We all want to be leader coaches, but it’s no joke
Yes, @StefanoSusani and I still want to talk about Leading by coaching. The transformation of leadership styles into a less directive form of interaction between team leaders and team members has begun and we believe it is unstoppable, as is the anxiety of those who have grown up with some managerial models and fear they will soon become obsolete. Today I want to provide a concise explanation of why this anxiety is understandable and a very practical framework that leader coaches, the good ones, use in their teams. Consider this synthesis as a trailer, this theme is extensively covered in our book #ilteamgiusto, together with examples and exercises.
My personal ranking of the “Motivations that make it difficult to be a Leader coach”
- A lot of time and a lot of energy: “It’s not enough to tell people what to do, you also need to actively listen to them”
- Admission of vulnerability: “I’m not able to know how to do everything”
- Strong adaptability “Not everything works for everyone, or forever”
In short, being a leader coach is a great bang. The reward, however, is potentially finding yourself leading a Right Team, i.e. with great decision-making autonomy, superior problem solving skills, constantly in a learning-improvement mode, antifragile with respect to the inevitable shocks of external conditions. You may find yourself learning more than you have taught, you may be receiving more than you have given. It’s worth it!
The GROW Framework is a basic tool for the leader coach. Developed by Sir John Whitemore, one of the fathers of coaching, it proves to be a very useful tool in the leader coach’s kit.
Goal: Clear, shared and challenging goals, with frequent mutual feedback sessions
Reality: Analysis of the current situation, with the right blend of facts and questions aimed at understanding also which additional elements or partnerships are to be understood.
Options: with open questions aimed at opening up options and scenarios, the leader coach supports the team in exploring ideal scenarios, inserting barriers and obstacles only later
Will: the last phase that seals the deal, creates the commitment. Often the most complex because it implies mutual trust, i.e. competence+transparency+reliability.
The road is therefore marked, if you want to lead a Right Team, you must learn to be Right Leaders, Leader coach. The good news is that it’s not an innate gift, but a key skill that can be learned, for example by reading #therightteam
