Kitchener - A recent leadership study revealed that 63.6% of leaders are rarely able to take solitary time during the work day for planning or professional development with most spending their days fighting fires and dodging crises. So, what does this mean for today’s executives?

“Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the current work environment for most leaders right now is the scarcity of individual planning time and solitary thinking space.” says Certified Executive Coach Cathy Shaughnessy. “A critical aspect of both professional development and long term planning, uninterrupted thinking time is both absolutely necessary and extremely rare. Many leaders report that on the odd occasion that they make time for this, planning is done in the early or late hours of the day and on their own time, generally away from the office.”

Study participants concur. “My door is literally always open. I spend the majority of my day assisting staff with decisions or talking through stressful situations. This does not leave much room for solitary time. My planning seems to occur at 5:30 in the morning before the kids wake up.”, wrote one manager who is particularly challenged by this reality.

So, what is an over-stretched executive to do? “Many folks in the senior level talent pool who are getting ready to make some changes find that having a confidential thinking partner to work with them on a plan is a great strategy.” says Shaughnessy. “Managers, VP's, Directors and CEO's in public and private sector have worked with me to align their divisional goals to organizational strategic objectives; assess and develop their global leadership style; prepare for (and reach) the next step in their career path and even deliver outstanding presentations at high level corporate events.”

To make executive coaching more accessible, Shaughnessy has launched Get The Lead Out On-On-One. It's a quick-hit plan that combines results-based executive coaching with strategies that her coaching clients have used over the years to make long-lasting changes in their professional lives.

“Many leaders are clearly feeling stretched and report that they are continuing to move forward regardless. Most are feeling the pressure, but have not come close to the breaking point – yet.” says Shaughnessy “If working with a coach can keep even a few of them from hitting the wall, it’s a critical win for them and their organization.”

Certified Executive Coach Cathy Shaughnessy works primarily with senior executives as a thinking partner, performance strategist and action catalyst. Coaching clients have included executives at the Ministry of the Environment, Navantis, Research in Motion, Microsoft Canada and Manulife Financial.