‘Thinking partner, critical friend, executive coach, advisor and ‘team facilitator

These are some of the terms that capture what we do at Sirise Coaching and this is by no means an exhaustive list. However, the term that resonates the most with us is ‘thinking partner’ as it probably best captures what we do.

Coaches come from many professions and multiple backgrounds, as diverse as teaching, nursing, HR and from senior leadership roles across a variety of sectors. In our case, I am a Chartered Accountant who has worked with businesses across multiple sectors and spent many years in a leadership role within the software sector.

So, who do you choose as a coach when there are so many experts out there (and, dare we say it, those who use the term ‘coach’ but perhaps are delivering something very different)? Ideally you need a thinking partner who will stretch you in your leadership role or challenge your team to achieve more. Such a thought partner would ideally be someone who understands the complexity of business, finance, stakeholder relationships and corporate culture and the ways in which these all overlap.  They might also have a knowledge of your sector, but this isn’t always necessary – a great coach asks the right questions and we all know that often the best questions are the simple questions that are driven by curiosity and a need to explore.

Without a doubt, not every coach or thinking partner will be the right fit for you or for your team, and many senior executives work with several over the course of their careers.

are you a talk to thinker
or a think to talker?

 It’s an interesting thing to think about and understand how you make your best decisions and how you generate your most creative ideas. Some of us analyse things deeply in our own minds before sharing our opinions with others, whilst others might have the start of an idea, but speaking it out loud really shapes it, consolidates it in our minds and gives us confidence.

As someone who has natural introvert preferences, I always thought I was a think to talk person. However, I realised what actually works for me is that I talk to think. This realisation helps me with my clients. On the one hand there are those who need to form their own thoughts before sharing them and work with a coach to ask some positive challenging questions to fine tune and on the other hand, there are those clients who really benefit from starting with a relatively blank sheet of paper and speak out loud to be able to best form their thoughts. Either way, a thinking partner or executive coach can play a valuable role in this process.

 A thinking partner is someone you can talk through your ideas with and throw appropriate questions into the mix to help shape your thinking. They’ll challenge you, but in a way that’s supportive and enables you to see things through a variety of lenses.

What makes a good thinking partner?

At Sirise Coaching we would love to know your thoughts on what makes a good thinking partner? Perhaps you may find these five factors helpful?

1.     The challenging thinking partner stretches you, helping you think through a problem from all sides. They ask questions that get you to look at things from different perspectives and explore multiple causes and outcomes;

2.     The independent thinking partner – Ideally you want someone who doesn’t have a personal stake in the outcomes of your decision making or a hidden agenda. This is why friends and colleagues don’t necessarily make the best thought partners.

3.     The curious thinking partner –  It’s good for a team facilitator or thought partner to have a natural curiosity which doesn’t presuppose things or make assumptions. This fosters out the box thinking.

4.     The strategic thinking partner. A good executive coach or thinking partner must be able to help you formulate an effective plan of action with practical steps to help you achieve your goals.

5.     The diverse thinking partner.  It’s not helpful to have someone who thinks exactly like you do! We all need an effective soundboard that reflects the rich diversity of the marketplace we operate in. Otherwise we tend to make insular decisions that may not serve our best interests.

We invite you to discuss your thinking partner requirements with our team at Sirise Coaching. Feel free to email me today at sarah.parr@sirise.co.uk.

 Sarah