Why every great leader is a coach first

Wondering how to be a good leader? Become a coach.

There are so many books and articles out there on how to be a good leader. One aspect that a lot of the authors seem to forget about is coaching. I’m not talking about leaders getting professional coaching (that’s a given). I’m talking about the importance of leaders coaching their teams.

If you want to get the best out of your people, you have to put in the time and effort to coach them. And you need a framework to make that coaching as effective as possible.

The benefits of coaching your team

If you have the right skills, attitude and framework, coaching can completely transform your business. Instead of telling your team members what they need to do, coaching helps them come to their own emotional truths. And that not only inspires innovation, it boosts productivity, success and job satisfaction.

Investing the time and effort into coaching creates a supportive team environment where collaboration reigns and each person is kept accountable. And as we know, accountability is one of the core elements of a successful business. By coaching your team and being available to them, you’re telling them – I care about your professional development. I want to get the best out of you. And I want you to get the best out of yourself. In short, you’re lighting a fire in their bellies and making them aim higher.

The importance of a coaching framework

As a Certified High Performance Coach, I know how important it is to have a proven coaching framework when you’re trying to inspire the best in others. I completed my certification with Brendon Burchard and find his model to be super effective when coaching my team.
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Like Brendan, I believe that high performance has nothing to do with genetics or personality traits and everything to do with conscious and consistent effort. Inspired by Brendan’s model, I focus on building my team’s high performance habits using the following framework:
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• Clarity – This is the game changer. It’s about helping people understand who they are and what they want to achieve in life. It’s also about inspiring them to be intentional with their interactions so they can achieve a positive outcome. I encourage my team to proactively seek feedback so they can continue to improve and grow.
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• Energy – This is all about your team looking after their health and wellbeing so they can improve brain function, memory and learning. It’s impossible to smash goals if you’re feeling lethargic and battling brain fog. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and a positive attitude.
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• Courage – There are a zillion memes that say “nothing good comes from a comfort zone” or some variation of the phrase. They might be cliched but they’re right. Change can be uncomfortable. Bold moves come with risk. But if your team are stuck in the safe zone, they’re at risk of perpetual mediocrity. They’ve got to feel the fear and do it anyway.
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• Productivity – Too many people waste time on tasks that don’t contribute to their goals. Productivity is about focussing on the stuff that’s really important. The stuff that will help your team get ahead. If someone’s feeling overwhelmed, I help them break down a big project into manageable chunks and develop mini deadlines.
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• Influence – Influence is about inspiring people to make positive changes in the world and connect with others in a meaningful way. I don’t just talk about the generosity principle, I demonstrate it every day. I love sharing achievements with my team. I love helping others achieve things they never imagined possible. Maybe that’s why I love being a coach so much.
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Leadership trends will change over time but one truth will always remain – that in order to get the best out of people, you need to invest in their professional development, job satisfaction, collaboration and accountability. The perfect way to do this is through considered and consistent coaching.