Leaders aren’t born, they are grown. Which means that effective leadership training is one of the ways to raise leaders and become a successful business leader. Leadership coaching is an ideal way to find encouragement, gain greater insight into yourself and grow as a leader. It’s leadership training on the go and a great way to see immediate impact while you are undergoing the learning process.
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” Jack Welch, former business executive and CEO of General Electric.
Great leaders inspire us to do our best work. Research has categorically proven that effective leadership is the key to success. It results in increased workplace productivity and employee retention, improved succession planning and, ultimately, a better bottom line.
What is Leadership Coaching?
Even the most talented athlete needs a coach. Business leaders are no different. Succeeding within a leadership role requires specific skills. A business coach is someone who analyses performance, helps set measurable milestones for future goals, then assists with direction to achieve them. Because of the way coaching takes place, it has become one of the foremost tools used to enhance leadership skills within the business community.
Leadership Coaching is a collaborative partnership between a coach and the leader. The coach is neither didactic nor concerned with unravelling the problems of the past. Hence, it differs from mentoring or counselling. Instead, coaches assist their clients to discern what they want to achieve and encourage them to do so through self-generated solutions and strategies. Which the coach then holds the client accountable to.
What are the Goals of Leadership Coaching?
The aim of leadership training with a coach is to bring about sustained behavioural change. Thereby, transform the quality of the leaders working (and often personal) life. At its core is the principle of goal setting, which is the basic paradigm in affecting personal and organisational change.
The underlying primary goal of leadership coaching is to bring about more effective and healthier organisations. The assumption is that when leaders improve their performance, these benefits spread through the business. In a sense, exposing senior leaders to the coaching experience has the knock-on effect of precipitating a coaching culture within the organisation itself.
“Without goals, we don’t know where we are going, so we can’t progress efficiently.”
The Process of Leadership Coaching
Leadership training with a coach is a solutions-focused approach. Therefore, problems are identified as something that they have and not something that they are. Thus, they are able to change problems without assigning blame. The client is encouraged to decide what needs to be changed, set a goal and come up with a strategy to bring about the necessary change. Solutions involve leveraging existing strengths and talents, so as to expedite the process. Pre-agree on milestones to chart and analyse the progress towards the solution along the way. As such, the process of leadership coaching is an energetic partnership.
“Leadership Coaching is interactive & dynamic.”
The Growing Need for Leadership Training
Within a world in which the traditional office and business structure is evolving, undergoing leadership training is increasingly vital. Fostering a team dynamic and motivating staff within a remote working environment is a new skill for most leaders. One which requires personal insight and constant honest reflection by a team leader. As such a coach is ideally placed to lead this process.
5 Advantages of Coaching Leaders
- Bottom-line Benefits: Effective leadership coaching is strategic and individualised. This translates into a balance of engaging and motivating the client (leader) and delivering results for the business. Practically this should result in increased profits and reduced costs within a defined timeframe.
- Employee Retention: Retaining competent staff is key to saving time and growing a sustainable business. Good leaders create motivating work environments. This has lead to better performance and higher staff retention.
- Objective Perspective: A coach provides leaders with an honest assessment of their skills and where they can improve. This enables improved performance in otherwise overlooked areas.
- Insightful Analysis: Leadership coaches tend to work across a variety of companies. As a result, they are witness to successful strategies from unrelated situations. This enables cross-pollination of solutions and thus new approaches to old problems.
- Deeper Learnings: Leadership coaching enables better self-understanding. This results in leaders who are more realistic about how people perceive them and where they can improve. A greater awareness of one’s own beliefs and attitudes as well as values, also results in better understanding of other’s strengths and challenges. These factors contribute towards more effective and efficient business leadership.
Become a Business Coach
Have you ever considered becoming a business coach? SACAP offers a range of accredited coaching courses. These include a Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching, a part-time Coach Practitioner Programme and an Advanced Coach Practitioner Programme. All of which are aimed at deepening one’s coaching development and setting you up for a successful coaching career. For more information, enquire now.
FAQ:
1. What does a Business Coach do?
A business coach assists to bring about personal and organisational change. The purpose of which is to improve leadership quality and thereby employee performance, resulting in a more sustainable and profitable company.
2. Why Should Leaders be Trained?
Leadership training enhances existing skills and teaches people new ones. It is a key ingredient to being a more successful and effective leader. Business coaches are widely used in leadership training across many industries.
