Leaders who adopt a coaching style take an individual approach to recognizing and cultivating the talents of each member of the team while leading everyone toward a common goal. Dale Carnegie is a classic example of someone who used the leadership style as a coach. But what is the coaching leadership style, how does it work, and what are some of the benefits of using it? The coaching leadership style (CLS) is a type of transformational leadership that focuses on helping employees grow and develop personally, taking into account their long-term goals. It involves providing direction and motivation while developing a practical approach that encourages skill development and grows a stronger and more effective team.
The goal of a coach is to give a little tough love that pushes a member of the team to develop their full potential. This creates commitment, builds relationships and improves the future performance of the member of the team being trained. A key benefit of adopting this leadership style is that it can align activities with business and personal objectives and establish a culture in which mistakes are allowed and collaboration is constructive (Berg & Karlsen, 201). It also helps to build trust between leaders and employees, which is essential for successful implementation. If the leader does not trust the person being trained, there will be less empowerment, less trust and less sincerity when it comes to formulating how the individual can grow both personally and professionally. It's also important to remember that each leadership style can be adapted, modified and combined with other styles to make them truly stand out.
For example, some companies adopt servant leadership, which focuses on leaders supporting employees. Usain Bolt's coach Mills was able to harness his talent and transform it into a skill that propelled him to the top. However, it is difficult to implement coaching leadership strategies with large groups, since it is practically impossible for the leader to connect on a deep and personal level with a large number of people due to lack of time. Some personal similarities usually allow for communication and other aspects that are essential to success with the coaching leadership style. If the person being trained is not open to feedback, the coaching leadership style is very unlikely to work. Adopting a coaching leadership style has many benefits for both leaders and employees.
It helps create commitment, build relationships, improve future performance, align activities with business objectives, establish a culture in which mistakes are allowed, and combine different styles for maximum effectiveness.
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