First Level Leadership

Leadership Coaching has not Been Fully Understood...

How do you up grade you Leadership Coaching Skills?

Is it quicker to tell, dictate, or …?

While I try to fill your mind with the maxims of prudence, 

you have the option to reject them… in most situations at your workplace, which aspects do you consider the most critical?

1) Time, 2) Quality, or 3) Learning You might argue that they all have some relevance all the time; my question is, “Which aspect do you consider the most indispensable?”  At the very best, you may agree   with this article, and it will drive you towards a more productive methodology. At the worst, if you choose to disagree,

 it will at least force you to take a stock of your current style. That’s a promise!

The Truth Pond

The sad truth is – “Of all the woes that curse our race, there is time in the case.” Unfortunately, time takes precedence over quality and poor learning is relegated to the third position.

If time is the overriding criterion

in your situation, then doing the job yourself is the fastest way to get it done. But how long can you continue…without depending on others? It’s very difficult and stressful to clone yourself over and over again.

If quality of results matter

to you the most, then you have to give up speed to some extent. How should you integrate both in order to deliver the most…?

If maximizing learning is most crucial,

then loss of productivity will visit you soon. Nevertheless, it is a noble thought.

Every act rewards itself

But the question that emerges is - how can you integrate time, quality and learning, in a threefold manner: first in speed; second, in quality of output; and third, in continuous learning?

In other words,

how could you integrate Time, Quality and Learning without compromising any of them?

Are you struggling with your own powerful grasp of – “It is so much quicker to dictate and tell…?”

Do you find yourself in a fire-fighting situation, struggling to get the job done? It is a logical conclusion that you seem to devote very little effort for employee development, yet the strength of your own competencies to “Do It Yourself” is wonderful.

There is another logical conclusion -

You send them on a training course once or twice a year and hope that will develop them; still your business performance falls short of what is desired. You rarely get your money's worth. 

I am forced to ask you a final question – 

What is your role then?

Yet you are having such a hard time giving up telling and dictating?

What if you can get an x number of hours a year in getting the job done and also the same x number of hours per person for staff development? Sounds too good to be true?

Is it possible?

Yes, if you manage by the principles of coaching, you get the job done to a higher standard and develop your people as well. It sounds too good to be true.

There is nothing more unjust by which executive coaching skills are misrepresented

The craving for coaching has resulted in inadequate managers or executive coaches failing to meet the expectations of those they are coaching.

By taking up a leadership coaching wand and swinging it too hastily,

you will miss the intended purpose and outcome. That is why, leadership coaching has been in the danger of being misunderstood and rejected as failing to live up to its claims.

In too many cases

Leadership coaches have not fully understood the performance related psychological principles on which Leadership coaching is based. Without this understanding, you may go through the motions of behaviors associated with leadership coaching such as questioning skills, feedback skills etc., but fail to achieve the intended results.

There are no quick fixes in business

and good leadership coaching is a skill.It is an art that requires depth and volume of understanding and plenty of practice, to testify its astonishing results.

Enlightened Self Interest

Developing people is enlightened self interest, rather than idealism that offers no added value.

So how do you find the time to coach?

It is so much quicker to dictate. It sounds paradoxical, but I am inclined to think, that if you coach your staff, the developing staff will share much greater and dynamic responsibility. This will help you to brace for over arching issues.

Reading this section will help you recognize

the enormous value and potential of leadership coaching. Its intrinsic value certainly exceeds the time and effort which it takes to develop such a skill.

It will set you on a journey

of integrating Time, Quality and Learning that will have a profound effect on how you relate to others at work and at home.

Would you rather tell, dictate, or coach?  

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