The EQ Leader

Chapter 12Pillar II: Developing Leader Coaches

You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.

—BOB NELSON

Coaching

Coaching Definition:

1. Support employee's needs and nurture development:
2. Operates as a mentor, responds to concerns and queries, and supports employee needs.

One of the big changes in leadership over the years has been the expanding role of coaching. Leadership, in the past, was mainly about telling people what to do, then monitoring whether or not they have done it. However, as times have changed, and organizations have become less hierarchical and more collaborative, our ways of getting things done has changed.

Relationships have become much more significant at work since so much of what a leader does is through other people, not just direct reports. The ability to get along, for example, is now required for teams to run smoothly. As well, when it comes to getting things done correctly, with the increased emphasis on quality control, coaching becomes even more important. Coaching has become much better defined over the years with specific skills being identified that can enhance your success in this area.

Just how prevalent is coaching in today's organizations? The use of coaching for employees, throughout the corporate chain, has grown dramatically over the past decade. The Human Capital Institute (HCI) together with the International Coach Federation (ICF) surveyed over 300 organizations about their ...