There was a time when the path to leadership started with gaining deep expertise in a particular area. Whether that area was technical, functional, or professional, becoming the “go-to” person while delivering positive results almost guaranteed the opportunity to be promoted through the ranks and eventually lead others. Back then, in a time where most organizations ascribed to a command-and-control type of leadership, your deep expertise would allow you to evaluate a situation, determine a solution, and provide instruction to your team on what needed to be done.
While the command-and-control style of management still exists, more and more successful organizations are moving toward a style where leaders support and guide rather than direct. Taking a coaching approach to leading others develops employees who are adept at pivoting in volatile times, engaged in their work, and empowered to offer new ideas and solutions.
Skeptical about whether developing a coaching approach to your style of leadership is worth the time and effort? Here are 3 reasons why you should.
- Change is not going away…and its’ pace is accelerating. In the 21st century, change is a fact of life. The added disruption and lingering business effects of COVID have caused unanticipated challenges with few easy fixes. Coaching is needed now more than ever to encourage an open environment where employees can share their ideas, work together as a team to create and implement innovative solutions, and share what isn’t working without fear of retribution.
- Strong teams drive results. Attracting the right people for your team is becoming increasingly difficult. Once you have them on board, keeping them is the next challenge. Utilizing a coaching approach is essential to developing all the people on your team. Investing in your people this way builds skill and capability at a faster pace. Additionally, valuing your team members increases their commitment and the likelihood of achieving team goals.
- Stress and uncertainty are rising in the workplace. As a leader, you have the power to add to the tension or ease it. A coaching style facilitates an environment where you build connections, lend an empathetic ear, and learn what each individual on your team needs. Strong, trusting relationships can defuse the stress and anxiety, allowing your team to stay focused on their contribution to the organization.
Achieving results, staying up to date, and developing team capabilities is more important than ever and more challenging. As a leader, it’s critical to provide constructive feedback, guide and support your team to reach goals, manage performance, expand skills and abilities, and engage your team. How do these actions most often take place? In coaching conversations. Yet, many leaders struggle with having these conversations or misunderstand the role of coaching as a leadership tool.
If you agree that having more effective coaching conversations would help you and other leaders navigate today’s business complexities, consider our Leader as Coach Program.
In this workshop, we will:
- Explore mindsets which support constructive coaching conversations
- Equip you with tools to enhance coaching interactions
- Develop essential skills for emotionally intelligent, constructive coaching conversations
- Apply emotionally intelligent leadership behaviors to enhance coaching interactions.
This program is ideal for current leaders or those growing their leadership skills for the future. This is not a coach training program. It is a program designed to help leaders bring a coaching style to their leadership of others based on core emotional intelligence skills.
If you’d like to learn more about the program, please email me at sherry@dutraassociates.com.
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