My best investment, as cliched as this sounds, is the money I’ve spent developing myself, via books, workshops and coaching. Leadership begins within, and to have a better career, start by building a better you.– Robin S. Sharma
When you hear the word “coaching”, what comes to mind? Perhaps sports coaching is the most familiar. What about life coaching, business coaching, executive coaching, e-coaching, and group coaching?
All have a purpose and all make a difference.
As leaders, we must commit to continual learning for ourselves (workshops, seminars, reading, mentors, etc), and if we’re lucky, we’ll have the opportunity to have our own coach.
We must also commit to providing meaningful feedback and coaching support for our staff. The simplest way is via consistent and timely feedback, but more may be needed.
Consider team/group coaching (where the focus is on inclusiveness, trust, collaboration, and leveraging strengths), and it may also include individually developing the skills of high performers and/or helping those that are less proficient realize their potential.
Sometimes our skills are sufficient, and sometimes we must recognize that the help of others is needed to support the attainment of business goals and career aspirations.
For those of you that participated in the Leadership Journey program (within the past 12 months), you have many tips and exercises available to you via QwikCoach.
Another option to get started is to use the GROW Model originally developed in the 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore. GROW standards for:
- Goal
- Reality (where you want to be)
- Options or Obstacles (that must be overcome)
- Will (What’s the skill-set and desire for growth)
This model is useful in coaching sessions since it provides both the coach and coachee the opportunity to share what they want to take action against, and make plans to overcome possible challenges. It is then used in follow-up coaching sessions to identify ongoing action steps, and to review progress.
What are you doing to advance coaching in your workplace? How are you helping others GROW?
Leaders empower individuals by building trust and coaching competence in their job roles and networking skills. –Kenneth H. Blanchard