“Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.” —Vince Lombardi
The definition of a Leader is perhaps the most researched and yet the most complicated to articulate. Every management guru and thought leader defines it in a different way. However, one way to understand who a leader is, is to understand what a leader does. Largely leaders are involved in defining a vision or goal, aligning people to that vision and ensuring its execution effectively. Leadership largely therefore deals with one-to-many relationships, however practically speaking one-to-one relationships continue to remain critical for leaders. Leaders need to continue to balance between the two to be effective.
While making a headway towards excelling in various aspects of leadership and pursuing own goals many leaders realize they need help. Since leadership is a skill that can be learned, continuous learning, training and coaching can contribute to making one a good leader. Taking calculated risks, building affable relationships with colleagues, building strategic networks, engaging in high stake conversations or managing critical internal and external stakeholders don’t always come easily and naturally.
While most leaders with experience can manage routine tasks but strategic activities can still pose a challenge. However, at senior leadership positions, just going for a training may not be the answer – for one your problems are unique and second it’s not easy to admit you need help. You realize that there´s abundant potential to skyrocket but become perplexed about how to achieve it.
This dilemma is address quite effectively through leadership coaching.
Leadership coaching is a collaborative process in which the coachee sets goals and creates a plan of achieving the goals with the help of insights from the coach. The coach provides the insights and structure needed to sustain the effort required to achieve the goals.
Leadership Training can enable leaders to identify gaps in their leadership styles or strategies. It helps them adopt and develop those styles or strategies which are research-based and are result-oriented. Leadership coaching helps leaders to become effective leaders by adopting proven principles of highly successful leaders.
It is critical to understand the difference between training and coaching and deicide which approach is more effective for which need. While training is a group engagement, coaching – especially leadership coaching is individual. Training provides the unique opportunity for peer learning. Coaching on the other hand, is completely personalized to the needs of the individual. Sensitive challenges are best addressed through coaching since there is highly confidentiality in the process.
Strengthscape’s Leadership Coaching services aim at providing the right framework and support that leaders need, to achieve their goals, while playing on their strengths. Our coaches work with the leaders to assist them in solving the complexity of professional endeavors. Leadership coaching focuses on making leaders build a culture of trust, responsibility, respect, maturity and performance beginning with the self.
The benefits of Leadership Coaching extend far beyond the individual leader. An effective leader has great influence not only on the people but the bottom-line of the organization as well. All these are impacted positively though leadership coaching.
Coaches who provide leadership coaching should ideally have a mix of coaching and business experience, since leadership dilemmas cross the boundaries between behavioral and business aspects. Strengthscape understands this unique requirement of leadership coaching and our coaches come with significant business and coaching experience. The coaches can draw on their own experience to provide insights to the coachee.
So, whether you are a new leader or a seasoned one, whether your challenge is thinking strategically or managing interpersonal relations – leadership coaching can be the answer to your dilemmas. Contact us to understand Strengthscape’s methodology and process of coaching.