Leadership Coaching 101

Leadership coaching is needed in business and modern society more than ever before. As companies grow and compete in the world market, leadership coaching is needed to facilitate the change necessary to maintain the competitiveness of organizations and optimize the growth and fulfillment of individual members of those organizations.

Leadership coaching is essential to managers and supervisors alike.It is not unusual in the business world to find managers or supervisors who are technically competent. However, as they grow to higher levels of responsibility, technical expertise ceases to be enough. Leadership coaching should guide the entire growth process including making the shift from excelling in technical competencies to excelling in leadership competencies.

Leadership Coaching: Relationships and the Organization

Leadership coaching should encompass assisting leaders in dealing with various aspects of organizational and personal relationships. Individuals who excel in leadership coaching should be able to understand the intricate details of organizational, systemic and personal dynamics. A well-developed understanding of the relevant business systems should include understanding relationships between specific business systems and relationships of individuals within those systems. Leadership coaching should provide assistance in relationship development and problem solving to optimize the fulfillment of personal and organizational objectives. It should be instructive and facilitative of the changes necessary in our modern business world. Change is no longer an option but an imperative to remain competitive in today’s marketplace. People and organizations frequently are resistant to change, preferring to maintain the status quo which helps to maintain a sense of equilibrium. Leadership coaching should assist in facilitating change through the recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of both individuals and organizations, and assisting in identifying additional opportunities for growth.

Leadership coaching should also assist the developing leader and ultimately the organization in optimizing its human potential. A primary focus may be in helping the leader to develop and clarify their values and beliefs, as well as to recognize the values and beliefs of the individuals he/she leads, to ensure consistency between the needs of the organization and the employee.

Some of the various objectives of leadership coaching have been identified to include assisting leaders to:

· produce more

· expand creativity

· raise standards and morale

· manage products and projects more effectively

· achieved competitive targets

· listen to and respond effectively to staff and customers

· build and motivate teams of employees

· increase loyalty and commitment

· encourage initiative

While these priorities and objectives are not totally inclusive, they seem to be some of the more prominent topics of need in many relationships enhanced by leadership coaching.

By Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist Ph.D Candidate President/CEO Susic Psychological Consulting P.C.