‘Leader as a Coach’ is a Lie
Leaders create more leaders, not followers
If you've been in the corporate leadership space over the past 5 years, you've probably heard the term "Leader as a coach" as a buzzword for an inclusive listening approach and style of management. *
It's a lie.
Oh, yeah, the idea feels good. It's a fine concept on the surface, but ultimately that's all it is: A meaningless piece of jargon that has no real application in the world of business.
Coaches know that because we live below the surface and explore what's really driving decisions.
Why Can't a Leader be a Coach?
Ultimately, it's because their role, and the responsibilities of it, clash with the tenants of coaching.
Leaders make decisions. Leaders are not impartial. Leaders have a different power dynamic with their reports than a coach has with their clients -- there is a power imbalance between a leader and the associates who report to them.
Coaches help others to discover their own decision-making skills and become self-sufficient in choosing how to live their lives. It's not about telling and directing, the role of coach is about exploring, uncovering, and empowering.
Consider this (as it was described to me recently): Imagine you are an employee who is frustrated with your job and have a few opportunities to explore as new roles at new companies. You'd like to brainstorm that to discover which option would be your ideal choice.
You could certainly have that conversation with a coach who is unattached to your decisions and the outcome. Could you have that talk with your boss - honestly and openly?
Or, if you are in a leadership role, could you receive that conversation from a place of neutral curiosity?
Probably not. That's where the idea of the leader as a coach falls apart. The differing rules of the roles create conflict, and ethically coaches are supposed to avoid conflicts of interest (the term is specifically mentioned five times in the ICF Code of Ethics).
What's the Answer?
The good news here is that all is not lost.
Let's explore the differences between roles and skills.
Roles, like 'Leader,' 'Manager,' 'Director,' and "VP' come with responsibilities and expectations. They have an identity - who are you in that role.
'Coach' is also a role that comes with all the same baggage and opportunities.
Skills are things you do. Managing, directing, leading...and coaching, are actions and behaviors that are learned. You can study how to do them better and you can turn them off when they are not required.
The solution to the 'Leader as a Coach' lie is in this distinction.
A leader can use coaching skills to listen and learn more. They can approach a situation with curiosity...and at the end of it all, they still embody their role as a leader to make decisions (even if some of their reports disagree with the decision).
Using coaching as a listening skill will help leaders to gain more data and make more-informed decisions when the time comes.
Which brings us to the statement that is the opposite of the lie.
Instead of saying "Leader as a Coach (barf)," embrace the idea of "Leader using Coaching Skills" to more accurately define your role and actions.
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One of the ways in which I help organizations to embrace the shift from "the way we've always done it" to creating more-informed, holistic decisions is through my Coaching for Excellence program.
It's ICF-approved and delivers powerful personal exploration as well as core coaching skills to help leaders and organizations to more efficiently and effectively achieve results.
You can find out more about it here: https://www.transcendentliving.com/corporate-training-leader-coaching-skills
Let's start a conversation about your leadership goals. <--- Click there. ;-)
* You will find this phrase elsewhere on my website. Why? Because it’s such a popular buzzword that it’s useful to leverage for SEO…even if it is a falsehood. Just bein’ transparent, ya’ll. ;-)
