Leadership Coaching

Coaching is one of the ways effective leaders utilize to help followers develop. Purposefully they personally prepare carefully selected followers for leadership roles – (setting direction, aligning, and committing). Selected followers are helped to sharpen observed talents and to overcome noted weaknesses. Methods and opportunities for self-development are provided.  

Effective leaders deliberately assign selected leadership tasks to target followers. Such a leadership task could be a special organizational problem that could demand the target leader to apply personal initiative. The encounter is observed and helpful instructions provided. Properly planned and executed such coaching experiences tend to multiply leadership energy in the organization. The result is improved organizational performance.

To bear long lasting value coaching process ought to start with performance appraisal of the target. An appraisal is an evaluation of the target’s present performance and future leadership potential. The purpose is surfacing observable strengths and weaknesses of the target in relation to the organizational agenda. The goal is to design and develop a workable plan to help the target develop desirable attitudes, skills, and knowledge levels.

Since the cost of recruiting and engaging followers for a given leadership purpose is exponential, an effective leader cannot ignore the value of coaching. In the long run it is the only leadership effort that really counts. To lead well is to increase the number of followers who can lead the organization.