Benefits Of An Executive Coach – Websites.ca Talk Ep. 46

Sean Corbett:
Hey everybody, it’s Sean Corbett here of Websites.ca Marketing, and this episode I’m joined with an executive coach. Her name is Laure Goubau. She’s actually got an extensive background in a lot of interesting companies that I did want to chat with her about, but Laure, thanks for being here today.

Laure Goubau:
Thanks for having me, Sean.

Sean Corbett:
So, to jump right into it, I obviously know you off the podcast, but for our listeners who don’t know you, can you tell them a little bit about your background and some of the prestigious firms that you’ve worked for?

Laure Goubau:
Sure. So, I’m a former litigator. I used to work at McCarthy Tetrault, one of Canada’s premier law firms. So I had the role of a lawyer there, and then I moved to a people role where I was director of professional services. So that means that I would take care of lawyers and students that we hired at the firm, really nurturing their professional growth, and did all sorts of projects related to talent progression and retention. Did a lot of recruitment as well.
And then I worked at McKinsey and Company for two years, up until this summer, actually, and then I became an entrepreneur. But a bit of a similar role there as well. Again, lots of support for consultants, a lot of coaching over there, and running people initiatives. And then decided to do my own thing, starting this summer, summer of 2023.

Sean Corbett:
Interesting. So you were basically working with both senior executives and incoming juniors and helping them balance on both sides of the spectrum?

Laure Goubau:
Yeah, for the senior role, for working with folks who are more senior in the organization, a lot of the work there was strategic initiatives for talent management. And then for the more junior folks in the organization, that was really close one-on-one, “How are you doing? How do we make sure that you can continue to develop here?” And had those real conversations to ensure success within the organization. The bulk of my work was with consultants and with lawyers.

Sean Corbett:
Okay. Interesting. So I always like to ask everybody who appears on the show, for someone who’s sort of your potential audience who could end up using your services, what is one of the big misconceptions they have when they first start working with you?

Laure Goubau:
Oh yeah, that’s a really good question. One of the things that comes up is, “Is this just another form of therapy?” Or, “Who are you? How are you credible to have these types of conversations within an organization? How do you have that credibility to support me as I’m figuring out myself or wanting to grow in this organization or not sure what I want to do with my life?” All sorts of topics. So it can seem a little bit esoteric, the work that I do, and it’s not, so that’s the misconception.

Sean Corbett:
So you’re basically helping them on all aspects, not just career, but sort of balancing career and family, how to advance, where their mindset’s at, all that kind of stuff, am I getting that right?

Laure Goubau:
Exactly, exactly. So executive coaching is really one where I help folks get unstuck at work. So it can be navigating that big promotion, overcoming imposter syndrome, you’ve just received some really tough feedback, how do you work with that? You’re super stressed. Maybe you went on a leave and you’re coming back to work and you’re feeling a little bit uncertain about that. So those are just a few examples.
And then when I work with entrepreneurs, actually what comes up often is, “I’m really, really stuck in the operations. I need help to get time, to find time to do more of that strategic thinking.” Or, “We’ve just hired a bunch of folks and it’s a lot for me to take in as the leader of this organization. I’m not sure where to start here. And who am I as a leader? I feel like a fraud. I might be an expert in my field, but now I need to manage and lead and I’m getting some feedback that I’m not doing a great job.” So all that sort of good stuff.

Sean Corbett:
Right. And listen, we’ve probably seen similar things over the years, where when someone comes off the floor, so to speak, or off the tools or whatever phrase they want to use, away from the front lines, it’s almost like a defense mechanism if things don’t go well in a new position. It’s easier just to go back to what they were an expert in. But that’s not really the most efficient use of that key person’s time for the organization, is it?

Laure Goubau:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. That’s something that we could see. But also, it’s helping folks become comfortable in their new role and also uncovering what their strengths are and how they can capitalize on those strengths and really let them shine. And then also, understanding that those strengths got them there, but there are moments where when you overplay the strength, it can become a weakness or something that can hurt you or cause you all sorts of problems.
So as a coach, sometimes I really play that role of a mirror. I put that mirror up in front of you and the coach is like, “Whoa, I didn’t realize I had that effect on others,” or, “I didn’t realize that’s the way I operated.” And then we talk through, “Okay, well, what do we do about it?”
‘Cause coaching is not just a nice conversation and, “Oh, I know myself a little bit better.” It’s, “What are we going to do about it? And what makes sense for you to operate change, and how are you going to commit to it?” So that’s the big chunk of coaching, which is a big difference from other sorts of support that folks might get with different professionals.

