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Professional Coaching: A strategic pause that builds sustainable high-performance

At Refinery, we call this time of year the “silly season.” As our clients wrap up their fiscal year and plan for the next, they shuffle and shift priorities to get initiatives across the line. Our team is heads down, but our hearts are with our clients as they push through the last quarter – the last leg of an annual marathon. 

I saw it in the faces of an intact team I worked with last month. I heard an inspiring list of their 2023 accomplishments. With two months left, they looked both proud and fatigued. The question: how do we sustain the energy needed to continue the good work? The answer: practice the discipline of the strategic pause – any pause that holds the intention to recover energy and build resilience.  

Looking into their cautiously optimistic faces at the end of the day, I was reminded of why I love coaching. I get to offer a strategic pause. When my clients show up running a mile a minute, with furrowed brows and fast heartbeats, I get to help them pause long enough to calm their nervous system and think clearly again. I get to watch their energy and power return as they find new – or renewed – inner resources.   

To be resilient, leaders must acknowledge the limits of their capacity, so they recognize that limit before they reach it. For most leaders, that’s a frightening, vulnerable prospect stemming from the myth that leaders must be heroic, not the humans they are.  

A skilled coach creates a safe environment where leaders can pause long enough to notice their pace and stress level, take a breath, and reconnect to their inner resources and leadership wisdom. This self-awareness empowers leaders to adapt, learn, make better decisions, set actionable goals, and craft strategies to achieve them.  

Organizations that offer their leaders professional coaching recognize that their leaders lead best when they sustain the internal energy they need to think clearly, respond strategically, and lead intentionally. Professional coaches provide the strategic pauses required for sustainable high-performance.  

Refinery Leadership Coachingis a collaborative, personalized and strategic process that empowers leaders to: 

  • Accelerate and sustain their development and growth, optimizing specific areas of performance.  
  • Sharpen current leadership behaviours and grow the capabilities needed for the future.  
  • Increase their self-awareness and resilience.   
  • Navigate the complexities of organizational life in uncertain times.   

We’ve spent more than 20 years partnering with thousands of leaders and organizations across many industries to improve the performance of leaders and teams.    

Ask about our 3-MONTH POST-LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ACCELERATORS COACHING PROGRAMSOR our customized 3, 6 or 12 month programs. 

Contact us! Take the next step towards future-proofing your leadership. Request a consultation here.  

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