Unlocking Potential: The Power of Leadership Coaching

Coaching can be a transformational experience and one of self-discovery. 

Coaching as a tool has changed over the years or certainly our perception of why it is used has changed.   This is of course my opinion and that is heavily influenced by my own experience. 

As a leader I’ve experienced having a coach at a time of crisis; as a HR professional I’ve built coaching into my roles to support leaders and to help them develop operationally and strategically and to become confident in their own leadership style.  I’ve worked in organisations where coaching has been used for leadership development in a very positive and pro-active way either through manager recommendation or employee self-selection and I've seen it used as an intervention when things aren't quite going right for an individual.

Coaching has it's place in many situations and there are many reasons why people select coaching as a tool to support them or why a leader might recommend coaching for their team, whether that be group, team or individual coaching. Coaching can be truly transformational for my clients and I love to that and the journey we take together. The in the moment lightbulb moments are great as are the transformations they make and take out of the session. Seeing and hearing about being comfortable with the leader they are, identifying areas to help develop their style whilst keeping that authentic self and taking their discoveries from our session to their life and work place where they then take accountability for their actions and the positive impact it has on their teams to reach full potential and drive individual and business performance is rewarding.

What are some of the benefits or focus points that can come up when taking the coaching journey as a leader? Below are a few examples.

Self-awareness and Personal Growth

Leadership coaching provides a reflective space for individuals to delve deep into their own strengths, weaknesses, and behavioural patterns.  Through insightful questioning and guided introspection, as a coach I help leaders gain a clearer understanding of themselves, their values, beliefs and their motivations.  This heightened self-awareness is a great foundation for personal growth, enabling you as a leader to identify areas for improvement and leverage your strengths more effectively.

Enhanced Communication and Improved Interpersonal skills

Effective leadership hinges on the ability to communicate vision, inspire action, and foster collaboration. Working with a coach can help individuals identify their communication style, discover tools that they can use to help them and others. I use tools and techniques to help clients and if relevant and my client agrees I'll offer constructive feedback, role-playing exercises, and strategies for active listening, conflict resolution, and building rapport all tools they can then take to the workplace. Sounds a little like a training session! My aim is to help my client and if that means mixing up the coaching session for their benefit and with their permission then I absolutely will. Working on communication can help you as a leader have enhanced connections with your teams, build trust, and drive meaningful change smoothly.

Strategic Thinking and Decision Making

Leaders are constantly confronted with tough decisions and strategic challenges. It can be overwhelming and time is often limited to just step back and work through next steps. Taking time to focus on strategic thinking and decision making can help in a number of different scenarios back in the workplace. You can work through plans that need addressing now, think about future and how you might approach business planning and team objectives to ensure success. You can take time to proactively think about blockers, obstacles and challenges and develop your tools and mechanisms to manage through this. As a coach, I'm your sounding board, I'll encourage you to look a your blockers, obstacles and challenges from a different perspective, open up your mind and thinking so you can develop creative solutions. As you've been discovering your values, your vision will be aligned.

Empowering Leadership Style

Rather than command-and-control leadership models I am more comfortable with and favour leaders who embrace a more inclusive and empowering approach, one that values collaboration, diversity, and empowerment. This sees teams be more successful and creates an environment for individuals to grow. Through leadership coaching clients reflect on their style, how they lead their teams, what they need to control and what they don't which often leads to an overloaded leader recognising that to be effective they need to relinquish some of the control, delegate to team members and grow a culture of trust and accountability. This can be rewarding for all and a leader with the right team and behaviours it ensures your adding value at the appropriate level.

Resilience and Stress Management

I learnt to build my resilience through experience and then later through having a coach myself. Leadership is hard. It can take its toll on even the most seasoned professionals. Throughout our careers we will be in situations which require us to be resilient and to manage our stress and that of others. We need to ensure that we are their to encourage, develop and support our teams whilst also looking after ourselves. I've talked about taking time out of the day to day to focus on you, which is difficult with so many demands on you but through leadership coaching you have a support, someone, if working with me, who has been at that level and had to be resilient through a number of situations as I navigated high-pressure environments. Through your coaching experience you might be able to develop coping strategies, establish healthy boundaries, and prioritise self-care. Self-care will help you be strong for your team and those around you. By fostering emotional intelligence coaching enables leaders to lead with clarity, composure, and compassion.

Accelerated Career Growth

When you embark on a partnership with a coach you may have a topic you want to focus on. In my experience that topic evolves or changes completely which is ok and actually really positive. It reflects the unlocking of your thoughts and you are in control of where you take the journey. You might take several diversions through the coaching experience or you might really hone in on the original topic you wanted to work through. It doesn't matter, so long as it is helpful for you. As you work through this you and build your leadership presence and confidence it can help you move through your career. You might further develop skills or find new areas where you have strengths that you didn't realise or recognise. You might work with a coach to specifically work on getting a promotion, transitioning to a new role too, it doesn't have to just be about developing your leadership skills.

If you are a leader or aspiring to be a leader, why not get in touch; request a complimentary discovery call to talk about the benefits of coaching and how it might be right for you. 

If you would like to know more contact us at info@reachpeakperformancecoaching.co.uk or visit us at www.reachpeakperformancecoaching.co.uk

#professionaldevelopment #inspireleadership #coachingleaders# reachpeakperformancecoaching #leadershipdevelopment #transformationalcoaching #leadershipcoaching