5 Ways Leaders Can Use Coaching Skills to Drive Results 

April 25, 2021

Today’s volatile business conditions together with the demands of a younger workforce are driving more and more organizations to embrace coaching as their preferred leadership style. 

Those that do so see real results. Leaders and organizations that embrace coaching do a better job of identifying and developing their employees’ skills and strengths, leading to tangible improvements in employee wellbeing, engagement and ultimately performance. 

They also do a better job of managing the next-generation workforce, whose members simply do not respond to the traditional top-down style of leadership. 

A key step to becoming a coach-like leader is learning to talk with employees in ways that remove barriers to progress, foster employee ownership of outcomes and facilitate collaboration. 

Here are 5 ways you can start applying coach-like skills and behaviors to your employee conversations today.

  1. Focus on what the employee is doing well, rather than on their mistakes. 
  2. Earn trust by acknowledging the contributions of your team members and by being transparent about your own shortcomings.
  3. Use open-ended questions to encourage a free flow of ideas, inquiry and collaboration.
  4. Learn to give meaningful feedback that encourages employees to continue their positive behaviors, while inspiring them to grow.
  5. Create an environment where team members feel safe disagreeing with one another and with their managers.

Our online training teaches leader-as-coach skills 

If you’re a people manager who aspires to be a great leader, or an organization looking to develop the coaching skills of your managers and leaders, The Workplace Coach can help. We offer a comprehensive Certified Leader Coach® (CLC) training and certification program that teaches managers the leader-as-coach skills they need to create healthy workplace environments and support innovation and growth. 

Now in its third edition, Certified Leader Coach® (CLC) is a six-module online program with options for individual or group coaching by a Master Certified Coach. 

The course features practical instruction in leader-as-coach skills, including tactics for addressing critical areas such as teambuilding, conflict management, employee feedback and time management. 

The all-new edition has been revised to reflect the latest research on leadership. New features include audio demonstrations of workplace coaching sessions and extensive supplementary materials, including downloadable self-assessments, customizable planning templates, worksheets, a participants workbook and more. 

Since its introduction in 2006, Certified Leader Coach has equipped hundreds of managers and aspiring leaders to use leader-as-coach skills to develop, engage and motivate their teams. 

If you’re ready to take the next step in your leadership development journey, Contact The Workplace Coach today.

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