A Missing Leadership Skill
I listened to a client talk about a failed leader…he and his company had spent a lot of time and money bringing this man in and he was perplexed because this leader seemed to have all the right stuff. He had experience and knowledge…he was motivated and seemed to be good with people…he had high integrity and he worked hard; so what could have possibly gone wrong?
As I listened, I heard another story underneath what my client was relaying. A familiar story that negatively impacts many leaders, those they lead and ultimately the organizations they serve. The leader they hired truly did have a lot going for him, but unfortunately, understanding what we need to develop others was not something he understood. He wanted to cheer his people upward and onward…be a great boss…and build a dynamic team. All good things. Yet, he was missing a crucial ingredient great leaders cultivate; that is the skills of a good coach. Let’s talk about what a coach does for others and I think you’ll see why this link in the chain is so critical.
A coach draws ideas out of others. A coach helps others to dig deeper into themselves and tap into their strengths and innovative ideas. A coach helps forge a strong connection between themselves and those they coach…a coach uses the power of this relationship to help build their client’s capabilities. Coaching requires you to be curious instead of offering solutions or fixing problems. Using powerful questions helps people gain new awareness and insights they will use to mature and build the confidence they need to optimize.
Many leaders are missing this piece of the development puzzle. If they knew how to develop their people in the moment, not during the annual review (probably one of the most unhelpful growth tools organizations use), but in the moment…shoulder to shoulder…the results in performance would skyrocket. Culture would vastly improve and loyalty would be forged. These coaching moments are where the magic is! An effective leader learns to be on the lookout for these golden coaching moments and uses them to sculpt the situation in a way that builds trust, relationship and capacity.
Learning to be a good coach is one of the most powerful skills you can learn if you lead others. How do you learn these skills? Hire a coach. Hire the best coach you can and pour yourself into the opportunity to grow yourself, your skills and your people. The greatest way we learn is through experience. I’ve been training professional coaches for 12 years and one of the most powerful parts of the training experience is going through the coaching process themselves. What we experience is far more powerful of a teacher than what we learn intellectually.
So, if you aspire to be a great leader or a great coach…find a great coach of your own and let the experience teach you the way toward becoming a more powerful version of yourself.