A lot of pressure, a lot expected from leaders today. Coaching skill for the leader and as a leader are important human skills. To be fully present, to be in a position to thrive every day, the leaders of today need to take care of themselves.
Coaching is a professional yet a very powerful manner to keep on track on your own goals, be able to manage difficult conversations, lead people in your team, being able to operate communication skills and moreover getting better at emotional intelligence aptitudes.
How Can Leadership Coaching Support You
Lets start with individual aspects. Taking care of yourself first is key.
- The coach is focusing on your specific strengths, skills, needs and challenges of the leader
- The leaders is working with their coach on SMART personal and professional goals
Skills:
- Skill assesment and analyzing what need to be improved, in the communication style of the leader
- The coach act as the compagnion of the leader with being present on decision making challenges, guides the leader with open questions.
- Emotional Intelligence, which is the most important one. Developing self-awareness, empathy and being able to regulate emotions.
- Being fully inclusive and practising listening skills.
Performance:
- The coach will take the leader accountable on actions, behaviors and will monitor closley the progress made and even push further, beyind the bounderies of the leader
- The coach will constantly provide feed forward and will embed this process within the leader with asking to do the same with his peers and teams as the best feed forward comes from the humans you work with.
Behavioural Change:
- Changing behavior is the most difficult part, as we immediately move within our unconscious bias. Changing behavior needs to constant attention, observing yourself and analysing at the end of the day. The coach is there for you to be your mirror and will show you what could had been done differently in certain circumstance. For that process, I love my process of “Laser Coaching”, which is this 15 min slot where we tune into the specific matter, challenge and come up with actions ghat can eb taken for next time.
- Overcoming barriers and obstacles with your coach gets easier as leaders as you have your own bling spots and the coach is present to show you more options by asking the powerful questions that are needed for each different situation.
However only focusing on your leadership style is not sufficient and will not give you the competitive edge that you need to advance in your own career. At the same time you need to be able to position yourself in the organization, to advance in your own career journey.
Balancing Leadership and Personal Career Growth
Whilst looking at being a good leader, the balalence needs to be mantained to also have an eye on your own career journey. That’s where the coach kicks in to be your supportive lens, on your own mental well being and your own professional and personal life.
My proven framework of “Drive&Thrive your Career” is used for that specific need, to manouver in the minefield of corporates skilfully, covering your message, your purpose, your networkg and your own self promotion strategies.
To have a professional leadership/career coach is not a luxury anymore. Let’s remind ourselves. A sports person who wants to be successful, who wants to win, has got a coach every day beside them, challenging them, picking them up from the floor, giving them hope and faith, tools and techniques each day.
The Importance of External Support in Professional Life
The same counts for the professional life sphere where personal and professional has converged and you need to have someone from outside your inner circle, someone whom you can trust, someone who is non judgemental yet at same time can push you forward.
Leadership coaching is impactful. What about getting a coach? Lets have a chat.
