Leading for empowerment

Developing a coaching style in our leadership is a sure-fire way to developing and empowering others and to increasing capability and capacity in our teams and organisations. Moreover, it builds trust and relationship.

Some leaders find this shift in practice relatively easy to accomplish. For others it takes a little more time and effort, not least in detaching from a mind-set that values control and an expectation – whether imposed by self or others – that we should have all the answers.

When we dissolve these barriers we start to experience the value of coaching in the initiative taking and growth we see in our people.

Yet some more subtle hurdles persist. Keeping questions open takes a lot of practice. More challenging is avoiding asking leading questions…those seemingly open enquiries which actually tell people what to do rather than enabling them to create their own solution.? For example…

‘How do you imagine a conversation with so and so would help?’ Yes, it’s open but it is also giving the solution and technically should only come after the person you are coaching has identified that as a solution for themselves.

When we reflect on some of the conversations we have where we think we are coaching we might find they’re simply another, softer way of giving instruction. Given we really want to help people fulfil their potential pausing momentarily to test whether our question is genuinely open and not ‘leading the witness’ will help.