A new year and a new decade are fast approaching and with that comes a new way of leading. A transformation I’ve talked about often in hopes it fosters action from those organizations who are ready to step up and begin their evolution vs. more meetings to talk about challenges.
An approach to leading your people side by side versus top-down is with a coach approach. A way to lead that hasn’t always been understood yet has significant benefits in not only your employees but for you as a leader.
With the future of work fast approaching, a coach approach allows for more collaborative efforts in achieving organizational goals and problem-solving. It changes the dynamic of the traditional directive, telling managerial style to one of partnering and guiding.
You may be a leader who’s been leading teams for years and feel you’ve already been using a coach like approach for some time so what could there be to learn? There’s always something to learn! When you begin to put structure around what a coaching approach looks like, it enhances your listening skills and expands your ability to partner with your team in a new way.
By now you’ll know I have a vision of the future of work supporting professionals as human beings. Ultimately taking on a holistic way of leading that supports the whole employee vs. just the worker that shows up to work 9-5 pm. When trust is established, using a coach approach helps to further establish this connection with your employees which allows a more seamless connection to work.
While there’s more ground to cover in adopting a coach approach as a leader, here are some immediate benefits of adopting a coach approach:
- Increase employee engagement – when you empower your employees to tap into their own resources vs. giving them the answers, engagement increases
- Empower your team & develop employee skills – when you adopt a coach approach, the relationship with your employee is viewed as a partnership of equals. As a leader as coach, you’re not only empowering them but help them develop important skills
- Decrease stress – taking a coach approach allows you to alleviate the expectation and responsibility that you have and are responsible for solving all the problems. What a relief that would be!
- Improve bottom-line results – employees are engaged, empowered and working collaboratively in working towards organizational goals which lead to improved results
For more on what a coach approach looks like as a leader, take a look at Manager As Coach, The New Way to Get Results by Jenny Rogers. She does a fantastic job of outlining practical solutions and guidance on what a coach approach looks like in the workplace and how this translates into real results.
If you haven’t already heard, I have a special Group Coaching package offer for teams looking to improve communication and increase engagement!
With the holidays around the corner, Starbucks gift cards are fun to give, but why not gift your employees a Group Coaching experience and empower them to new heights of engagement?! Check out the full details here.
As a leader, how would your leadership style change if you were to adopt a leader as coach approach? What benefits might you experience? Let me know in the comments below.
To your success!