Leadership coaching assists in the personal and professional development of leaders working in an organization. In leadership coaching organizational leaders get help from the coaches to enhance their leadership skills and abilities. It is a thought-provoking creative relationship between leaders and coaches where the leaders are inspired to work to their highest personal and professional potential.
The leadership coaching process is designed to put focus on the needs of the leader and to help the leader develop their leadership skills, systemic thinking, methods of problem-solving, and better decision making. Leadership coaching builds all-rounder leaders who give the organization an edge over its competitors.
Leadership coaching
The leadership coaching process is for established existing leaders who desire to know all the aspects needed to lead an organization effectively. It is a personalized 6 to 8-month coaching interaction. However, it can be customized based on individual organizational needs. The format is decided between the coach and the organization after a detailed discussion with the client.
Coaches ideally should do at least two reviews with the Leader – one midway during the engagement and one at the end of the engagement. This allows both the leader and the coach to course-correct along the way if needed.
Why should management undergo leadership coaching?
Leaders are the core of their organizations. They might be great at technical skills but might not be adept at leading a team or getting people to work as a cohesive unit. Leadership is also different when leading a 3- 4 member team vs when a leader is expected to lead a larger people organisation. Leaders need help and hand-holding in the process of achieving their goals as a leader. This help can come through leadership coaching. Leadership coaching can lead to higher work engagement, productive teams, and effective leadership. Through leadership coaching, leaders can become the inspirational and motivational leaders their teams need.
Leadership Coaching can help managers become leaders in the following ways:
- Effectively Leading the Team: Leadership coaching helps the leaders to formulate and implement new strategies that help the leader to take the team along towards its stated goal. It helps the leaders to identify their leadership style and improve it. Through leadership coaching, Leaders also learn how to understand the organization’s strengths and weaknesses and work on filling the gaps/ weaknesses. Leadership coaching opens new ways of working for a leader. It enables the leader to reach out to their teams to gather new perspectives. They can build a cohesive and high-performing team leading to gains for themselves and the organisation.
- To feel empowered: Managers and leaders through leadership coaching feel empowered to do extraordinary work for their organization, which benefits the company as a whole and as an individual in particular. Leadership coaching helps the leader to get a clear perspective of their strengths and weaknesses. With the assistance of the leadership coaches, the managers and leaders get a clear idea of how to make leadership progress by working on their weaknesses. Leadership coaching empowers the managers to develop and enhance their leadership skills and to take action towards a goal with faith in themselves and their abilities.
- Interested leaders get a new insight into their own behaviour: Leaders through leadership coaching gain new insights into their own strengths and weaknesses. They are better able to identify self – sabotaging behaviour that may hold them back from developing their leadership skills. Coaches also help leaders become more aware of the motivation and behaviour of team members. With newfound insights and effective communication skills, the leaders are able to perform individually and engage better with their team.
- Managers learn to build their EQ and understand others: Organizational management requires to undergo leadership coaching as it broadens their outlook towards their team members. They are better able to understand team members, delegate responsibilities, listen and understand their team’s concerns and work towards building a healthy environment of transparent communication among all team members.
Leadership Coaching also helps coaches explain better to team members their place in the organisation. This leads to greater work productivity as employees feel more productive when they understand why their work matters and how directly it benefits the organization. Leadership coaching encourages a flexible relationship between leaders and the employees which provides room for creative, quick, and accurate decisions to be taken for the organization.
- Better Communication Skills – Leadership coaching helps the leaders better their communication skills. They learn to communicate with people who have myriad personalities. They are also able to be clear and unambiguous when conveying information. This clear communication does not leave team members in any doubt allowing them to work to their fullest capabilities. With good communication skills, leaders connect with their team members, which increases their credibility as leaders.
Leadership Coaching therefore has a wide-ranging impact on the performance of not just the leader and their team but also on the organisation and its performance. To know more please visit Coach to Transformation, a leading training organisation.
