- Enable team leaders to build individual capacities in line with organizational goals.
- Solve issues by listening and asking open questions. Don’t lean in too often with your opinions and answers as a leader, the process will be undermined thus limiting how much members will get out of it.
- Set a pace that works for everyone. Along with the organizational goals, keep in mind the team is being developed to be more confident, competent, empowered, more responsible and accountable. This consistency in their EQ (emotional intelligence) and the leaders’ ability to coach them through will require training to master.
- Develop existing potential to make members more independent, engaged and ready to take on greater responsibility.
- Use coaching frequently by learning proactively. Organizations must train the leaders frequently to enable them to implement effectively. This as an investment for leadership i.e. train 100 workers by investing in training 1 team leader to be an effective coach for them.
“In coaching style of leadership, the individual’s performance is the prime focus”
Sir John Whitmore (Whitmore 2002) defined coaching as “the art of facilitating the development, learning and performance of another”. Coaching style of leadership, as we should come to understand and apply it, is when organizational leaders aid people in their organizations to develop themselves through bringing the focus entirely on the individual and using their experience to the benefit of the organization. Typically the leader is directly responsible for those immediately under him, harnessing their potential to become the best they can be.
In many organizational cultures, there are default leadership styles being applied, most common the directive style from above. Upper management will have their preferred style from their agreed vision and values whereas middle management will host a full range of styles in order to get the job done with their teams. Coaching style of leadership is an important part of the support middle managers need to implement changes with teams and train those below them to fill their positions.
Worried you may have to lose your key managers for a day as they attend trainings? Not true! Many organizations bring in coaches (or work with them remotely for a set number of hours each month) to build individual capacity with leaders internally. An important consideration and long-term solution for industries that are looking to build internal capacity for problem solving and conflict resolutions instead of hiring consultants for a few months at a time without proper follow-up after.
Meet Hussein**.
30 years ago, Hussein was 22 and accountant working at a bank in Tanzania. At an office function, he meets with a top level exec, Ken**, and they get to talking about life and work. Hussein presents a solution to Ken that could potentially change the way they work, develop a new product, market and grow the bank’s business by a sizeable percent. This brief conversation earns Hussein a promotion and recognition as upcoming in the industry. Ken and Hussein work to develop his skills, this sees him having a 15-year career at the bank (through middle to upper management) and finally the two leave the bank and partner to start their own firm dealing with public relations.
If you help your subordinates develop an entrepreneurial spirit, it would also benefit your business as well.
For coaching, send inquiries to bookings@murtazaversi.com / info@murtazaversi.com
**names have been changed to protect their privacy.