plan to measure ROI. Her upcoming book is titled "All Together Now - Aligning Vision, Leadership and Wellness to Achieve Extraordinary Success."

FOUR KEY AREAS FOR EXECUTIVES TO ACCELERATE THEIR LEADERSHIP ABILITIES:

STRATEGIC THINKING SKILLS

Learn how to be a visionary. Develop solid strategic plans and be a role model to move the organisation toward realising that vision.

COMMUNICATION AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EQ) SKILLS

Know and practice the key competencies that can naturally enhance working relationships; better manage staff and `manage up' - right up to the level of the Board of Directors.

INFLUENCING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Learn to better manage where there is "Responsibility without Authority," - the payoff will be high in cross-organisational initiatives to be achieved for the whole organisation.

MASTER LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT AND OVERALL WELLNESS

Find what works best for them in living a better-balanced life...that will allow them to develop a reserve of resilience.

www.gailvoisin.com