Leadership and coaching go hand in hand

The key to leadership success is enhancing everyone’s skills and capabilities. In order to master leadership you have to genuinely engage with all your team members making sure you support them all equally. Through coaching you can provide a balanced unbiased relationship that helps each team member reach their best. 

 

Coaching helps set clear goals and expectations

In order to empower your team members to truly understand their responsibilities and exceed in their area of expertise you have to set clear and stretching expectations. You have to listen carefully to everyone’s desires and agreed goals. Help motive them to be passionate about achievement and to take pride in everything they do.

 

Praise is more impactful than criticism 

Coaching forces you as a leader to be to be positive, no matter what. This is clearly very difficult in certain situations but it will allow your people to believe in your solutions to opportunities and challenges. You must never forget to acknowledge great work. If expectations are met and goals are met or exceeded clearly express your feelings and praise them for their achievements.

 

Through coaching not telling you engage your team 

Too many times we don’t listen and when we do because of our own time pressures we are very often impatience, this is what stops good dialogue. All too often we are focused on our own stuff, instead, show genuine interest in what others are telling you. Coaching always starts with listening and motivating others to speak openly.

 

Asking questions

Good questions not only enhance the quality of your communication they also give you a better understanding of individual interest and issues. Show your understanding of what has been said by repeating what you think the important parts of the conversation are this will either confirm or not that you’re on the same page.

 

Confident people are capable of so much more

By asking open ended questions you create the chance of finding the very best solutions. This reinforces your team’s belief in themselves and the solution. It also shows them that you value their opinion, experience and knowledge. This will increase their confidence to speak openly to you in the future.

 

Positive feedback

All too often feedback is seen as being critical. Successful leaders provide feedback continuously and don’t criticise they offer clear and relevant suggestions for improvement in a very positive way with clear and positive being the important words. Poorly delivered feedback taken as criticism can lead to defensiveness and a lack of openness. By providing clear positive feedback and setting clear goals you will build trustful, open and powerful relationships with your team where everyone feels motivated and engaged.