A Coaching Approach to Leadership

Colorado’s unemployment is hovering around 3% and it is lower in many of the cities around town.  This is a tough economic environment for employers hoping to find talent in the market place and it makes it vitally essential to keep the talent you have.

I am still hearing from many employers that turnover is an issue for them. They are losing out to the competition or to another company paying a tad more. With 2 out of 3 employees rating their leader as below average and 75% saying they would entertain a call from a recruiter or are looking for something better, its time to take notice!

How are your leaders doing? What are the results of your most recent engagement survey? Do you have teams that would be more engaged and productive if their leader had stronger coaching skills?
 

Out with the Old

The old command and control style is no longer working.  Telling people what to do cheats them out of:

• Learning 
• Feeling ownership
• Feeling valued
• Building confidence
• Using their ideas
• Being motivated
   

Coaching Confusion

When I talk to individuals about coaching I sometimes hear an unfounded belief that coaching takes too much time and doesn’t get any results.  Coaching IS about:

• Action and Results
• Focus on people AND task
• Collaborative behavior
• Supporting others to success
• Relationships based on trust
• Development
• Possibility and potential
• Empowering others
• Generating Ideas and solutions
• Motivating and fulfilling
• Creating sustainable performance

Here are some basic coaching skills to try:

• Listen beyond the words to the needs, wants and motivations of your team
• Use powerful questions to engage thinking and generate ideas
• Choose appropriate style according to the needs of different situations
   

Behavior Matters

Staff today are independent and want challenge. They want to feel heard and know that their opinions count. They want their leaders to relate with empathy, understanding and encouragement. They not only want to better themselves but also get along better with others.  A coaching approach does both. Leadership behavior is a critical component in the ROI your company receives on your talent. What precedes results is behavior. Behavior matters.