The survey found that managing workload and resources is the biggest challenge for senior executives. Developing leadership and management skills to better handle workload could significantly improve performance. Executives typically only seek help during a crisis and outside the workplace. There is a need for support to develop executives' confidence and skills to be effective leaders and managers.

1. Survey Results: December 2010
Managing Your Career - What keeps you Most Awake at Night?
Summary
This survey was conducted across a broad range of executives in different sectors from
manufacturing to professional services. The respondents were senior executives or
directors, all with management responsibilities.
The findings indicate managing workload and connected to this, managing resources is
by far the biggest challenge keeping you awake at nights.
The results also indicate if the respondents were more confident, had the opportunity to
develop their leadership and management skills, and knew how to manage their
workload more effectively (which includes utilising their team and other resources) this
would make a significant difference to their performance.
Interestingly it would be the onset of a crisis such as poor health or stress or career
stagnation before action would be taken to seek help. Additionally a majority indicated
the first place they would seek help is outside of the workplace.
In conclusion this survey highlights the need for support to be provided to top
executives to further develop their confidence and in parallel to learn how to apply
effective leadership and management skills. To find out how Baker Coaching can help
develop your career please see below.
Details of the survey results start on page 3.
Page 1 of 7
Qualified Coach - LCA Tel. 0845 1228016 / Mb. 07870 650175
Licensed Career Coach Email: jennifer@jenniferbakercoach.co.uk
Member of ICF, MAC, EMCC www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk
Registered in England No. 06776961 VAT Number 946867756 Registered Office St John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0WS

2. The survey does of course raise further questions as yet unanswered; such as why do
organisations resist investing in their top management until there is a crisis and in many
cases not at all but will invest heavily in products or marketing? The best marketing
plans, strategy, product development and new services are a wasted investment if their
people are not utilised to the best of their abilities and potential.
Jennifer Baker would like to thank those who took part and appreciates their honest input.
How Baker Coaching can transform your Career
In today’s world, Executive Coaching is as valuable as ever.
The higher one climbs in most organisations, the less chance you have of getting
feedback about your performance. Additionally it is easy to set goals and develop action
plans; however it is sometimes challenging to maintain the momentum and focus to
achieve the desired outcomes. Additionally, individuals may have old patterns and
habits that may be hindering their success but have difficulty in changing.
Coaching opens up new possibilities and supports the client in the sometimes difficult
process of change. One-to-one Executive Coaching provides feedback,
encouragement, focus and direction to help individuals take charge of their life and
achieve their goals. It is a partnership that helps clients learn, grow and produce
fulfilling results. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning,
improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life – both personally and
professionally.
Baker Coaching provides one-to-one Career Management Coaching for Executives.
The transformation and outcome is from over-worked, stressed and self doubt to a self
confident and unstoppable performer taking positive action. For testimonials and
recommendations please visit http://www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk/da/104836
Results of Survey -
Baker Coaching – Success through People www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk Page 2 of 7

3. Other
• Making the right/wrong decisions
• Problems not solved with customer
• Time management/organisation
• Office politics
• Motivation to make change
• Next challenge
• Feeling I am being asked to compromise my professional standards
• Not understanding how to change other's perception of myself.
Baker Coaching – Success through People www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk Page 3 of 7

4. Other
Not delivering for the customer
Desire to be effective
Fresh start
This happened to me, it was a wakeup call.
Thought of staying here any longer!
No longer enjoying my job
Boredom or not believing anymore in "the cause"
Baker Coaching – Success through People www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk Page 4 of 7

5. Other
Self coaching
Step back and take a break
Work it out myself
Speak with colleagues and contacts
I know I need to speak with my boss but she just doesn’t get it
Baker Coaching – Success through People www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk Page 5 of 7

6. • Align everyone behind the same strategies and stop people with-holding info as a means
of power
• Bring in more revenue.
• More thinking time
• Help manage change/transition
• Provide me with more resources
• Create a project plan for my new business idea and kick start. I'm finding it so hard to
make sense of the information I'm collecting.
• Greater work life balance.
• Help people understand diversity and manage it efficiently
• Give me a new job
• Marketing - it’s exhausting and I have no money to do it properly
Baker Coaching – Success through People www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk Page 6 of 7

7. • Take away email!
Make me less anxious about to change the status quo
• Give me more time
• Find a way of communicating complex creative and strategic thought more easily to
those that are more fact based
• Change my attitude to think like a successful business man and have the confidence
and vision
• Recruit the right people
• Improve technology
• Give me more confidence and more opportunity to learn. Connect me to more people
who can help me get where I want to be
• People meeting deadlines, more pro active time
• Even out the workload so that it was more balanced throughout the year.
• Remove any personal barriers holding me back
• Make every-one around me have a little more self belief and confidence
• Expand my "team" by 100% from one (me!) to two staff
• Nobody works weekends so everything's stops for 2 days
• A new job please!
• Make me rich so I can quit
• Give me more time in the day to do things and make me invisible so that I could get on
and do them without being disturbed
• Help me to branch into different areas of business. i.e Marketing.
• Financial freedom to decide on a career without money pressures
• Avoid doing things twice...
• Land me a job with a company that truly cared for its employees.
• Bestow some commercial awareness on 3 of our 5 directors.
• Confidence and ability to put myself in front of the right customers and say the right thing
when I'm there
• Transfer all my knowledge to my team so they could get on with their jobs better and I
could have the time to be more strategic and planned
Baker Coaching – Success through People www.jenniferbakercoach.co.uk Page 7 of 7