Why should you coach a Leader?
By the time an executive gets into the top chair he or she has been through a lot and learned a lot. Or, if they have been recruited into the job, their credentials have been microscopically reviewed and evaluated. So, why would you need to coach a leader?
Leadership coaching has exploded as a line of business in recent years. Forbes places it as a $366 billion industry. The reasons are not hard to find. Notwithstanding the highly developed skills of a leader, the ground is continually shifting. Technology and the speed of business has made five-year plans obsolete and new, or modulated, leadership skills are constantly required.
In a recent study of Fortune 1000 companies, 48% of leaders that underwent coaching exhibited an increase in work quality, leading to higher engagement and productivity.
Here at Cornerstone International Group, we have over 100 professional coaches around the world, most specialized in executive coaching. As a separate initiative, we will shortly be launching the Cornerstone Leadership Academy which will address the impact of Industry 4.0 on the executive leadership function.
So, back to why? The Fortune 1000 study mentioned above offers five key benefits of leadership coaching:
The 5 Reasons for Coaching a Leader
1. Empowerment
Leadership coaching uncovers hidden strengths and weaknesses in the leader. The coach establishes a reflective process which encourages the leader to appreciate what they have accomplished and recognize what still needs to be done.
2. Insight
The leader gains new insight. In a setback, the coach will push to expose deeper issues by analyzing the problem and identifying plans for similar situations in the future.
3. Thought association
Coaching will make a narrow-minded leader open thought patterns and consider a wider range of views. Flexible leadership today is considered a business necessity.
4. Performance
Directing coaching to problem areas changes attitudes and abilities and teaches new leadership techniques. It reduces the use of “but” or “however” with the result that the leader’s openness fosters dialogue, greater input from employees and superior performance.
5. Communication
Leaders may believe they are communicating clearly but an observer may find otherwise. A coach may also show a leader how to communicate with different personality types, ages and cultures. Good communication skills are essential for the leader but often hard to self-analyze.
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