There is a common argument that leadership is not innate. This argument suggests that it is possible to train individuals to become effective and able leaders. Coaching is among the tools that are commonly used to enhance the capacities and competencies of leaders. Coaching is especially important when it is combined with mentorship. Senior employees should pass on their expertise and experience to their juniors through coaching and mentorship.
Coaching vs. other leadership approaches
While coaching is an effective tool for training leaders, there are other approaches that leaders use to enhance their competencies. Corporate training is among these approaches. Essentially, this approach is concerned with using formal techniques to impart skills and attitudes into the leaders of organizations (Charan, Drotter & Noel, 2010). Training primarily focuses on technical competence. This is what mainly sets this approach apart from coaching. While coaching seeks to make leaders more effective in offering direction and steering their organizations, training focuses on enhancing technical skills and expertise. Another approach that is used to develop leadership is mentorship. Basically, mentorship involves assigning a senior employee a younger colleague for the purpose of guidance and training (Reese & Loane, 2012). While mentorship is primarily used in the workplace, it can also be extended to personal affairs. For example, through mentorship, a senior employee can guide a younger one in marital matters. The key difference between coaching and mentorship lies in versatility. While coaching is mostly used for professional affairs, mentorship is helpful even in personal matters.
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Benefits of coaching in leadership development
Coaching remains one of the most popular approaches for leadership development. Its popularity stems from the many benefits that it presents. Unleashing potential is among the benefits of coaching (Prydale Partners, 2011). Through coaching, organizations are able to tap into and exploit the potential that their leaders possess. Organizations that have adopted coaching are also able to enlighten their leaders regarding their strengths and weaknesses. As they become more self-aware, the leaders enhance their skills and expertise. Another benefit of coaching is change management. Coaching can be used to encourage leaders to warm up to change (Prydale Partners, 2011). Using coaching, an organization challenges its leaders to abandon their fears and embrace change. Coaching is also known to enhance the performance of a leader. As it opens their eyes to their strengths, coaching inspires leaders to become even more committed to their organizations.
Coaching enhances creativity and innovation. It reminds employees of the importance of taking responsibility for their actions. Federal Express and IBM are among the dozens of companies that have witnessed improvements in employee creativity as a result of coaching (Prydale Partners, 2011). Another role that coaching plays is that it enables leaders to expand their perspectives. This leadership approach pushes leaders to explore strange and new avenues. As they do these, the leaders gain new perspectives and knowledge. Coaching is also an effective strategy for motivating employees while establishing strong and meaningful relationships (Prydale Partners, 2011). Furthermore, coaching is a vital strategy for organizations that wish to enhance learning. Overall, coaching facilitates leadership development. It inspires leaders to innovate and unleashes their potential.
In conclusion, when one considers the many benefits that coaching presents, it becomes fairly easy to understand why it remains one of the most popular leadership development approaches. In addition to coaching, organizations can use mentorship and training to enhance the capacities of their leaders. However, coaching is far more effective. It challenges leaders to acquire new perspectives. Coaching also allows leaders to grow with their employees. This leadership development approach also enables organizations to implement change successfully while accelerating learning. Coaching also allows organizations to build strong teams and a motivated workforce. Given the important role that it plays, organizations should integrate coaching into their leadership development strategies.
References
Charan, R., Drotter, S. & Noel, J. (2010). The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Prydale Partners. (2011). Effective coaching in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.prydale.com/corporate/effective-coaching-in-the-workplace/
Reese, R. D. & Loane, R. (2012). Deep Mentoring: Guiding Others on their Leadership Journey. Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press.
