Leaders who want to be successful in their roles must possess a variety of skills, including the ability to coach and mentor their team. Coaching is an essential skill for leaders, as it helps them to develop their team's potential and create a high-performing work culture. To be successful, leaders should focus on five key coaching skills: listening with curiosity, adaptive communication, empathy, building relationships, and evaluation. When it comes to listening with curiosity, leaders should demonstrate a genuine interest in what their team members are saying. Adaptive communication is also important, as it involves knowing when to be active or direct in approach and when to back down and let the coach take the initiative.
Leaders should also be able to show empathy and build relationships with their team members. Evaluation is another key coaching skill that leaders should possess. Evaluation tools such as the Hogan 360º Report can be used before starting executive training programs to provide a clear indication of the areas that the participant most needs to improve. It's important for leaders to have scheduled coaching sessions, but it's also helpful to have spontaneous coaching sessions throughout the day. Coaching should be based on something that is important to the employee on a personal level, that gives them value and meaning at work. Leaders should also help their team members overcome mistakes instead of punishing them, as this provides them with an opportunity for growth. By incorporating these five coaching skills into their leadership style, leaders can create a work culture that demonstrates the value of gaining experience as a means of education.
This will help them develop potential and create high-performing teams.
