What Coaching Can Do For You—And Your Workplace

If you've wondered lately about ways to "level up" your relationship-building, work-life harmony, and general professional satisfaction, you're not alone.

Since the pandemic, each of these issues feels much more acute—with executive coaching becoming a popular solution.

Coaching is now a key strategy to address cultural changes in our workplace. It's also—fortunately—become more accessible to leaders (and aspiring leaders) outside the C-suite.

Coaching isn't just about goal-setting or strengths finders, it's about creating transformational change that ripples across you, your team, and your entire organization.

But, making the case for WHY you need a coach, especially to your employer, is a bit of art and science.

That’s why I’ve pulled together some of my favorite resources tailored to tech professionals (particularly women) to help you articulate what coaching can do for you, and for your workplace:

1. You'll gain a better appreciation of the business and how it operates.

Working with an executive coach helps you see your organization through a business lens rather than as a “techie.” If you’ve come up through the ranks of IT, you likely haven’t had as much exposure to the bigger picture of how your organization operates. A coach can help you develop your “management muscles.”

2. You'll learn to better communicate your work's value.

This, of course, will yield in personal professional benefits. But it also will help you talk about the business value of a technology recommendation—without the jargon and acronyms—to more clearly make your case.

3. You'll build stronger relationships.

The need for relationship-building is on the rise. In its latest leadership framework report, AIIR Consulting (of which I'm an affiliated coach) found a notable increase in relationship-building as a focus among leaders. There's also a growing demand for authentic leadership, especially among younger generations, who value transparency, vulnerability, and genuine human connection.

Effective leaders build trust within their teams and make those around them feel empowered. It takes a lot more than technical skill to be able to motivate people and resolve conflicts. If you’re somebody who has been promoted because of your technical expertise, but you’ve never managed people before, a coach can set you up for success—or help you solve challenges.

Coaching Helps Women Get Ahead

While these three reasons certainly help make the case for coaching… the REAL benefit of coaching, especially for women, is that it can be a lifesaver to staying and advancing in your career.

Coaching means building a professional relationship with someone who sees your potential and champions your growth.

And that mentorship is key. Women in tech who have mentors are 77% more likely to still be working in the tech industry three years later compared to those without mentors, according to AnitaB.org. They also report higher job satisfaction.

(The Women In Tech website has more useful stats about the value of mentorship.)

Ultimately, coaching improves your performance and that of your organization by enhancing productivity, retention, relationships, and resiliency.

If you ever want to talk about how coaching benefits tech leaders and their organizations, don’t hesitate to reach out!