But my plate is already full: When Coaching Feels Like an ‘Add-on’ as a Leader
When you sense your leadership plate is already full to the brim, the thought of adding just one more thing can be overwhelming. And if that new thing requires you to change, the fear that everything will topple over and make a bigger mess can stop you in your tracks.
As a leader, you already have a lot on your plate. You manage your team, set goals, monitor progress, and ensure everyone is working towards the same objectives. So, when you’re asked to develop a coaching leadership style, it can feel like an additional responsibility that you don’t have time for. However, coaching is an essential aspect of effective leadership, and taking the time to invest in developing coaching skills will, in the long run, unburden your extremely full plate.
Coaching adds value for you and your team
Developing a coaching leadership style is a crucial element of effective leadership. A coaching leadership style recognizes the opportunity to help employees reach their full potential, enhance their skills, and improve their performance. Yet some leaders don’t see coaching as part of their role, or they see it as “in addition to” their leadership responsibilities. In a culture of continuous improvement, coaching leadership is how leaders lead.
A leader’s primary role is to facilitate growth and development in your team and organization. This requires a coaching approach, where you support, mentor, and guide your team. In an environment of organizational excellence, the focus is on continuous improvement that fosters these values and helps individuals to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to excel. This may involve regular check-ins, providing feedback, setting goals and expectations, and working with individuals to overcome challenges and achieve their objectives, which yields benefits for both the leader and the employee, such as:
- Improving Performance: Coaching is a great way to support employees’ performance. By providing feedback and guidance, leaders can help employees identify areas of improvement and develop shared strategies to overcome the challenges they face.
- Building Skills: Coaching can also support employees in building new skills. Particularly in an environment of continuous improvement, leaders as coaches encourage the development of problem-solving skills at the front-line, engaging teams in improving their work and eliminating errors in the work.
- Increasing Engagement: Coaching can drive up employee engagement. When employees feel supported and challenged, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and to feel a sense of ownership.
- Developing Future Leaders: Coaching helps develop future leaders. By investing in the development of their team members, leaders can create a pipeline of talent who are ready to take on future leadership roles.
Steps to make the transition
Making a transition from a traditional leadership style to a coaching leadership style is a process that requires a shift in your mindset, behaviors, and communication approach. Some steps leaders can take to navigate this transition:
- Develop self-awareness: it is crucial for a leader to reflect on their current leadership style and understand their strengths and weaknesses. This will help them identify areas where they want to focus for improvement.
- Embrace a coaching mindset: Coaching leadership is all about empowering and enabling others to reach their full potential. Leaders need to adopt a growth mindset, focus on others’ strengths, and encourage learning and development.
- Learn and practice coaching techniques: Leaders need to develop a deep understanding of coaching skills such as active listening, asking powerful questions, and giving feedback. Seek mentorship from experienced coaches or others who are developing their coaching leadership.
- Create a supportive environment: It’s important to build an environment that provides space for the leader and their team to be encouraged and empowered to grow. Taking actions to foster a culture of trust, transparency in communication, and providing regular feedback and recognition will start developing the environment for success.
- Lead by example: A leader who practices coaching leadership themselves sets the tone for their team. Leaders can demonstrate coaching behaviors by asking questions with open curiosity, sharing their learning, and showing support of the learning taking place.
- Study and Adjust: The transition to coaching leadership is an ongoing process. Leaders need to regularly evaluate their progress and adjust their approach based on feedback from their teams.
When it feels like developing a coaching leadership style is being added on top of your already full plate of responsibilities, it may help to consider it as a trigger for a mindset shift. By viewing coaching as an investment in your team’s success and recognizing it as a fundamental aspect of leadership, you can shift your mindset and embrace coaching as a valuable tool in your leadership toolkit.
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