Coaching to Lead in Corporate America

So what is the definition of a coach? Well some leadership books or guru's define something like; "To train or tutor or to act as a trainer or tutor". That seems like a reasonable definition and certainly works to make some people's point. I like to define it a little more in detail though; "A leader who influences and trains others by providing interaction and sharing experience, knowledge and skills of their own".
Why is it so important to enhance our coaching skills in the leadership ranks of business? The easiest way to answer that is to ask a question: “How often do we counsel, conduct performance reviews and measure results of our staff members”? You most probably answered “often” or “on a regular basis” or something along those lines I’m sure. There is a difference between these activities and coaching. Although coaching is related, it differs in that it is the day-to-day hands-on process of helping employees recognize their opportunities to improve their performance and their capabilities.
This is a topic we could go all day discussing and use a tremendous amount of examples like in the sports industry. For the purposes of getting right to the point we’ll just discuss a few key skills of an effective coach. Interpersonal communication skills and Teaching are two of the most effective skills and are effective ways of interacting and coaching others. Interpersonal communication is plain old interaction with folks (and I’m not talking about cursing and screaming at your employee because they did it wrong like a high school football coach – although some teenagers might need that from time to time as it builds character) and effectively communicating verbally, with your body language and with your tone of voice. Research shows that body language is approximately 55% of all human communication, tone or voice inflection reflects 38%, and the words you actually use represent 7% of communication.
Have you ever asked someone “how are you today” and they answered “great, thanks for asking”, but you knew right away that they were one “how are you today” away from flying off the handle because their face was so clenched that they answered you through their teeth? Or maybe you were on the phone with someone and you asked the same question and they replied with the same words, but you could tell that they were so tired that they would probably fall asleep during your call because they said it so lazily and softly then the big “YAWN”? What about the email you read from your employee and immediately jumped up and walked over to ask “what the heck’s wrong with you?” only to see that they were in a great mood but very busy and didn’t have time for smiley faces or eloquent words?
Observing body language, paying attention to tone of voice and reading or actively listening to the words can effectively enhance your interpersonal communication skills between you and your employees, co-workers, superiors and most importantly your customers. Don’t read into things and react before you realize!
Teaching is an art that can be learned. Why is teaching an everyday must? Well think about an elementary school teacher for a second. If they didn’t teach everyday how the heck would you be where you are today? Teachers help by challenging, so give your employees some problem solving tools, such as determining pros -vs- cons of various options. Teachers also ask their students to identify options and make a recommendation as to which option they like, and then analyze the consequences of each option. Teachers ask good probing questions and stay open minded if the student’s answers aren’t exactly their answers. Teaching boils down to being there daily, sharing your experience as a leader while communicating with all your employees, and being able to influence them to become successful.
Now in the capture line near the heading I wrote “It’s not a soft skill, it’s a leader skill”. The reason I state that is because most of us think of coaching in a business environment and all this leadership stuff is all about soft skills and that we all have to be lovey-dovey to be effective coaches. That is absolutely not the case. Sometimes hard knocks come into play with effective coaching whether it’s in a sports environment or a business environment. Coaches MUST know when to make a “cut” and have the intestinal fortitude to execute the “cut” for the greater good of the TEAM!
Good luck with enhancing your coaching skills – just don’t out coached by the competition!