Executive Coaching for Female CEOs: Amplify Your Impact
- (Admin) The Thrivology Company
- Sep 5, 2024
- 8 min read
Beyond the Boardroom: Strategic Insights on How High-Achieving Female CEOs Can Leverage Executive Coaching to Amplify Impact, Forge a Lasting Legacy, & Lead with Visionary Clarity
Hello lovely,
You’ve reached incredible heights. You’ve built, you’ve led, you’ve conquered. The view from your CEO chair is one many aspire to, a testament to your vision, resilience, & sheer hard work. But let’s be honest for a moment, fellow leader to fellow leader. It can be a unique landscape up here, can’t it? One where the air is thinner, the decisions weightier, & the path forward, while exciting, sometimes feels like yours alone to chart. It can feel lonely. I get it. That feeling of “Is it just me? Is it just me feeling this way?” Honestly, it's probably not just you. About Carlene Nisbett / Femmeprenista As a CEO who has navigated these waters myself, juggled scaling a business with a PhD & a bustling family of four (plus two energetic dogs!), I understand the immense privilege & the often-unseen pressures that come with leading at this level. Trying to have a business conversation while the baby is trying to climb you as a tree… that's also very, very real! I remember one day feeling completely isolated, questioning every decision I made about expanding into a new product line. Today, I want to talk about something that helped me through that challenging time.
Today, I want to talk about something that’s not a quick fix or a remedial tool, but a powerful strategic alliance for women like us: executive coaching. Not the kind that tells you what you already know, but the kind that unlocks your next echelon of leadership, impact, & dare I say, even deeper personal fulfilment. Think of it as rocket fuel for your already extraordinary journey.
The CEO's Ascent: More Than Just a View from the Top
Reaching the C-suite as a woman is a phenomenal achievement. You’ve undoubtedly shattered glass ceilings & overcome countless hurdles. Yet, the very success that defines you can bring a new set of challenges:
••The Isolation Factor: Who do you turn to when you’re the one everyone else turns to? True peers who understand the sheer scale of your responsibilities can be few & far between. That feeling of being at the top but also on your own can be crushing.
••The Weight of Monumental Decisions: Every major decision has ripples that affect your team, your clients, your bottom line, & your legacy. That responsibility is immense. What action do you need to take to get to the right decision?
••Advanced Mindset Mazes: You’ve mastered the mindset for growth, but new levels bring new devils, don’t they? Perhaps it’s navigating the complexities of significant wealth, stepping into a much larger public profile, or battling the subtle fear of plateauing after achieving so much. I know from my own academic pursuits & business scaling that pushing boundaries always unearths new layers of mindset work – it’s about consistently sharpening that inner clarity & resilience.
••The Unique Pressures of Female Leadership: Let’s be candid – leading as a woman, especially a mother, in a world still catching up, often comes with an additional layer of scrutiny & expectation. It’s like, "Oh, you're ambitious and a mum?!"
These aren't signs of weakness; they are hallmarks of a leader operating at an advanced level, grappling with the sophisticated challenges that come with forging a significant path. You need support that understands this unique terrain, support that helps you not just manage, but truly thrive within it. Your well-being, your energy, how you show up every day – these are critical assets that need nurturing if you're to sustain your vision & impact. Like Lisa Nichols says, "Your job is to fill your own cup, so it overflows. Then you can serve others, joyfully, from your saucer."
This is where focusing on your mindset, intentionally designing your marketing & messaging, creating systems for momentum, & prioritizing your well-being become even more critical.
Beyond Mentorship: Why Executive Coaching is Your Next Strategic Alliance
You likely have mentors, a strong network, perhaps even a board. So, where does executive coaching fit in? For the visionary CEO, it’s not about seeking basic advice or being told what to do. It’s about engaging in a strategic partnership.
Think of it as having a dedicated, high-level thinking partner whose sole focus is your growth, your vision, & your ability to lead your organisation to its fullest potential. This isn't about someone fixing deficiencies; it’s about unlocking latent capacity. I’m a huge believer in personal responsibility – you, as the CEO, are the driver of your success. An executive coach is the expert co-pilot who helps you see the entire map, anticipate turbulence, & navigate towards your chosen destination with greater speed & precision. They help you to continually refine your focus, ensuring your actions are always aligned with your grandest vision.
This is a dynamic, co-creative relationship. You bring your expertise, your ambition, your challenges; your coach brings a bespoke framework, incisive questions, & an objective perspective to help you synthesize, strategize, & execute at your peak.
What Real CEO-Level Coaching Delivers
For a high-achieving female CEO, generic coaching just won’t cut it. You need a partner who can meet you where you are & elevate you further. Here’s what truly transformative executive coaching looks like at this level:
••A High-Calibre Strategic Thinking Partner: Someone who can go toe-to-toe with you on complex business strategy, challenge your assumptions constructively, & help you innovate. They’re not just a cheerleader; they’re an intellectual sparring partner.
••Bespoke, Nuanced Support: Your business, your leadership style, your life – they’re unique. Your coaching should be meticulously tailored to your specific goals & context, not a one-size-fits-all program.
