A Guide to Setting Effective Goals for Executive Coaching

How to make the most out of your executive coaching sessions

There is one question that bugs everyone about executive coaching – whether or not they’re a leader who has been on the lookout for it or “forced" into” it:

How can I get the most out of these executive coaching sessions?

If you want to make the most out of your executive coaching sessions, it starts with understanding how to set goals that will help you and your executive coach form the framework that will help you overcome obstacles and catapult you to performance.

Here, I’ll let you in on how I help set goals as an executive coach based in Singapore – goals that are practical and beneficial in helping leaders and executives who are both climbing the ladder and those who are at the top of their game.

Step 1: Answer the Question, “Where Do I Want to Be?”

One of the first things I do, when I begin my leadership coaching program, is to co-create a roadmap of the goals of the leaders I coach.

These goals can be both short-term and long-term goals, and they can be both personal and professional. I get them to think about what areas of their life or business they want to prioritise and what outcomes they want to achieve.

What I focus on as a leadership coach based in Singapore is to help them crystallise their future goals. Yes, those long-term goals that seem so distant and out of reach. I do that because it takes time and effort – and some expert “coaxing” with an executive coach – to break down those long-term goals into bite-sized ones and translate them into actionable steps as part of their leadership development. 

Step 2: Break Down Your Goals into Smaller Steps

Building on my first point, what often goes unseen is how executive coaching is more than just goal setting – it’s about taking those “unseen” goals and making them “seen”. Creating smaller, achievable goals allows you to measure your progress and track the results quickly. These bite-sized chunks are crucial to staying motivated and avoiding burnout.

Even though I have been an executive coach based in Singapore for over a decade, I don’t believe in setting goals for the sake of setting goals. I always strive to create a collaborative atmosphere between myself and the leaders who go through my leadership coaching program. The reason why I do that is so that it gives them the space to set realistic goals aligned with their core values – that’s how they get the most out of their executive coaching sessions.

Step 3: Identify Where You Need Support

Acknowledging the areas where we need extra assistance to succeed is crucial.

It’s all about self-awareness. And yet, for all our prowess, there will always be personal blindspots we fail to see. This is where an executive coach steps in to make the goal setting even more strategic and effective.

In my executive coaching sessions, apart from providing insights into their strengths and weaknesses, I guide them to identify their blindspots, which are areas that they may not be aware of but that could be hindering their leadership effectiveness.

From there, we work on a plan that ultimately helps them become more self-aware and effective leaders.

Step 4: Hold Yourself Accountable

Goals are only effective when you have something (in this case, someone) in place to keep you accountable.

Not only can this accountability help you stay motivated and focused, but it also helps you to be honest about areas where you may have fallen short.

You know that you will be getting the most out of your executive coaching sessions when your executive coach offers (or insists) to hold you accountable for these goals that you set together. This could be through keeping a reflection journal to track your successes and setbacks or offering additional 1-on-1 calls specifically for such purposes.

Having refined my leadership coaching sessions over the past years, I make it a point to be available to the leaders I coach and adjust the coaching plan to fit their needs.

Step 5: Celebrate Your Successes

As counterintuitive as this sounds, a big part of goal-setting for your executive coaching sessions is to celebrate your successes. We often forget to appreciate our accomplishments as we are too caught up in the nitty-gritty details of our lives.

As you set those goals for your leadership development journey, mark that journey with milestones or identify different “checkpoints” where you can pat yourself on the back for getting there. Embracing your little wins motivates you to keep pushing yourself toward attaining greater heights.

Step 6: Re-evaluate Your Goals

We experience new things every day that can change our perspectives and priorities. That’s why it’s crucial for me as a leadership coach to regularly re-evaluate the goals of all leaders I coach, especially if we’ve been working towards them for a long time.

Taking the time to re-examine your goals can help you stay motivated and passionate about your work. When you ensure that your goals align with your values and current life circumstances, you have a better chance of achieving success.

Finish Well By Starting Right

Setting goals is an integral part of executive development, and it can be a powerful tool when an executive coach can guide you to set effective ones. When clear and specific goals are set, they provide direction and focus to individuals and allow them to measure whether or not they have succeeded in attaining their desired outcome.

Progressing these goals can also lead to an enhanced sense of accomplishment and engagement, which makes for a more successful overall coaching experience.

If you want to discover how goal setting could revolutionise your executive coaching experience, start your executive coaching journey with me now!