Effective Leaders share characteristics of effective coaches
Can you recall a positive coaching experience either in your personal or professional life?
What were the personal characteristics of the coach?
What did they do that worked well for you?
Each one of us will answer these questions a little differently depending on our experiences however; studies have shown that there are some behaviours common to all good coaches.
A Coach develops Strong Relationships
For example they:
Put others at ease
Show respect, empathy and understanding towards the needs, feelings, values and beliefs of others while withholding judgement
Demonstrate honesty and integrity
Genuinely believe in the potential of others
Consistently support and encourage others
A Coach is an Effective Communicator:
For example they:
Adopt a communication style that is appropriate to the person and situation (e.g. words, actions, body language, vocal tone)
Listen actively by asking questions, clarifying points, re-phrasing statements and summarising to check understanding
Listen closely for the motivation and emotions behind words
Make appropriate use of silence
Offer objective balanced feedback
Present ideas and information in ways that promote understanding
A Coach has genuine Self-Awareness:
For example they:
Acknowledge their personal values, assumptions, beliefs, prejudices, philosophy and emotions without imposing these on others
Suspend their judgement to achieve maximum objectivity
Handle emotions without becoming personally involved
A Coach focuses on Results:
For example they help others to:
Analyse a situation, identify opportunities, explore and evaluate options
Clarify and identify goals and develop action plans to achieve these
Seek better ways of doing things and strive for goals that are demanding
Challenge assumptions or a loss of focus
Constructively confront negative behaviours and attitudes
Evaluate progress and develop alternative strategies when plans change
While these behaviours describe an effective coach they also describe the traits of an effective leader too. When you improve your coaching you also strengthen your leadership.
How to Work with this:
1. Before diving into planning, problem solving or whatever with your team do you allow time to make a connection first?
2. Evaluate your interpersonal and communication skills, are there areas where you can improve?
3. Feedback from others increases our self awareness. How regularly do you ask for feedback on your leadership or coaching effectiveness?
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