FAQ: How Do You Know If You Need a Coach?

Do you feel you’re operating at warp speed and would like more time? Are you a senior executive who would value a thought partner, someone you trust who will offer an alternative point of view, and help you grow in your role and plan next steps? Are you new to management and wondering where to start? As a physician, I know what we’ve experienced in training and practice. As an executive, I know the skills and mindset needed to become an effective leader, and stay current with leadership literature.

Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt, in a TED talk, said “Everyone needs a coach.” Atul Gawande wrote, “That one twenty-minute discussion (with his coach) gave me more to consider and work on than I’d had in the last five years” in the New Yorker. “Since I have taken on a coach, my complication rate has gone down.” Harvey Finkelstein, COO of Shopify, wrote “The benefits of an executive coach extend beyond the office” in his Forbes article, My Dirty Little Secret: I Have an Executive Coach.

Having a coach gives you a Thought Partner, a Trusted Advisor, someone who’s in your corner and supports you without judgment. The culture of medicine has been blame and shame, with mistakes a mark of failure. A coach asks questions of you to help you figure out how to be more effective in your career.