The Transformational Leader

19Coaching for Success: Growing and Developing Talent

A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.

—Tom Landry

ANYONE WHO DEDICATES enough time and effort can become adequate at almost anything. But can you imagine if Tiger Woods had set his sights on being an adequate golfer or if Muhammad Ali's goal was to be good enough at boxing? Thankfully, these men had the talent and drive to become legends.

Since you're reading this book, it's safe to assume that adequate and good enough are not what you're after, nor should they be. Instead, you're interested in pursuing excellence, but just as Woods had Butch Harmon¹ and Ali had Angelo Dundee,² greatness requires more than time—it takes coaching.

Coaching is widely recognized and celebrated where its necessity is unquestionable, including in athletics, the military, emergency response, and more. It baffles me how we recognize the value of coaching, except when it comes to leaders coaching their people. I've watched this deficiency impact organizations worldwide in business, education, and other fields. In each case, there's a notion that ongoing development is best addressed later, at a more opportune time. We both know there's no such thing as the perfect moment.

As a leader, you must prioritize coaching those you lead rather than treating their continuous development as optional. Do you want to achieve sustained excellence? ...