What skills does it take? How is it done? What would a “Coaching Culture” look like? What kind of manager can make the transition?
The question is often asked - “Could our Managers/Leaders become good Coaches?” The answer is - Maybe.
Here’s the reality - Most managers in corporate America are good technicians at what they do. They typically have deficiencies in the “soft skills” area.
Here is where a big distinction needs to be made:
There is a HUGE difference between Leaders and Managers. The difference is that Leaders have mastered the soft/people skills necessary to inspire people to work up to their full potential. Managers often have solid technical skills but don’t inspire others to work toward a collective goal. A symptom of a typical manager is that their people are often in need of a “task with consequences” approach to their work vs. leaders who inspire self motivation for the good of the cause.
Here are the skills that Coaching takes:
1. Desire - a true desire to help others succeed.
2. Awareness - a trust in ones’ intuitive “gut.”
3. Focus - on the individual and their challenges vs. a need to “solve” things for others.
4. Listening - a sincere desire to truly hear what others are saying.
A Coaching culture is typified by these attributes:
1. Respect - you would see interactions that respect the word of the individual.
2. Worth - individuals within these cultures feel valued and appreciated.
3. Real Communication - not your typical “force fed” communication. You would see fully duplexed communication throughout the ranks.
4. Stability and progress - these cultures display more stability and retain their best people better than others. That leads to greater personal and business success.
Corporate Leaders that can make the transition to Coach are those that truly believe in investing in the individual - in time and money. It takes a sincere desire and belief that investments made in people pay off for the company.
Does this resonate with you?
Take good care,
Drayton Boylston
Founder and CEO - Executive Coaching University
http://www.ExecutiveCoachingUniversity.com
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