This author has been
a ‘client’ before, and needing the help of a ‘coach’. Sometimes, coaching is necessary for those
who are starting from ‘square one’, that is, one who is new to a job
position. Other times, such as when this
author needed a coach, it was because he reached an obstacle – an obstacle too
high or far to pass – with his given set of skills and/or will. Aside from work, a coach was sought for personal
development e.g. emotional or other mental wellness. In the broader context of business, a coach
is vital to an organization’s leadership and strategy – the aim to improve, overcome
obstacles, and have organizational wellness.
Thus, the coach helps enhance the ‘Skill/will’ and leadership strategies
of an organization as discussed by Obolensky (2012).
This author had sought a coach when
he encountered obstacles, professional and/or otherwise. For example, this author had gone from
leading a small ‘line unit’ with one specific function (i.e. to fly and fix helicopters)
to a large headquarters unit (a matrix organization) with many functions e.g.
human resources, business intelligence, logistics, supply, etc. Although this author had senior leadership skills
and experience, he had not practiced leading followers from a variety of
functional disciplines (and all in one team).
In this time of change, this author needed a coach to enhance his ‘skill’,
and to generate some ‘will’. The ‘will’
had declined due to fear of the unknown and anxiety of the new job. The value that the coach brought to this
client was twofold. First, the coach
provided technical and tactical knowledge specific to the task-at-hand (thus improving
skill). Second, the coach was a mentor
who enabled a positive shift in belief and perspective (thus improving will). The aforementioned ‘value’ that a coach
brings can apply to any organization and industry.
Therefore, coaching can make a big
difference in an organization. As
mentioned previously, coaching can work in a short-term and one-on-one
basis. Yet, coaching is also valuable in
long-term strategy and leadership development.
For example, coaches enable both leaders and followers to execute the
organization’s strategy. Coaches can be
used at any level in the organization to coach ‘what’ is to be done (i.e.
strategy) and ‘how’ it gets done (i.e. tactics). Coaches help the individual, as well as the organization
grow, improve, and adapt. According to
the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland (n.d.), coaching
enables leader development – a coach can help a leader develop a leadership development
plan, a “roadmap” with “actionable steps and measurable benchmarks” (para.
3). Furthermore, the organization can
employ a strategy akin to ‘Train the trainer’, a strategy in which an
experienced leader coaches a less-experienced leader (Department of the Army, 2014) . The ‘Train the trainer’ strategy ensures that
knowledge and tactics are cascaded to the lowest levels of leadership.
In conclusion, coaches are
invaluable to their clients, both the individual and/or the organization. A coach can help both (the individual and
organization) to surpass obstacles by improving the skill and will. Moreover, coaches help in leadership development,
either in personal development or in ‘Train the trainer’. It is important that this author and his
organization understand this. Being able
to grow, improve, and adapt requires help from a variety of expert mentors
(e.g. coaches) from both inside and outside the organization.
References
Department of the Army. (2014). Army Training and
Leader Development. Washington D.C.: Department of the Army.
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership -
Embracing paradox and uncertainty. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.
(n.d.). Retrieved from www.rhsmith.umd.edu:
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/programs/executive-mba/academics/leadership-development-executive-coaching
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