Why Every Professional Benefits From a Trusted Thinking Partner

Research & Sources / Corporate Professional Growth

The best tennis players in the world all have something in common. They have a coach sitting in the stands. The coach cannot hit the ball better than the player, not even close. But from the stands, the coach sees what the player cannot see from the court: the opponent’s pattern, the moment the footwork gets lazy, the shot that keeps going wrong. If the best players in the world need that view, the rest of us probably do too.

The view from the court

When you are in the middle of your working life, you are on the court. The ball is coming fast. Meetings, emails, projects, people, politics. You react, you decide, you keep going. You are good at it, which is why you got where you are.

But from the court, you cannot see the whole game. You cannot see that you have said yes to every request for two years. That you avoid the same type of conversation again and again. That you are slowly drifting into a role you never actually chose. That the career move everyone expects of you is not the one you want.

A thinking partner gives you the view from the stands.

Why corporate professionals need this too

There is a common idea that thinking partners are for entrepreneurs, who have nobody above them. Corporate professionals, the idea goes, have managers, HR, mentoring programmes and colleagues. Surely that is enough?

Often it is not, for three simple reasons.

Everyone inside has an interest. Your manager wants you to deliver this year’s targets. HR wants to keep good people. Colleagues may be competing for the same promotion. None of that makes them bad people. But it means almost nobody inside the company can think with you about your situation without also thinking about their own.

Some questions are hard to ask inside. “Should I stay or leave?” “Am I really suited for the next level?” “Why does this role no longer give me energy?” These are exactly the questions a professional most needs to think through, and exactly the ones that feel risky to raise at work.

Success makes it quieter. The higher you rise, the fewer people give you honest feedback. Many leaders notice this only when a surprising piece of feedback arrives late, at a time when it is hard to act on.

What the research says

The effect of having a structured thinking partner has been studied quite carefully.

In a randomised controlled study, Anthony Grant and colleagues gave one group of executives a short series of coaching sessions, while a comparison group did not get them. The coached executives made more progress on their goals and reported more resilience and well-being at work.¹

A larger review of workplace coaching, combining many studies, found positive effects on learning, on attitudes and on individual results.² And a review of mentoring research found that people with mentors reported clearly more satisfaction with their careers.³

There is also a simpler reason this works. Research by Tasha Eurich suggests that most people overestimate how well they know themselves: about 95 percent think they are self-aware, but only an estimated 10 to 15 percent are.⁴ A thinking partner is one of the most direct ways to close that gap.

What a thinking partner is not

It helps to be clear about what this role is not.

It is not a therapist. A thinking partner works on decisions, direction and performance, not on treating mental health problems. If those are present, a qualified professional is the right person.

It is not a boss. A thinking partner has no power over you and no stake in which option you choose.

It is not a cheerleader. Someone who agrees with everything you say is pleasant company, but it is not the view from the stands.

When it is most valuable

Thinking partners help at any time, but some moments make the difference especially large:

• After a big win, when the next goal is suddenly unclear and the old motivation has gone quiet.
• Before a big move, like a new role, a new company or a step into self-employment.
• In a new leadership role, when what made you successful before is no longer what the job needs.
• When something feels off and you cannot quite name it. Those are often the most important conversations.

What this means for you this week

• Write down the three questions about your work and career that you have not discussed with anyone.
• Check who you could discuss them with who has no stake in your answer.
• Ask for honest feedback from one person who has seen you work recently: “What should I keep doing, and what should I stop?”
• Imagine yourself in the stands for ten minutes. Watch your last month as if it were someone else’s. What would you tell that person?

You do not need someone who can play better than you. You need someone who can see what you cannot see from the court.

Sources

1. Grant, A. M., Curtayne, L. & Burton, G. (2009). Executive coaching enhances goal attainment, resilience and workplace well-being: a randomised controlled study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(5), 396-407. doi.orgCoached executives made more progress on their goals and showed more resilience and workplace well-being than a comparison group.
2. Jones, R. J., Woods, S. A. & Guillaume, Y. R. F. (2016). The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(2), 249-277. doi.orgWorkplace coaching has positive effects on learning, attitudes and individual results.
3. Allen, T. D., Eby, L. T., Poteet, M. L., Lentz, E. & Lima, L. (2004). Career benefits associated with mentoring for protégés: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 127-136. doi.orgMentored people report more career satisfaction and commitment than people without mentors.
4. Eurich, T. (2018). What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It). Harvard Business Review, January 2018. hbr.orgAbout 95 percent of people believe they are self-aware; an estimated 10 to 15 percent actually are.