The case for leadership and coaching skills

You are probably more familiar with mentoring than coaching.  The predominant position of many leaders is more of a mentoring focus – “I have knowledge and experience that you will find useful and I will readily encourage you to benefit from my advice.”

Coaching targets high performance and improvement at work where the coach does not have any specific answers.

Leaders and managers are not generally looking to become coaches.  They have been lead to believe that a coaching style of leadership is the style that is the best to use with people as it enables and empowers them to unleash their full potential to everyone’s benefit.

However, many leaders indicate that they don’t have the time with the pressures that they face for the slow and tedious task of coaching people and helping them grow.  Leaders feel the need to be strong, to take control and to take action.  But this is often an excuse hiding limited capabilities in coaching skills and an unwillingness to adapt.  These leaders frequently resort to the immediacy of the situation by telling and informing people what to do, masking it with a leading or directive question thus convincing themselves that they are continuing to coach!

Good, skilful coaching actually takes little or no extra time when done well.

Admittedly, there is a paradox in coaching’s positive effect on business performance because coaching focuses primarily on personal development, not on immediate work-related tasks.  Even so, research is increasingly suggesting that coaching improves results.  The reason is because it requires constant dialogue.  The ongoing dialogue of coaching guarantees that people know what is expected of them and how their work fits into a larger vision or strategy of the organisation.  Using a coaching dialogue develops responsibility and enhances clarity.

To read the full article written by Robin Hills for The People development Network click here..