They say you should quit when you reach the peak. Ever wonder why? People who touch stellar heights in their respective fields often tend to spiral downwards once the ‘so-called’ top is conquered. What if someone wanted to challenge that trend and, instead of going south, could sustain their achievement? Kate McKay, a Certified High-Performance Coach (HPC) and Founder of Siena Strategy Partners, believes high-performance coaching can help leaders bring about that shift. She has coached CEOs, business owners, and aspiring leaders and believes that HPC can help top leaders undergo result-based behavioral transformations.
However, before we go further, let us understand what HPC is all about. In a nutshell, HPC is a way of helping the best become better. It’s often observed how people at the top, surrounded by others like them, stagnate; the peak somehow loses touch with the base. This creates a hollow in the middle, because of which entire structures and corporations can come crashing down. Kate adds, “As you ascend the ranks, your subordinates are unlikely, or unable, to offer genuine feedback for fear of reprisal or being sacked. Therefore, unhelpful behaviors can emerge that go unchallenged.” Needless to say, top management must stay connected to reality. And that’s where HPC comes in.
HPC brings clarity
For Kate, “Clarity is foundational.” Indeed so. Clarity sharpens our faculty of reason, the one defining factor that separates non-leaders from leaders. And leaders at the top need to possess X-ray vision when it comes to clarity. However, it’s not always so. According to Kate, that’s essential because “too many powerful, high-level performers flounder for want of feedback and direction. It’s the Peter Principle – ‘The higher you go, the less you know.” Through HPC leaders and “those who rely on them” learn how to provide feedback that’s in the best interest of the company as a whole.
HPC enhances productivity
Productivity is not about becoming a workaholic. It’s not about spending needless hours at one’s desk. Having said that, the average time workers spend on productive work is under three hours, and Kate believes there’s room for improvement. HPC helps productivity levels at work go up by establishing the “Why” and the “How.” The tools designed for this purpose are so fundamental that they can prove useful on both professional and personal fronts.
HPC teaches the subtle art of influence
Call it influence or gentle persuasion, truth is, businesses and leaders thrive when they can affect others with their products and services. For Kate mastering the art of influence is essential “at a superior level” as it’s the place where decisions that can make or break a company are made.
Through HPC, leaders can become effective communicators who can align their workforce with the company’s vision in a professional and empathic way.