As a leadership coach for the past 15 years or so, I have worked with a varied group of leaders, senior executives, and entrepreneurs. Sometimes they are "sent" to me by their organisation to be prepared for bigger and more complex leadership roles. And, sometimes individuals reach out to me because they notice a gap in their leadership ability, and seek help for their own growth.
Why do people need leadership coaching?
Have you ever worked for a bad boss? If so, you know how overwhelming and disheartening it can be to have an ineffective leader. Bad bosses always lead to high quit rates. According to Gallup, the American multinational analytics and advisory company, one in two employees has quit their job because of their boss's poor leadership skills at some point in their career.
Research also shows that 70% of employees are actively looking for, or thinking about getting a new job because their current workplace does not offer adequate support, or recognition. These individual outcomes are not the only drawbacks of bad leadership. There are multitude of other pitfalls when leaders are not trained to manage their teams effectively and consciously.
Leadership coaching is exactly what it sounds like; it centres on actively developing the competencies and talents in individuals, to enhance their leadership skills and ability to work effectively with others. Typically, leadership coaches will dive into effective communication practices, the impact of different leadership styles, learning to read people better, preparing developmental plans for staff, and general strategic coaching.
Coaching has a direct and immediate effect on your leaders' professional and personal development, and that benefits every team member in your organization. So, my role as a leadership coach is to focus on concrete issues, such as helping my coachee to manage people more effectively, or to speak more articulately, or to think more strategically.
Leaderships coaches get involved for a specific period of time, perhaps for six monthly sessions.
It is a proven, systematic methodology, based on behavioral science to assess and enhance the leadership abilities of executives, managers, and high-potential individuals. It is a partnership between a leader and a coach where both parties are working toward specific shared goals that they establish together.
My singular purpose at these sessions is to work with the coachee to improve their performance. Often, we consider how they can enhance their current skills, or what they would need to do, to acquire new skills.
The coaching sessions are individually designed. Sometimes, I am asked by companies to coach a group of employees. For this, I might design the sessions by considering areas of competency, and perhaps fix some assessment tools. But by and large, leadership coaching sessions are custom-made for you, as an individual.
Prior to starting the coaching sessions, if the programme is deployed by an organisation, the only critical partner I need is my coachee's immediate line leader. They will provide me feedback on areas where their down-liner needs help and augmentation. Even then, I only use this information as a guide in my sessions.
For individuals who reach out to me directly for their own growth, the only prerequisite is that they understand that what they "put in" is what they will "get out." So, as a person opens up about their capacity, insecurities, and desires, as a leadership coach, I offer them a few perspectives for them to digest.
For example, I recently guided a top executive to decide on his next step on his career path. He had a few options but he appreciated the few conversations we had, which helped him with his own clarity to actually pull the trigger on a firm decision. The reality is that even a top executive, like the managing director of a company, needs an accountability partner, and someone who can spur in them deeper analysis.
As coach, I offer an outsider's qualified viewpoint. I have no vested interest, like your bosses, on your day to day work outcomes, and I cannot influence your remuneration package or bonus payments. Any and all feedback a coach offers is purely based on their experiences. It is entirely up to you, to glean insights from the conversations you have with your coach.
Many shy away from engaging leadership or performance coaches because of the myth that coaching is only for employees as a last and desperate effort, before they are shown the door. Or, that it is about filling a leadership gap that you have, which you do not actually want to admit.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Coaching is for those who want to step up to the next level of personal and career growth. Coaching is also about redefining your future, by helping you recalibrate your attitude, and to support your work ambitions.
So, get a coach, or better still, get in touch with me if you want results in your work life.