Why the New Leader MUST be a Great Coach!
Hello Incredible Humans!
If every manager/leader asks this question to oneself,
Are you successful at coaching your employees?
Many leaders would probably say “Yes”. In reality, most are ill-equipped to answer this question. The reason is many managers/leaders tend to think they’re coaching but in hindsight, they’re actually just telling their employees what to do.
“TELLING IS ORDERING, NOT COACHING!”
According to Sir John Whitmore, a leading figure in executive coaching, the definition of coaching is
“Unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.”
“Helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”
When done right, Coaching can also help immensely with employee engagement.
It is often more motivating to bring one’s own expertise to a situation than to be told what to do!
Recent leadership research deduced that most managers/leaders don’t understand what coaching really is — which also sheds light on how to fix the problem.
The good news is that managers/leaders can improve their coaching skills in a short amount of time. All one has to do is invest in learning how to coach in the first place!
A leading research study from Harvard looked specifically at how you can train managers/leaders to be better coaches. Below are 9 leadership coaching skills based on the existing literature and practical leadership experiences:
Ø Active listening.
Ø Asking the right questions – “Voltaire once famously recommended that we judge a person by his questions rather than his answers.”
Ø Giving and receiving feedback.
Ø Assisting with goal setting.
Ø Showing empathy.
Ø Letting the coachee arrive at their own solution.
Ø Recognizing and pointing out strengths.
Ø Creating clarity and providing structure.
Ø Encouraging a solution-focused approach.
“In my leadership experience, the most difficult coaching skill to master is: “letting the coachee arrive at their own solution.”
Some key takeaways for Organizations and leaders for inculcating a "Coaching Culture":
1. Firstly, any approach to coaching should begin by clearly defining what it is and how it differs from other types of leadership behavior. This shift in mindset lays a foundation for training and gives managers a clear set of expectations.
2. The next step is to let managers practice coaching in a safe environment before letting them work with their teams. The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to invest in months of training to see a difference. You do, however, need to invest in some form of training. Even a short course targeted at the right skills can markedly improve managers'/leaders' coaching skills.
3. Reflection & Adjustment - Ensure that it includes time for managers to reflect on their coaching abilities. What’s working, and what they could do better? Harvard business research also supports the idea of receiving feedback from coaching experts in order to improve. Specifically, coaching experts could give feedback on how well the coaching skills were applied, and if any coaching opportunities have been missed. This could take the form of regular peer coaching, where managers in an organization come together to practice coaching with each other, or to discuss common problems and solutions they have encountered when coaching others, all in the presence of a coaching expert, which eventually leads to a larger Coaching Communities of Practice(CoP).
I conclude by stating that “Coaching is one of the greatest leadership skills that can be learned, developed and honed over time AND Organizations must invest in Coaching and build a Coaching culture to prepare and strengthen their next-gen leadership.”
"Thank you for taking the time to go over my leadership series blog. Hope that helps you in a small way to reflect and do amazing things! Appreciate any feedback or inputs for improvement."
Take care and be safe.
Cheers, Phani
References
2. The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by Timothy Gallway.
3. Coaching for Performance: by Sir John Whitmore.
Leader in driving Product and Program Management Excellence for Global Technology Initiatives
4yVery insightful Phani... I agree with you!! “In my leadership experience, the most difficult coaching skill to master is: “letting the coachee arrive at their own solution.” Worth reading!!