Why You Need a Leadership Coach

The Courage to Lead: It’s not for the Faint of Heart, but you don’t have to do it Alone

As a Talent Management Consultant, working with business owners and team leaders who lead a wide variety of individuals and teams, I have learned that it isn’t the day to day “business stuff” that keeps great Leaders up at night; it’s the “people stuff”.

Time and again I see high performers and Managers get promoted to Leadership roles, where suddenly their most important responsibility is developing their people.

The challenge: Some people are great at developing people. And some are really bad at it.

Sound harsh?

It probably is, but you know it’s the truth. If you’ve ever had a “bad boss” you know exactly what I’m talking about. Some people instinctively are great at bringing out the best in others, it’s innate for them. These people typically have a high “EQ”, they are curious about everything and straight-out passionate about helping others be the best that they can be in all that they do. Those folks are the natural “coaches” of the world. People are drawn to them because of their acute impact on how they make others around them feel.

However, many talented individuals who are good at their jobs but who are equally ineffective at managing and leadings others, launch businesses or get promoted into leadership roles every day. And in case no one has ever told you this before, when you agree to step into a leadership role of any kind, your #1 responsibility is the development of others.

Let me deepen this statement. If you are responsible for developing others, your job is to take your people where they need to go. It’s “other-focused”:

• the emphasis is on the training,
• the alignment of talents and skills, and
• the coaching and mentoring of your people.

And if your people aren’t doing the job they were hired to do, if you aren’t consistently achieving your targets and goals as a team, it’s probably time for you to take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are being the best Leader you can be, for your business and your people.

I believe this is a universal truth: If you find a high-performing team, where the team members are highly engaged, love their “jobs”, have a positive sense of “well-being” at work, and who feel their talent is being leveraged in the workplace, you will find a focused, mindful and intentional Leader at the helm. I realize now that I have spent almost 18 years in my role as a Consultant, Coach and Talent Manager trying to dispel this theory, but I can’t.

Why you need a Leadership Coach

Here’s the great news: You don’t have to do it alone! In my private consulting practice, I find the best clients are the ones who are open and vulnerable enough to let me partner with them to help them become the Leader their business and team needs them to be. This is an incredible opportunity for individual and team transformation. If you’ve never worked with a coach before, do it now. Find someone you trust and respect and let them help you discover where you are “stuck” so you can break through those barriers and be the best Leader you can be.

It takes a lot of courage to lead and develop others, but I can’t think of a more important privilege. If you don’t have the desire or courage to do the work, I have no other advice than to suggest you step aside and let someone else do the job you agreed to do. There’s a reason the phrase “it’s lonely at the top” was coined so long ago. Leadership is not for the faint of heart. But you don’t have to do it alone.

The Leadership Coaching Business is alive and well: IT WORKS! (And if it doesn’t work for you, find another Coach!) Enjoy the process, and count your blessings for the opportunities you have. This isn’t a Dress Rehearsal, this is your one amazing life. And if it comes served up on a Leadership Platter that includes the development of others, crank it up and be the best Leader you can be. If you’ve made it this far, it might just be worth taking that one final leap into greatness. Honor the opportunity. This crazy, unpredictable and fun ride doesn’t come along every day.

Order my book today or contact me at 425-241-4855 to schedule a workshop.