Put yourself in your favorite quarterback or musical artists’ shoes. You’re the leader — always front and center, all eyes on you. It’s a lot of responsibility. The pressure is high, but you know you’re never alone. You have coaches and managers to help steer you in the right direction. They’re always there on the sidelines, behind the stage, or in the wings. They’re in your ear cheering you on and guiding you when things get tough or when you’re uncertain.
Sound familiar? It should. Even the best and the brightest need other people to lean on. That is definitely true in business. Most business leaders know how quickly things change in the marketplace and in the workplace, especially these days. Further, they know what it takes to lead a team. But only the best leaders understand the value of leadership coaching and the power of constantly re-elevating your skillset in our fast-paced, change-centric world.
Defining modern leadership coaching
Modern leadership coaching is an active process of guiding leaders to develop competencies that help them lead and work more efficiently, effectively, and symbiotically within their organizations and beyond. It’s about maximizing new and old potential. The best leadership coaches don’t hand over the answer keys to their coachees. No, they help leaders to develop the skills necessary to find innovative, useful answers themselves.
This kind of leadership development is no longer exclusively for the most senior-level executives. Nor are more traditional methods like face-to-face seminars and programs suitable or desirable. Today’s leadership coaching is about democratizing development and ensuring that current and emerging leaders at various levels in an organization have the opportunity to unlock oft-overlooked leadership potential.
It’s simple: the more inclusive your leadership development efforts are, the farther your reach. These days talent leaders almost have to provide tech-enabled learning solutions that cater to each individual within the context of the larger organization.
So, whether you’re Tom Brady, Celine Dion, or a business leader charting a path in your particular function, you all have one thing in common: Leadership coaching can help to keep you agile.
The benefits of leadership coaching
Research suggests that leadership is about 30% genetic and 70% learned. In other words, the majority of good leadership is malleable; it can be created or developed. It’s not just about what talents you’re born with. Therefore, leadership coaching can be of immense value as a tool to help leaders develop and grow. Beyond personal growth, for businesses looking to invest in leadership development, the organizational benefits associated with leadership coaching have been proven time and time again.
Leadership coaching can lead to:
New perspectives: As leaders, it can be easy to fall into the same few patterns of thinking, whether you’re faced with a new or a familiar problem. After all, it’s that thought process that got you to this point. But the best leaders must remain agile and able to adapt to new situations, particularly in times of great uncertainty like a pandemic. With things changing so quickly, people need reliable leaders to turn to. Leadership coaching can help leaders see beyond their own limitations, and help them use their resources more effectively to make the best decisions for their teams and organizations. Sometimes, a small shift in perspective can mean the difference between navigating a roadblock and encountering a speed bump on the road to success.
Enhanced individual and team performance: At the end of the day, any investment in an organization’s people is an investment in the bottom line. With coaching, leaders become better at managing people. Because attitudes and work ethic often flows from the top down, this means that more people become more efficient and happier under better leadership. In turn, you can expect an elevation in the bottom line.
Positive shifts in company culture: According to a 2020 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, 84 percent of US workers blame poorly trained managers for creating unnecessary stress in the workplace. For those workers, leadership development represents a significant chance to improve their company culture. More than simply identifying leaders’ strengths and weaknesses, leadership coaching promotes greater self-awareness, which in turn, leads to a greater understanding of the impact you have on others. Overall, it can contribute to a positive shift in organizational culture from the top down.
Greater employee retention: We all have our blindspots. That’s why consistent development is so important. When leadership coaching is done right, leaders attain and enhance key communication skills that they might not have even realized were weaknesses. With improved communication comes improved relationships in the workplace. When managers are engaged and active, workers often reciprocate. It goes without saying that a workplace that is engaging, growth-oriented, and positive is an environment where people are inclined to stay. So, an investment in your people can save on the high costs associated with employee turnover.
Improved diversity, equity, and inclusion: To remain competitive in today’s world, improving DE&I efforts should be a priority. Leadership coaching can help companies improve the diversity in their talent pipelines, and provide underrepresented people opportunities to gain valuable leadership skills. Additionally, as leaders improve their communication skills and identify their blindspots and biases, leadership coaching can help individual leaders develop empathy, compassion, and understanding of things they might not have otherwise.
Transform and scale leadership coaching with technology
The benefits of leadership coaching are boundless, but leadership development solutions can take on many different forms. As a leader, it’s your job to choose the tools best-suited for your organization.
At Sounding Board, we can help you transform and scale your leadership coaching efforts. We offer a Leader Development Platform and a network of certified coaches that enable you to personalize, manage, measure, and scale complex leadership development programs across your organization. Our AI-powered platform is engaging, agile, and provides measurable insights in one centralized space.
We understand the challenges of leading in an ever-changing environment. That’s why our coaches are highly trained to help you cultivate your strengths and address any weaknesses with finesse. With great coaches in your corner, no one will catch you off-guard on the field, on stage, or in the boardroom. Request a demo from Sounding Board today.
