Coaching Skills for Leaders
A leader must wear many hats to be effective - a teacher, enforcer, director, disciplinarian, evaluator, coach. . .and the list goes on!
I don’t believe that coaching is a leadership style or even a type of leader, and it is not just a concept used to rally a team. I believe coaching is a fundamental leadership skill and one component of a larger whole to which other skills must be added. Coaching is defined by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as, “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
As a leader, consider this definition and imagine the impact of partnering with your employees in a way that stimulates their creative process and sparks them to achieve their fullest potential. WOW, who wouldn’t want to have that impact on their employees? Imagine what would be possible, if only. . .you had those skills.
You don’t need to be a certified professional coach or to understand all there is to know about coaching to establish this partnership with your employees. There are a handful of coaching skills that you can use that will give you the foundation you need to get started. Before you jump in, you need to know that for you to be effective, these skills must come from a place of care and authenticity. Your employees must already trust you.
Leadership Coaching Tips:
Here are what I believe to be the foundational coaching skills you need as a leader:
1 - Listen at a high level, more than just the words
2 - Be curious, let go of any preconceived notion, and open your mind
3 - Respond in a way that supports, explores, or creates new perspective
4 - Hold others accountable to create independence
5 - Celebrate / champion forward progress, regardless of how small
*I have a new leadership development course where I go into greater detail about each of these skills and create opportunities to practice using them. If you are interested in taking the course, learn more by clicking the button.