Tag Archive for: CSLDP Intro Module

, , , , , ,

Coaching: Leadership Skills Can Be Learned

Leadership coaching and mentoring can be the difference for managers to become leaders!

 

Managers are often challenged by expectations of meeting and exceeding goals; achieving KPI’s; leading teams and many other aspects of creating and sustaining successful business. Consistently, evidence and research suggests that the biggest challenge for managers is leading and influencing people. Influencing others is core to the leadership component of the role and the single greatest influence on achieving team/business goals and outcomes.

Yet, genuinely leading team members and employees remains something that is often feared and somewhat avoided.

Very few managers instinctively or innately understand all of the elements of leadership and most struggle in this space to some degree. If you have read this far, it is probably because you are relating these points to your current manager or maybe when leading others yourself. The good news; this is incredibly common.

Related: Coaching Leaders – Learning to Lead

CoachStation was created to assist in these exact scenarios. Being competent and confident to lead and manage is not ‘automatic’ just because you have been given the role and title. However, these skills, attributes and leadership capability can be learned. It starts with you.

Fearing the outcomes because you are not focusing on the inputs and things that can be controlled is both ineffective and inefficient…not to mention, stressful!

I have been fortunate to have assisted in the development of well over 550 clients in the last 14 years, through leadership and workplace coaching and mentoring. Very few clients cannot and do not become more effective as leaders, through focused and tailored coaching. That is the power of targeted development.

During this time I completed leadership coaching and mentoring programs with two managers working in the public service sector. Tanya and Steve were great coachees. They owned their actions and were keen to practice the art and science of leadership on a daily basis.

Steve and Tanya were very kind in giving me a gift to show appreciation, which was a lovely surprise. This can be seen in the photo of the framed quote above. A highly relevant statement for the nature of coaching, yet just as relevant in leadership. This information may assist you to understand what ‘success’ can look like as you embark on your development program.

Their comments and feedback provide a relevant and interesting insight into the benefits that can be gained through participating in a leadership coaching and mentoring program. They are worth reading, as context and insight of others can be very powerful.

The opportunity to embark on a coaching and mentoring relationship with Steve Riddle through CoachStation came at an extremely fortuitous time for me. I had been feeling overwhelmed with my work, was becoming increasingly disengaged and was struggling with aspects of my leadership role.

Working with Steve gave me an accountability for ownership of my behaviour, standards and expectations.

Steve is an extremely knowledgeable and effective coach; he listens and understands providing support, resources and guidance. It is no magic trick though, there is hard work to be done. Some of the sessions were quite challenging; as a self-proclaimed perfectionist it can be a little uncomfortable to self-assess and reflect honestly.

However the growth and development I experienced through the program is invaluable and ongoing. The process was just what I needed to re-focus and re-energise.

Under Steve’s genuine and engaging coaching style, I have worked to improve my communication as a leader, streamlined my work processes so that I am working more efficiently and I have a much deeper understanding of my personal values and their influence on my behaviour. These changes have permeated into my personal life. I also feel more assertive, organised and in control in aspects outside of work. Thank you Steve for helping me get there in such a positive and meaningful way.

If you (like me) always read the internet reviews in order to make decisions…and are wondering whether CoachStation is right for you and/or your business, I strongly encourage you to take the step.

Tanya T, Leader

The points made by Tanya about her coaching experience are just as applicable in leadership as coaching. Skills and attributes such as accountability, behaviour, setting expectations, understanding personal values and listening skills all form the core of effective leadership, just as they do when coaching. Along with the other points made, they also provide a ‘self-check’ for a leader (you?) to assess your performance.

I have worked with Steve for the last 6 months. During this time Steve has challenged me in the areas that I needed to be challenged in whilst allowing me to add growth to the areas that I felt I was already quite proficient. Steve is down to earth, has the experience to relate to the scenarios that I have raised and has provided the guidance and coaching that has allowed me to achieve the results that I set out to achieve in those situations.