Sean Corbett:
So for this type of thing, going back and forth and supporting them and working through stuff, do you have a specific cadence that you like, like a weekly meeting, or is it very customized to each client?

Laure Goubau:
Right. So what we typically do is commit to six sessions together. Might be more than that, but succession is really where we have the time to get to know each other and talk about what we really need to dive into. And it’s one-hour sessions and we meet typically every two or three weeks. And I’d say at this point, 95% of my clients are online, and I coach in French and in English all across Canada.

Sean Corbett:
Interesting. Okay. Is it online obviously just so that you can serve a larger audience, or do you find that that is more in demand these days as well just because it’s more convenient for people?

Laure Goubau:
It’s much more convenient. Yeah, it’s much more convenient. Folks just find it a lot easier. And I get it, and I really, really get it.

Sean Corbett:
Yeah, no, that’s fair. So I was thinking as you were talking, you can tell me how close I am or not, but I would imagine that when you’re dealing with C-suite, high-level executives, high performers working lots of hours a week, usually high income earners, the owner of a small business or medium-sized business. It’s somewhat of a lonely position, because especially if they have people under them, they imagine that not many people can understand or sympathize with where they’re at, or maybe they don’t relate to as many people. So is that helpful that you’ve occupied those roles and you can talk to them on a similar level?

Laure Goubau:
If I understand your question correctly, for me, what I’m able to do is also tell entrepreneurs, “You are not alone.” And sometimes as part of what I offer is, “Hey, did you consider a mentor? Who could this mentor be? And what’s the first step? How are you going to reach out to this person?” So that feeling of loneliness is perhaps a little bit softened.
And then we talk also about the broader support network, how can you tap into that, and how you can tap also into your community. Because you’re right, being an entrepreneur can be really, really, really lonely. And so for myself, right now, I’ve just started off and so far it’s been pretty good, I’m doing a lot of networking and I don’t feel very lonely. And I also have my partner who is an entrepreneur, and so is my brother, et cetera, so I have lots of folks, lots.
I have a few folks who I can talk to, but I think at this juncture, for me in my coaching career, it’s more sharing without breaking any confidentiality that, you know what? I’ve heard this before. And also, like I said, recommending who you can reach out to to not feel so alone, and also books you can read, et cetera, et cetera.

Sean Corbett:
Yeah, and I imagine you obviously have a pretty extensive network too, from your track record and experience. So do you ever connect clients with other clients or clients with vendors or anything like that? Or is it really more of a one-on-one thing and it doesn’t go beyond that?

Laure Goubau:
Sometimes what I have done, and again, asking permission everywhere because of the intimacy of the coaching conversation, coaching relationship, I have put people in touch with each other. And it’s not really, I don’t think it’s ever been much in a context of, “Hey, this could be a potential client for you.” I certainly don’t want to put myself in a situation of conflict of interest, but what I have done is, “I was listening to you and I thought about this person, and maybe I can put you two in touch.” But I don’t think it’s happened very often, to be honest with you.

Sean Corbett:
Okay. Interesting. So I know you said you can’t violate confidentiality, and we obviously don’t want to go into specifics, but I was wondering if you had maybe a story or two for the audience of a type of problem, let’s say, or type of scenario that crops up and how you’ve helped with it in the past?

Laure Goubau:
Sure. Actually, I’ll use myself. I’ll use myself. I worked with a really wonderful coach here in Montreal, when was it? I think in 2018 or 2019. And I worked with a coach at a moment in my life where I had a director role. I had two people working on my team and someone else working part-time with me, working in a big organization, so direct reports. And I had been promoted not long before that, I had a young child, so lots of new things in my life. So it was tough to really figure out, “What is it that is making me feel so uncomfortable in this organization where I’ve been working here for a long time, and why do I feel so icky?”
And really, what we unpacked together, the first thought is, “Oh, you just have too much on your plate,” which is true, I did have too much on my plate, but then it’s through coaching, really what we discovered is I truly truly value self-learning and continuous learning. And what we realized at that point was that I hadn’t invested in myself in a while, and then it seems so simple, but having that awareness just was really eyeopening for me. And then it was the realization that I needed to prioritize time for self-learning. And I felt empowered to have a conversation with my supervisor to explore learning opportunities that would be sponsored by my organization and why it was helpful for them, why it was helpful for me, et cetera, et cetera.
And that, again, seems so simple, but I think about it now, and really I make sure that I never lose sight of that. And so whether it’s through continuous reading or the courses that I sign up for here or there that are available, I just started a new training called Trauma-Informed Coaching to add that to my toolkit. Yeah, coaching really helped me figure that out, and I’m so grateful for it, so, so grateful for it.

