One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders make is becoming complacent. Because they’ve been in the trenches for so long, they think they’ve seen and responded to every challenge. They feel confident they’ve learned from their mistakes and can handle anything.
That’s the thing, though. The workplace is always evolving. Think of what we’re going through now. The employees we are charged with leading are always changing. What worked 10 years ago—or even last month—may not work now.
It’s critical for leaders to evolve too, and continually strengthen and develop their skills and knowledge. Ensuring that you have the leadership chops to lead your employees to reach their full potential, hit their goals, and help the organization succeed is the only way to stay relevant in today’s business world.
Coaching leads to self-awareness
I don’t want to burst your bubble, but you may not be doing as great a job as you think. How you perceive your leadership often doesn’t align with how your employees perceive you. That often happens for two reasons:
- The skills that worked for you in the past are not as effective in the present.
- You tend to rely or overuse a strength that’s doesn’t fit a specific situation or person you are leading.
That is why it is so critical to do the work to understand how effective you are as a leader and manager. Sixty percent of employees say they will or would leave the job because of a bad boss. You don’t want to be the reason talented employees fail to perform or quit altogether. A coach will help you see the areas where you could improve and help you build on your strengths. While it never feels good to focus on your weaknesses, self-awareness and a commitment to improving are critical if you want to succeed as a leader.
The benefits of ongoing coaching
In short, with ongoing coaching—and more specifically, the ability to talk through issues with a coach—you better prepare yourself to effectively manage any challenges that come your way. In fact, coaching directly impacts:
- Communication. You’ll learn through one-on-one coaching sessions how to talk about your concerns, express your frustrations and formulate plans for improving. That is essential when it comes to sharing feedback, ideas and plans with your team.
- Efficiency. You’ll have the skills to deal with any issue head on, or you’ll have a coach you can trust to can walk you through the challenge. You won’t waste time on trial-and-error, and ultimately, you’ll make fewer mistakes.
- Productivity. Because you’ll have the ability to deal with issues swiftly, you have more time to focus on your priorities and big picture issues. You won’t spend all your time mediating conflicts and addressing performance or behavior problems.
- Decision making. You’ll gain the confidence to make quick decisions, even when you have very little information.
Remember, you set the example
As leaders, our role is to challenge our employees. To push them to work harder, aim higher and contribute more to the organization. However, if you aren’t doing everything you can to become a better version of yourself, can you really expect your employees to? Model the right behavior, by showing them that you are committed to improving yourself, as a leader and a member of your workplace community. You’ll inspire them to do the same.
If you are ready to take your leadership skills to the next level, contact us today.