When I’m not busy helping companies with executive coaching and succession plans, one of my biggest passions lies in motorsports and Porsche Club Racing. I’ve driven with Autometrics Motorsports for several years and over the past year got to spend some time with the team’s head engineer, Adam Friedman, reviewing some of my analytic performance data. Adam noted some issues with the way I was braking and how it was affecting my overall performance. It became clear that if I wanted to be a better driver, something had to change.

Proving that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks, I hired Adam’s brother, Cory Friedman, to spend a day with me at Roebling Road Race Track (about a half hour outside Savannah) doing hands-on coaching on improving braking techniques. Not only did it afford me a fun day on the track with a renowned leading expert in the field, it advanced my understanding of this crucial step in the racing process and in the end, significantly improved my lap times.

On the drive home, I couldn’t help but consider the obvious parallels between my productive day and the benefits of executive-level coaching. Just because one lives in the C-suite doesn’t mean there’s no longer value in seeking outside coaching and perspectives. There should always be room for growth, expansion and the refinement of your abilities. Putting ego aside to seek excellence can only result in achieving more excellence. Companies who make these investments in their executive leadership never regret it. And those executives consistently improve their lap times.