The Significance of Coaching in Leadership Development

Today, we are in a world where most organizations are operating with hugely ambitious goals in terms of both profitability and sustainability. Establishing a unique yet relatable brand value also becomes a top agenda for most organizations. Driving empathy as a way of life and showing care for employees using people-friendly policies and enhanced benefits have also taken the forefront. With multiple front-running agendas that are constantly competing, senior management and HR leadership have realized that employees who stay longer and grow within the organization can have a massive impact on not just achieving greater results but also building a strong culture in the organization. Hence, the trend of looking inward to develop top leaders rather than hiring from outside has caught the attention of management and HR like never before.

A leader who is groomed from within will understand the company’s cultural nuances better and at the same time will have invaluable insights into operations and historically established ways of working. By having grown with the organization, the person will also have the right skills around influencing and stakeholder management. However, the biggest challenge that L&D teams come across is bringing the mindset shift as an employee progresses from middle management to senior management. The apprehension of cascading their decision-making powers and empowering the next in line to assume authority and take responsibility acts as a major deterrent to their growth.

Traditionally, leadership development programs have focussed more on putting participants through assessment centers, training (primarily management development programs from premiere B-schools), secondments or stretch assignments, and mentorship with existing senior leaders. However, to address the challenge of mindset shift and encourage participants to improvise on their existing ways of working and move ahead and embrace the role of a bigger leader, it’s imperative to look beyond the traditional learning methodologies. It becomes difficult for young leaders to pass on the baton to their next in line, as it involves decentralization.

36 of power and a higher degree of risk-taking. That’s when the role of an Executive Coach comes into the picture who can make the participant think beyond what they have thought so far and open new perspectives and directions for them through conversations in a structured, safe environment. Coaching often brings clarity and helps them envisage the future course of action and think of a path to reach their goals. The tools and mechanisms employed by a professional coach to bring value to an intervention are generally very unique and the results that follow are something that only the format of coaching can achieve. Also, in the current times, every manager must play the role of a coach to help their teams come to their true potential.

Coaching is establishing itself as an indispensable tool for L&D professionals to be used to bring leaders to their full potential and create a steady pipeline of talent in the organization that is ready to take up larger challenges and bigger roles. In the future, the need for executive and leadership coaches who can bring a difference to the thought process of coaches and make the needle move when it comes to performance metrics will be way beyond what it is today.

Author - Abhilash Nair