If you’re in a leadership role of any kind, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself in challenging situations. You’ve dealt with difficulties–some of which have likely arisen in the past several years of remote work, employee turnover, and organizational change. 30 years’ experience working with leaders and teams has taught me that when the going gets tough, oftentimes the human impulse is to tighten up the ship with more rigidity and control. You assume all of the responsibility to course-correct. Inevitably, your team suffers. Your organization suffers. You suffer.
When you implement coaching into your leadership style, you invite your team to partner with you to relieve some of that self-imposed burden. First, let’s go down this list. Do any of these statements resonate with you?
“I’m the chief problem solver.” When you’re the team leader and the chief problem solver, it creates a dynamic where everyone looks to you for direction and answers.
“I don’t have the time.” You might imagine that coaching will suck up your time as you imagine painstakingly guiding others. It’s so much easier and less time-consuming, you might think, to tell them the correct answer and move on.
“I’m not good at relationships.” Your mindset may be stunting your ability to grow your emotional intelligence and willingness to engage with your team.
“I work in a top-down culture.” This belief implies that only the leaders of your organization are entrusted with the power of knowing and deciding, shutting down autonomy and creating a dependence on the leader for all solutions.
If one or more of these feel familiar to you, you are not alone. Changing your approach is not for the faint at heart. However, I do challenge you to contrast the four leadership beliefs below–all of which are innate to a healthy coaching culture:
- “Everyone on the team has strengths and brings value to the whole.”
- “We’re all capable of improving and learning.”
- “My role as a leader and manager is to leverage our resources to make the best decisions.”
- “I’ll empower my team to make decisions and own solutions that support our mission and my team’s development.”
If leaders aren’t agile, they can lose their competitive edge and customers to someone who is. There are many reasons why you might choose not to coach. However, I challenge you to consider the impact on you, your team, and your organization if you do.
Jan C. Salisbury, M.S., MCC is an executive coach, consultant and owner of Leaders Who Coach and Salisbury Consulting. She is the author of Leaders Who Coach: The Roadmap to Unleashing Team Genius published May 2022.
