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» ceo’s message
Leadership and Coaching
What makes a good leader? Does anyone really know the answer to that question? I would gamble
to say no and ironically, leadership is probably one of the most studied and researched personal
qualities.
Think about it, good leaders are needed everywhere; in the workplace, at home, on sports teams, in groups of
friends, in your associations, etc. Depending on the size of your company, family, team, group, or organization,
different leaders are needed at various levels and various times. And we can even go as far to say that each
one of those leaders usually possess different characteristics to accomplish the task at hand. A good leader is
very important in all situations. However, as you can imagine, with all the variables (the above list doesn’t even
scratch the surface) it is difficult for one person to be a successful leader through all situations. Therefore one of
the responsibilities of a good leader is to build a sufficient staff, team, group, etc. to help in all circumstances.
To help build and develop a competent and successful team, most leaders should also possess the skills of a
coach. Really, what is a coach and what makes a good coach? In answering that question, think about whether
there are differences between coaches, counselors, delegators, discipliners, mentors, and trainers?
I would venture to say that a coach wears all the hats mentioned above. A coach is a counselor, delegator,
discipliner, mentor and trainer. As a potential coach you need to ask yourself am I living up to or even capable
of wearing all those hats. Marshall J. Cook in Effective Coaching illustrates how a leader (boss) can transition
into being a coach in the following chart.
The Boss The Coach
Talks a lot.......................................................Listens a lot
Tells................................................................Asks
Fixes...............................................................Prevents
Presumes........................................................Explores
Seeks control..................................................Seeks commitment
Orders............................................................Challenges
Works on........................................................Works with
Puts product first............................................Puts process first
Wants reasons................................................Seeks results
Assigns blame................................................Takes responsibility
Keeps distant.................................................Makes Contact
Not only is coaching satisfying for the employee, but is also rewarding for the coach. Some of the benefits of
coaching noted by John Whitmore in Coaching for Performance: GROWing People, Performance and Purpose
are listed below:
o The enhancement of an employee’s self-esteem through the release of internal blocks. It becomes
imperative that the successful coach creates an environment whereby the employee frequently meets with
success and the employee sees the connection between his/her efforts and the successful outcomes.
o Leaders have more time for their own work when their employees are taking full responsibility for their
work.
o Employees, work environments, and organizational cultures become more flexible and adaptable to
change.
o Everyone in the workplace learns skills that can be used in all aspects of their lives.
As you can see, leadership and coaching go hand in hand. Greater benefits come from situations that are lead
by a leader with coaching skills. It is very important make sure your leaders have proper training and experience.
Proper leadership is the key to success in many work places, families, sport teams, group of friends, and
even organizations.
Beth Horan, CPA
Interim CEO & VP of Operations
Painting and Decorating Contractors of America
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