Five Coaching Habits

What does true leadership mean for you? Someone posed this question to me a few days back, and I responded instinctively.

True leadership is about going beyond self-interest and focusing on helping others succeed while fully owning the results. 

Anyone approaching and fulfilling their role as a leader from this perspective will see great success.

Sadly, this breed of leaders is a rarity in the current times, where everyone is hustling for instant results.

So, what does helping others succeed while taking ownership of results mean in the context of leadership? What must leaders look to do well?

Julie Davis-Colan and Lee J.Colan, in their book Five Coaching Habits Of Excellent Leaders, write about what all good leaders do well. They-

Take Time To Set Expectations Well- Leads To Alignment.

Good leaders know that they can’t lead those who don’t know where to go or how to get there. Lack of clear expectations is the most common reason for performance issues. So they put a lot of effort into setting and explaining expectations- what must be done and how it must be done. In this process, good leaders create alignment between organizational goals and individual aspirations.

Ask Questions More Than They Tell- Leads To Engagement.

Good leaders know that nothing is ever understood precisely the first time it is said and that there is a great cacophony of biases and assumptions that people make, leading to execution challenges. Therefore they use the power of questions to help themselves and those they lead to looking beyond the noise to seek clarity. They let their questions reveal the answers to a lot of operational issues. Questions are a great way to create engagement with teammates.

Involve Everyone In The Team-Leads To Ownership.

 Good leaders know that they have to get their teammates to weigh in and contribute if anything substantial has to be accomplished. Towards this, they invest time and effort to elicit buy-in from the team so that they can take ownership. There is no bigger superpower than a fully involved and engaged team taking ownership of the outcomes.

Measure Results-Leads To Accountability

Good leaders know that teammates want to know how they are performing, that their work is valued, and leading to team success. They know what matters to the success of their teammates and the team, and they take care to measure what matters. Measuring and keeping score is essential to creating accountability for what every team member is expected to do.

Appreciate People-Leads To Commitment

Good leaders know that lack of appreciation is perhaps the most crucial reason people quit and move jobs. Most effective leaders have one very powerful trait-they express a sincere interest in the success and well-being of their teammates. Appreciation for the right behaviors, actions, and approach is a powerful way by which good leaders demonstrate their interest and commitment to the success of their teammates.

These five coaching habits are a great starting point for anyone interested in changing how they lead.