It used to be that the best way to launch a successful career was to become an expert in a specific area of technology, function, or vocation. You needed to know the answers when you wanted to do a good job. If you could prove yourself in such a fashion, you’d progress up the ranks and into people management, where you’d be responsible for making sure your direct reports knew the same information.
As a manager, you were in charge of determining priorities, instructing employees, and evaluating their progress. The name of the game was command and control, and your objective was to train workers who would learn the ropes quickly and help the company achieve similar results to those it had achieved in the past.
What worked in the past is no longer a good indicator of what will work in the future because of the rapid, continual, and disruptive nature of modern change. Managers in the twenty-first century do not (and cannot) know everything. To deal with this reality, businesses are adopting a new paradigm in which managers provide support and direction rather than commands, and employees learn to adapt to ever-changing situations in ways that release new sources of energy, inventiveness, and dedication.
In a nutshell, management is shifting from directive to facilitative. The role of the manager is becoming that of a coach.
Companies are Moving Away from Traditional Command-and-Control Practices
We have witnessed this transformation firsthand, and it is profound. We’ve seen it in the companies we work with investing in training their leaders as coaches, we’ve seen it in the ongoing research we’ve been conducting on how organizations are transforming themselves for the digital age, and we’ve seen it in the goals and aspirations of our executive students and coaching clients. It is becoming increasingly important for managers at all levels to cultivate and implement the talent of coaching as it is becoming woven into the fabric of a learning culture.
It’s important to highlight that when we refer to “coaching,” we’re referring to more than just the work of consultants engaged by companies to assist CEOs in developing their professional and personal abilities. Although the labor is essential at times, it is usually performed temporarily and by outsiders. The kind of coaching we’re talking about is continuous, and it’s carried out by people from within the organization to establish a genuine learning culture. It’s the kind of thing that all managers should be doing all the time with all their employees, in ways that contribute to shaping the company’s culture and moving the company closer to its goals. A manager who is also a coach will encourage their staff by asking them questions rather than giving them directives, will not pass judgement on them, and will help them grow professionally rather than telling them what to do.
Leaders as Coaches
Leadership styles vary greatly from one company to the next. And they all approach leadership in their own unique ways. Some organizations, for instance, value servant leadership, which encourages managers to serve as advocates for their staff. On the other hand, democratic leaders encourage staff participation in decision-making. Others feel that strategic leadership is essential to their success.
Among the most important features of a coaching leadership style are:
#1. Professional Development
Under the leadership coaching paradigm, leaders are concerned with the growth of their teams in the same way that coaches are concerned with the growth of their players.
#2. Goal-focused
Leaders who adopt a coaching stance work with their subordinates to set and realize their own personal objectives. Goals can be set on a team level, an individual level, or both, and can be short- or long-term.
#3. Future-minded
In the professional sports world, coaches are aware that it takes time to make a difference. Because of the lag period between implementing changes and seeing results, they are focusing on the long haul. In the same way, the coaching method of leadership is ineffective. The executives who practice this style of management think ahead and work for the benefit of the organization over the long haul. They put forth effort now to reap benefits later on, and it pays off.
#4. Feedback
Leaders that choose a coaching approach to management are responsible for providing regular, actionable feedback to their teams. They are better able to achieve success and develop into their full potential in their careers and in life as a result. It’s important for leaders to be receptive to suggestions about how they may refine their management techniques from their subordinates.
#5. Mentorship
Leaders in organizations that follow the coaching leadership paradigm act as guides and coaches to their employees.
Successful Leaders are Great Coaches
Leaders who adopt a coaching stance are said to be practicing “coaching leadership,” as the name suggests. Leaders that take a servant approach focus on helping their team members grow professionally. They also educate them on the significance of their part in the overall team tactic. Not only does this improve the individual’s output, but it also boosts the efficiency of the team and the business as a whole.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to inspire and enable your team members. It’s possible, and highly effective, to adopt a leadership style that emphasizes mentoring interactions.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-leader-as-coach
- https://www.betterup.com/blog/coaching-leadership-style-examples