Sean Corbett:
Just getting a little bit of that outside perspective sometimes too, and being able to talk things through?

Laure Goubau:
Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Sean Corbett:
Nice. Yeah. You mentioned a couple earlier on in our conversation, you mentioned also suggesting to people further areas that they can look into, books they might want to read and so on. Are there any, sort of like a top one or two really powerful or impactful, let’s say, book that you would recommend to our audience that you’ve read in the last couple of years?

Laure Goubau:
Yes. Yes, for sure. So yeah, the book I want to recommend, actually I have two. One that I’ve read twice now just because I’ve found it so powerful, is a book called From Strength to Strength, it’s by Arthur Brooks. And this book is so helpful as you think through, “What’s next for me?” Depending on where you are in your career or at what age you are, I just found this book to be super helpful in terms of recognizing that I’ve achieved certain things in my life, and then being grateful for that and being satisfied with that. But then how do I want to live the next 10 years and then the following 10 years with a mix of professional satisfaction, but also happiness? And how I want to give back.
And it’s really that recognition that you started from a place of strength, and then it’s what are you going to do for that next phase of the strength that you have and how you’re going to deploy it? And it’s probably going to look different. And because your mind changes, changes, your body changes, your memory changes and all that stuff, and you might want to shake off some of that workaholism that you had, some of the self-objectification that you used to do, et cetera, et cetera. So it’s a super powerful book, and so I really, really recommend it. And then another one, if I may?

Sean Corbett:
Yep.

Laure Goubau:
Is one, it’s called Working Identity and it’s by Herminia Ibarra. And this book is about reinventing your career. And this author has really good examples or cases that she uses to support this self-reflection that one might get into as someone contemplates a career change. And it’s just really helpful, I thought, and helps you get organized, and again, not feel so alone as one thinks about a career transition.

Sean Corbett:
Now, when you say career change, I almost think the most drastic thing, but that’s not what you mean. Right? You mean sort of just transitioning to a slightly different role, or do you mean completely flipping industries and stuff like that?

Laure Goubau:
All of the above.

Sean Corbett:
Okay.

Laure Goubau:
All of the above, yeah. It could mean you want to become a farmer and you’ve always been working in a tower somewhere downtown.

Sean Corbett:
Got it. Okay. That resonates actually, because we’ve been talking more and more about getting land and goats, and yet my entire life revolves around a laptop, so it’s a stark contrast.

Laure Goubau:
Well, you can read this book. It might help you.

Sean Corbett:
There you go. So Laure, if someone is out there is listening and they kind of want to take the next step and look into getting an executive coach, how does one secure your services? What does the process look like and where do they get started?

Laure Goubau:
So a good place to get started is on my website, goubaucoaching.com. You can also check me out on LinkedIn. And then if you’re just more curious about coaching, then I would recommend spending some time on the International Coaching Federation’s website to understand what’s the coaching that’s out there? What are the type of coaches that exist? What are the certifications that exist?
And then, yeah, I think that also the power of network is very helpful, you might know someone who’s worked with a coach. And I always recommend it’s good to test things out a little bit. So if someone is interested in a coach, of course we’ll have a conversation, we’ll spend 15 or 20 minutes together to get to know each other, but then I’d say have a similar conversation with another coach, because it’s a big commitment and it’s not inexpensive.
So I’d say make sure that you have a good connection, that you think that you can trust your coach, and then make the commitment and go for it for however the amount of sessions that you two decided on. But for me, yeah, reach out to me via my LinkedIn, sorry, via my website, and we can have an initial conversation and see if working together makes sense for you.

Sean Corbett:
Nice. Yeah, and we’ll put the link in the show notes. So, final word goes to you, Laure. Is there anything else you want to end off with on this subject?

Laure Goubau:
We give a lot in our lives. We give a lot to others, whether it’s our teams, whether it’s our clients, whether it’s our family. And I would highly, highly encourage that we, you, whoever, takes a minute to take stock of what’s the investment that you’ve made in yourself recently. And if you feel like you’ve been neglecting yourself and have been prioritizing others and you’re feeling a little bit stuck, then I would say consider working with a coach. It’s really, really, really powerful, and I think everyone deserves that investment in themselves to become better leaders and better entrepreneurs and better company owners.

Sean Corbett:
Yeah, fair enough. Investment’s got to start at home. I like it. Thanks for coming on and chatting with me today.

Laure Goubau:
Oh, for sure. This was great, Sean. I really, really appreciated this and I’ll talk to you soon.