The 6 Leadership Styles: Coaching (Part 6 of 6)

The Six Leadership Styles: A Six Part Series

Leadership Style 6 of 6: Coaching

This week we finish our six part series on the Six Leadership Styles with a detailed look at the sixth style: Coaching.

So far in the series we've learned that most leaders THINK they use 4-5 of the 6 leadership styles but research shows most leaders use 1 style (and which 1 will vary from one leader to the next). We also learned that a 1 trick pony doesn't cut it as a leader.  Leaders need to be able to shift gears, adjust, and do what the person and/or situation requires of them, hence developing a full toolkit of leadership styles is highly beneficial. 

Only 19% of leaders are at the world-class level of using 4+ leadership styles, making it a good aspirational target for every leader. Most leaders get into routines/patterns and therefore need to diversify the styles they use to connect to all of their people and be at their best. Remember, the style (or mix of styles) a leader uses shapes up to 70% of employee engagement within the team. The leader definitely sets the tone! 

Let's look deeper at the Coaching style...

 Overview

Coaching is a feedback intensive style aimed at growing people and team capability. Interestingly, many leaders think they use this approach more than they actually do. Many leaders think they are coaching, when really they are telling people what to do (directive), or taking over the task themselves (pacesetting). True coaching involves, guidance and feedback while still letting the person take the lead on the task/project.

Pros

Coaching leaders work to understand the strengths and abilities of each member of the team and look for ways to stretch, challenge, and grow team members over the long term. They also see virtually every on-the-job project/assignment as an opportunity to develop specific people and/or build team capabilities. When assigning work, they think less about who can do it quick and efficient, and more about who would benefit/grow from being exposed to this work. They are purposeful in ensuring time is consistently set aside at the end of a project to debrief what went well, what didn’t go well, and capture other lessons learned.

The Coaching Style is one of the best long-term styles as research suggests it has a very positive effect on climate and operational results. Its power lies in the fact that it is essentially a people-first approach and as such creates strong followership. It also supports significant research showing that if you invest in your people, your people will invest back in your organization by staying longer, bringing more ideas, being more productive, etc.

People tend to enjoy working for leaders with a strong Coaching Style in their toolbox, but don’t get the impression it’s a fluffy style. These leaders will challenge you, push your limits, consistently stretch you out of your comfort zone, make you do some regular stocktaking/reflecting, and provide very honest positive and constructive feedback along the way. Also, expect to have regular conversations about where you are, where you want to be, and how we can ensure you get exposed to the right set of experiences to help you move forward.

Cons

There aren’t many cons to the coaching style. It may be less successful if the person/team lacks confidence, drive, and/or ambition since the grow/stretch/challenge approach of the coach is not particularly motivating for the person. Also, not everyone wants to grow and be stretched, with some instead preferring to be left alone to just do their job the same way they’ve always done it (and if they do a good job that may be just fine).

 Ask most leaders if they use the Coaching Style and they’ll say yes but unfortunately, many of them are wrong. Many leaders think they are coaching when really they are giving task direction (Directive), taking over the project (Pacesetting), or merely having a friendly chat (Affiliative).

Sometimes the leader with an abundance of the Coaching Style will align people to work based on who-needs-to-see-this, even when he/she shouldn’t. Not every project can/should be used as a development experience for someone. If the time pressure is great and/or the risk of deviation from an acceptable level is high, you need your go-to person on it, not your rookie. Sometimes getting quick and strong results will legitimately trump the opportunity to provide a developmental experience for someone.

The Coaching Style overused can occasionally result in the development of a very talented team, yet one whose ambitions and skills do not align with the organization, perhaps leaving the organization without the right people for the right roles at the right times. If we coach and grow people but then cannot keep them sufficiently challenged, we may have just grown them for export – not the ultimate goal.

Application

There are many practical applications of leadership styles including:

• Recruitment: Asking behavioural interview questions that discover which style(s) a leader prefers.
• Leadership Development: Embedding leadership styles into programs via assessment tool, program content, e-learning, and coaching.
• Organizational Assessment: Aggregate data provides insights into organizational strengths and blindspots. Is your organization overly directive? Overly participative? Implications?
• Succession Planning: Can be strengthened by using objective assessment data and comparisons to global standards of leadership.

Leaders can get feedback on their mix of leadership styles by completing a 180o assessment tool.

Summary & Next Steps

Every leader should strive to have a full toolbox of leadership styles. Outstanding leaders use four or more of the six styles. The more leadership styles you have command over, the more situations you can manage effectively. Like each of the Six Leadership Styles, every leader needs to be comfortable using the Coaching Style. Overall, the Coaching Style is highly correlated to creating effective workplace climates. What's your mix of the 6 Leadership Styles? What would your team say? 

Brent Pederson is a Senior Client Partner with the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry, a global management consulting firm, and can be reached at 1.306.359.0181 or [email protected].