How leaders can use coaching...

Using coaching in your leadership develops the potential of the individual.

In my work I coach leaders to get from a reactive and “auto-pilot” mindset to a conscious one because this is what sets you apart from the other leaders in your organisation.

What culture do you want to create in your team?
A culture of empowerment, self-esteem, self-awareness, and clarity? One that is built on trust and personal engagement or do you want to be the “man in charge” who needs to approve every little decision?

1. Get a clear understanding about the roles when coaching because it will help you in the process.

What is your role?
What is your employee’s role?
What is your relationship?
This is not a “manager-telling the employee what to do”. This is a collaboration with a common goal to develop a competency, skill or behaviour.

2. Formulate the contract because without it you will not be on the same page.

What is it that the employee want?
What is behind that wish?
….Ask open-ended questions to make your coachee think and reflect.

3. Set a time structure because it helps you both to manage the expectations.

Is this a 5 minute conversation or a 60 minute conversation?
How much time do you give your protégé to develop the desired outcome? A month, a year. 2 years? Make sure you are on the same page.

4. Create a learning and developmental mindset because it will help the coachee/your employee more in the future.

Your goal has to be the development of your coachee rather than reaching the goal.
What benefits will the employee get?
Move his/her mindset to think about what to do differently.

5. Identify the specific challenge because only then you will know what your starting point is.

Don’t assume you know what the person wants.
Get clarity on what is expected.
What is the specific issue?
What makes it so important?

6. Understand your coachee because assuming you do, will set you up for failure.

What is his/her context?
What is their skillset?
What are the limitations?
What is the environment?
What are the obstacles?

7. Explore new options because this is what coaching is all about.

Exploring what can be done differently for the benefit of your employee.
Ask open questions.
Have a dialogue.
Help them discover the wisdom themselves.
The best coaching takes the coachee out of their comfort-zone.

8. Share your knowledge because your employee might be able to benefit from your experience.

Don’t shy away from sharing your experience but leave space for the coachee to reflect.

9. Call for action because change only happens when people actually follow through.

Ask questions like: “What did you learn from this?” and “What will you do differently?” and “What actions will you take?”

Coaching leads to getting a commitment from the coachee to do their next steps on their own.