••Deep Understanding of Scaled Operations & Future Trends: They need to understand the intricacies of leading a scaled business, from complex team dynamics to sophisticated financial strategy.
••And in today’s world, that absolutely includes helping you leverage cutting-edge advancements, like Artificial Intelligence, not just for efficiency, but as a powerful strategic advantage to outmanoeuvre the competition & innovate. For example, a recent McKinsey report indicates that AI adoption in high-growth companies is 3x higher than in stagnant ones. This is about smart integration that enhances your human brilliance, not replaces it.
••Refinement of Executive Presence & Inspirational Leadership: As your organisation grows, so too must your ability to inspire & lead larger, more diverse teams.
••Coaching can help you hone your communication, your executive presence, & your capacity to galvanise your people around a compelling vision. It’s about how your authentic leadership style translates into impactful marketing of your vision, both internally & externally.
••Holistic High Performance: True success isn’t just about the P&L statement.
••It’s about achieving your business ambitions while fostering your well-being, nurturing your relationships, & living a life that feels genuinely fulfilling. An exceptional coach understands this delicate, crucial balance. Our entire framework at Femmeprenista is built on this principle of holistic success, especially the importance of prioritising well-being.
I recall when I was deep in my MBA at Cranfield, surrounded by brilliant minds, the most impactful discussions were those that pushed beyond theory into real-world strategic application. That’s the level of dialogue you should expect from your executive coach – someone who brings not just academic knowledge but lived experience & a forward-thinking perspective. It's that combination of strategy & real-world pragmatism that delivers true breakthroughs. As Jim Rohn says, “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”
Is Your Coach a True Visionary Partner? Strategic Questions to Ask
Instead of generic “tips” for finding a coach, I want to offer some strategic considerations – questions to ask yourself & potential coaches to ensure you’re forging a partnership that can truly catalyse your next level of growth. You can use these questions as a scorecard during your interviews.
Strategic Acumen & Complexity: Is this coach equipped to help me navigate the intricate strategic complexities of my business at its current & future scale? Can they genuinely challenge my thinking & contribute to high-stakes decision-making?Example: Can they help me evaluate the potential risks & rewards of entering a new market or launching a disruptive product?
Leadership Evolution & Organisational Sustainability: How will this coaching relationship support the evolution of my leadership to build a self-sustaining organisation? Will it help me empower my team & cultivate future leaders effectively?Example: How can I delegate more effectively to my senior leadership team so that I can focus on strategic initiatives?
Legacy & Long-Term Vision: Does this coach understand my desire to build a lasting legacy? Are they capable of helping me clarify that vision & translate it into actionable, long-term strategies?Example: How can I ensure that my company's values & culture remain strong as we scale & potentially consider succession planning?
Holistic Alignment & Personal Fulfilment: Does this coaching approach honour my desire for holistic success? Will it support my well-being & personal fulfilment alongside my ambitious business goals, especially at this advanced stage of my career?Example: How can I better integrate my personal values & passions into my company's mission & culture?
Understanding of Modern Leverage (including AI): Does this coach have a grasp of how modern tools, including AI, can be strategically integrated to enhance decision-making, operational efficiency, & competitive advantage within my specific industry? Example: How can AI help me identify & act on market trends to ensure we are making data-driven decisions, & also make the best of my team's time?
These aren't just interview questions; they are touchstones for ensuring the coaching relationship will be a powerful catalyst for your continued ascent as a visionary leader.
Leading with Vision, Building with Purpose: The Femmeprenista Way
At Femmeprenista, we believe that leadership is a journey of constant evolution. The insights I’ve shared today are born from my own experiences as a CEO, my academic research into female entrepreneurship, & my passion for helping ambitious women build businesses that are not only wildly successful but also deeply fulfilling & impactful. One of my ongoing PhD research highlights has been that there's a unique resilience & resourcefulness that women bring to leadership, but it needs to be nurtured.
For established CEOs ready to scale & amplify their impact, forge that lasting legacy, & lead with unwavering visionary clarity, the right strategic partnership is invaluable. It’s about finding that rare blend of strategic acumen, lived CEO experience, & a holistic understanding of the unique demands & aspirations of women at the helm. This is precisely the philosophy that underpins our highest-level support. I truly believe it's possible to build a business that not only thrives but also gives you the freedom & fulfilment you deserve.
If you're a female CEO reading this & nodding along, feeling that pull towards your next horizon, perhaps it's time for a different kind of conversation.
If you’re curious about how a dedicated strategic partnership could unlock your next level of visionary leadership, I invite you to explore the Ascend Executive Coaching Page. It’s designed for women exactly like you.
Find out more about how the Ascend Executive Coaching can support your visionary leadership.
Carlene Nisbett
Founder & CEO, Femmeprenista (Coach, Mentor, Speaker)
Wife, Mother of four, Business Owner, PhD Researcher, Pet mom, Plant mom, 5'0" tall Passionate Multitasker & Wine Lover, You get the drift
P.S. This workbook is just the beginning!
If you're looking for a supportive community of like-minded female entrepreneurs who get it, why not pop over and say hello?
We'd love to welcome you!
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