LEADERSHIP COACHING: WHAT IT IS AND WHY LEADERS NEED ONE
If I were to ask who the greatest coach of all time is, I suspect we would here names like Bill Belicheck, Pat Summitt, Mike Tomlin, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Dawn Staley, etc. There’s little doubt these are all great coaches, but in the business world there is a need for great leadership coaches, which is very different from sports coaches.
Coaching, in its truest form is two-way conversation between a coach and a high performer; with the purpose of helping the high performer successfully navigate problems they face.
Coaching provides a means to identify and overcome barriers that may be holding you or your team back.
This could be a lack of a clear vision, inadequate training and education, an individual’s behavior or limiting beliefs.
And let’s be honest, leadership is hard! You must focus on the future, while also paying attention to today. You consciously make efforts to enhance your own skills and have the ability to pivot quickly when your industry changes or when other headwinds come your way, but you can’t forget about the importance of connecting with and valuing each member of your team as a unique contributor, while also creating cohesion amongst the group
Add to that managing competing priorities (often with fewer people), meeting your boss’ expectations, and generally doing what is necessary to meet the organizational objectives and live the mission of your company, it can be challenging.
I often use the analogy – leadership can feel like spinning the family’s fine china on sticks; each piece is important and you’re doing your best to make sure none of them fall. Perhaps staffing is a significant challenge you’re dealing with and you’re spending more energy on that ‘plate’ to get the momentum going, but over on the next stick you have customer satisfaction or growth losing momentum because you haven’t been able to give those priorities your attention.
What often happens is leaders feel like they’re on the edge of multiple priorities crashing to the floor, which would be devastating.
This is where working with a skilled business leader coach will have a tremendous impact on your success. Leadership coaching starts when there is a problem you need to solve but haven’t been successful resolving it on your own. It may be that you need to recenter the priorities of your company by updating your strategic plan, or perhaps you have behaviors or blindspots that are holding you back and are having a negative impact on your or your organization’s success.
Sometimes clients come to us because they are struggling to build a high performing team, creating a culture of engagement, or leading their team through significant change. Regardless the challenges you’re facing, if you cannot find the answer on your own, you should consider talking with a coach.
At Ignite Leadership, we specialize in coaching business leaders. We work with emerging and seasoned leaders to improve their personal effectiveness by discovering who they need to be as a leader. We used validated behavioral assessments, 360-degree feedback, and proven approaches to help you execute your strategy well.
If you have a problem that involves people or can be solved by people A coach can help!
Reach out for your complimentary consultation and learn how we can you Ignite Your Leadership!
