Leaders are the focal point of any organisation or enterprise. Effective leadership is essential for the maintenance and growth of the company. Leaders decide the course of the business; hence they must remain in tune with the organisation’s objectives on a regular basis. As varied as the definition of leadership is in itself, what is more staggering is the number of things on a leader’s to-do plate. The technology-driven world of today ensures that data is always in abundance; this means that people are always trying to keep up. In such a scenario, a leader can not know everything at any given point of time, nor is he/she expected to be on top of everything. Coaching managers and leaders is a solution that offers to strengthen various areas of their skillset while keeping them in tune with their human frequencies. Leadership coaching is a systematic, customised, and personalised coaching experience for leaders at all levels of an organisation that helps to optimise their performance and helps them achieve their short-term and long-term goals. A coach observes leaders objectively while they work through their daily routines. Then, they identify and remove potential obstacles such as habits, beliefs or fears that prevent the leader from meeting objectives or achieving goals. Furthermore, this type of coaching can also be used to provide a hands-on experience to those in the company who are being groomed for leadership. These people effectively start off as leaders without titles and if they are coached early they may learn from and avoid many of the mistakes that their predecessors have made.
Apart from business and executive coaching which can be utilised to help leaders, there are two types of targeted coaching for those at the managerial levels-
- Behavioural coaching for leaders– The main goal of behavioural coaching is for coaches to help leaders make long-term changes regarding their behaviour, attitude and interpersonal skills. These changes help leaders learn how to motivate their teams and work more effectively with them. Often, leaders are so driven to be effective and produce outputs and results, they forget that they are dealing with human beings and not machines. Human energy is one aspect that can completely galvanise a workforce and if the leader can understand and mould the flow of this energy according to their will, they will have a very satisfied and extremely competent team at their behest.
- Strategic coaching– Strategic coaching is a proactive approach for top executives that teaches them how to plan for long-term organizational success using comprehensive strategies. This form of coaching aims to enhance senior leaders’ leadership development and the performance of all employees who report to them. Aimed at those in the C-suite and beyond, this type of coaching aims to work at the roots of ideas that drive organisations and dictate strategy. Strategic coaching aims to alter thought processes and build a mindset capable of solving for complex problems in the long run.
So, how does leadership coaching benefit leaders at all levels? According to Indeed, in multiple ways! While some of the more obvious ones include building healthy relationships, maximising productivity, and ensuring a positive atmosphere at the workplace, these mere words require a lot of action and effort to be put into them to transform into results. Here are 6 more ways in which leadership coaching can help organisations upscale at all levels-
- Conflict management and resolution- One of the biggest points of leadership is that it brings the person in direct or close contact with the client. Leadership coaching assists team leads/pod leads, CFOs, CEOs, etc. with handling challenging employees and customers effectively. Coaches help to empower these people to deal with conflict and may role play with them to help them de-escalate situations before they become a larger issue.
- Leverage existing strengths- During leadership development coaching sessions, leaders discuss their strengths with their coach, and the coach teaches them how to use their strengths to benefit their work and employees. Discussing one’s strengths and receiving positive feedback from a leadership coach allows leaders to feel more confident in their leadership skills when assigning workloads, resolving conflicts and dealing with day-to-day challenges.
- Retain employees- Employee turnover is an unfortunate reality in many industries, as employees often leave jobs in which the work environment is more negative than positive or if there are limited opportunities for advancement. Leadership coaches provide leaders with tools and skills to help them build trust and develop rapport with employees, which allows them to feel valued, respected and needed.
- Build a productive feedback loop- Coaching helps leaders cultivate confidence and communication skills, which helps managers to provide effective, constructive feedback to their employees when necessary. This aspect of leadership coaching is especially helpful for leaders who tend to approach feedback with criticism.
- Encourage free-thinking within teams- Targeted coaching helps encourage leaders to broaden their thinking patterns and consider other ways to think about problems and opportunities. This encourages flexible leadership that allows managers to make precise, quick and creative decisions. A free-thinking leader in turn creates an innovative team capable of approaching problems from different angles.
- Optimise work-life balance- Being a leader is always stressful, but if they forget about their lives after the job, they will not be able to contribute properly at the job. Coaches may also teach leaders how to prioritise and delegate their work to help them manage their time effectively. This gives managers time for other things that may be important to them.
When coaching began, it was viewed primarily as a luxury option for the upper echelons of management. While that notion has successfully been nullified with the passage of time and the evolution of the industry, it remains that all leaders de facto need coaching in light of the enormous responsibilities that they shoulder. This time around, however, people are gravitating towards coaching for ALL levels of leadership, right from the team manager to the CEO. Leadership coaching is here to stay, and it is picking up pace!
