What coaching skills can benefit executives
Are coaching skills the key to effective leadership? In this article, we explore how coaching skills, can support leaders to foster engagement, growth, and innovation in their teams. Discover how focusing on coaching skills can make your leadership style more effective.
The fallacy of coaching and leadership
There is a preconception in many organizations that executives are naturally good coaches. However, coaching requires specific skills beyond, say, providing solutions or giving advice, which is often mistakenly thought of as coaching. Professional coaching stimulates the self-solving ability, creativity, and autonomy of employees and the team.
The benefits of a coaching leadership style
A coaching leadership style within organizations can offer several benefits, including increased creativity, greater ownership and pro activity among employees, and better development of talents throughout the company. Whether managing a team or navigating significant business change, the use of coaching skills is crucial.
Essential coaching skills for executives
Universal listening; Universal listening involves understanding different listening styles and becoming aware of your (unconscious) biases in your listening. Developing this skill helps leaders to be truly present in conversations, communicate effectively and respond authentically to the needs of their individual team members.
Asking powerful questions; Asking powerful questions is a fundamental skill. This means the leader has less of a need to always have the answers ready, but instead asks questions that open dialogue, require curiosity, self-reflection AND perspective. This builds trust and encourages employees to find their own solutions and share their insight.
Embracing a coaching mindset
Developing a coaching mindset is more than a skill; it is a way leaders see themselves and others. An open, curious, flexible and people-oriented attitude is essential. A leader is aware of their own biases and the cultural and contextual influences on themselves and others. By knowing yourself as a person and therefore as a leader and acting socially/emotionally intelligent, you exert a positive influence on your environment and make a lasting impact.
Introduction to coaching skills with Coaching Essentials
Strengthen your leadership skills with our 3-day coach training course Coaching Essentials, aimed at leaders who want to increase their impact. This intensive, hands-on training provides you with the essential tools for transformational coaching. Think about the structure of a coaching conversation, asking powerful questions effectively and developing deep listening skills. Limited to 10 participants, the training guarantees personal attention and a customized learning experience.
Learn more about exactly what transformational coaching is, then sign up for the FREE webinar.