Lots of folks tell me about how they are coaching their people. Yep, they told them about what they did wrong, what it would take to fix it, and sent them on their way. That is a leadership style, not a coaching style. Daniel Goleman talks about leadership styles in his body of work and reminds us that our best effort as leaders is to know our people and employ different styles for different situations.
When I am looking to bring the best out in my people then a coaching leadership style is ideal. The results of a recent study showed organizations using coaching or mentoring are 66% more likely to report better retention of key talent than organizations that don’t. That’s two-thirds more likely to retain talent! So what is this magic tool called coaching?
It’s simple, and it’s not easy. Coaching is the exploration of expertise that lives in your coachee (or mentee) through your skills of deep listening and powerful questions. Think about your listening skills over the next couple of interactions. How quickly were you ready and waiting to add in your comments to the discussion? What emotions was the person conveying to you beneath their words? These are the elemental components of good coaching skills. In our fast-paced, achievement-oriented world, the measure of success being your ability to listen is overlooked and undervalued. I encourage you to start a new journey today where you listen only to hear, trusting yourself to know when and what to insert at the appropriate time.
If you need more incentive, a recent Reddit company study reports that 71% of emerging leaders were more likely to receive an “Exceptional Performance” rating during their next review, and 2.5 times more likely to get a promotion than those who didn’t take part in the coaching and mentoring program. Grow your coaching skills, grow your leadership value, and grow your people. It’s that simple.
About Judy Hissong
Judy Hissong is the President of Nesso Strategies. A former law firm Chief Operating Officer, she helps firms become more profitable by developing leaders. Her mission is “world domination for Good.” By creating actionable, lightbulb moments that leaders want to share and spread, she intends to improve the world one person at a time.