After 6 sessions with Steve, I can absolutely say that I am more effective in not only my professional life but also in my home life.

Steve B, Leader

Steve mentioned being challenged during his coaching process. To be able to find the balance in challenging someone, without that becoming the focus of the moment is a useful skill.

I often refer to a ‘supported challenge’ as opposed to an ‘unsupported challenge’. When someone feels that you are focusing on them rather than the point, it can feel personal. Then there is a risk of avoidance or blame. Either way this is not an effective methodology.

Steve also mentioned that the benefits have been felt just as much in his personal life as in the workplace. This makes sense to those who have participated in coaching. It is difficult and unnecessary to separate these two aspects of our lives. The coachee is the common denominator and all parts of their lives are positively impacted through development.

 

 

Read related: 7 Tips for First-Time Managers: How to Succeed as a New Manager

Practicing Leadership: Skill Development and Commitment

Why Don’t We Practice Leadership Like We Do Other Skills?

Generally, it is accepted that we are prepared to spend time practicing learning an instrument, language, sporting skill or similar but are less willing to apply genuine practice time to develop leadership skills.

The Role of Practice and Coaching

I often facilitate leadership training in a group setting and conduct coaching and mentoring sessions with attendees supporting the learning. The face to face 1:1 coaching session content often refers back to the leadership training itself. This is powerful in that training rarely leads to lasting change in itself – something most of us already know.

Reinforcing the knowledge gained through practice and support is key. The opportunity to reflect internally and share with your coach or mentor adds weight to the ‘stickability’ of the training concept, content and the growth in ability for the budding leader.

Is Leadership Learned or Innate?

The age-old leadership question remains – are leaders born or taught – nature or nurture? I am not seeking to answer this today, however the question relates.

If you subscribe to the theory that leadership is predominantly learned, then it is natural to assume that to become proficient in leadership application, many weeks, months and years of practice is required.

Malcolm Gladwell and others refer to the premise that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become proficient in something. Fair comment, even if this figure seems a little general, the point is that it takes many, many hours of practice to become highly proficient. However, the anomaly remains that most leaders I know assume that this skill is something that comes with a title and/or somehow automatically derives from holding a management position for a period.

This is perplexing and is inconsistent with the understanding that we need to practice to build capability in other areas of our lives.

Why Is Leadership Treated Differently?

Is it because leadership is less tangible than hearing someone playing a musical instrument over time; become more capable playing golf, as measured by a reducing score or handicap or other examples of measured improvement?

The perceived intangibles of leadership are difficult to describe to someone who has not felt the pleasure of leadership such as:

  • Turning around a ‘problem team member’
  • Helping someone through a difficult situation
  • Seeing improved results, profit or other measurable outcomes

The benefits of leadership success are some of the most powerful emotional accomplishments an individual can feel. Yet, until these are actually felt and the wins uncovered, a commitment to leadership is possibly one of the great contradictions of business. The role may require it but that does not mean leadership is actually provided to any depth.

The Emotional Hook of Leadership

Leadership is often talked about. It is a key to business success. The links are obvious, yet we still struggle to genuinely encourage and support our newer leaders to a level where they are comfortable performing more than transactional aspects of the role.

The desire to practice and become truly proficient and efficient as a leader requires us as experienced leaders to help expose the emotional benefits and connections as soon as possible in the leadership journey.

This emotional success and association with leadership as more than simply a concept or byword drives ongoing commitment and transformational change in an individual.

Once experienced, this once elusive success quickly becomes a tangible benefit for those being led and the potential to truly influence outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, leadership deserves the same level of deliberate, ongoing practice we give to any skill we truly value.

The difference is that its rewards aren’t just personal, they’re broader and deeper than that. When leaders commit to developing themselves with intention, the ripple effect touches teams, organisations and outcomes in powerful ways.

The challenge, and the opportunity, is to treat leadership not as a role we inherit, but as a craft we continually refine. The more we connect with its emotional impact, the more visible, valuable and transformative our leadership becomes.