A Manager’s Guide to Leadership Coaching: 5 Types and Tips

Teams are always on the quest to improve performance. But what is the most effective way to do it? From focusing on accountability to increasing motivation – numerous hacks are suggested for performance improvement. Investing in leadership coaching is one effective way of ensuring that your team always stays on top of its goals and challenges. While leadership development exercises add a great boost to careers, there are many ways in which they add tremendous value to teams.

This blog will explain how teams can use leadership coaching for performance improvement. Additionally, we will see how teams can make the best use of their potential with the help of leadership coaching. We will also take a short detour to understand the different types of leadership coaching. So let’s begin.

What is Leadership Coaching?

Leadership coaching is the process of using a trained coach to develop your leadership skills and achieve professional goals. The coach provides guidance, support, and feedback to help individuals identify and overcome any barriers or challenges they may face in their leadership role. Leadership coaching can focus on a wide range of areas, such as improving communication skills, developing emotional intelligence, enhancing decision-making abilities, and building effective teams. Leadership coaching aims to empower individuals to become more effective leaders and achieve greater success in their careers.

What are the different types of leadership coaching?

There are different types of coaching that can be beneficial to leaders. These include:

Targeted-behavioral coaching

This type of coaching helps individuals change their behaviors to achieve specific goals. For example, if an individual wants to improve their communication skills, targeted-behavioral coaching would help them learn how to better communicate with others effectively.

Team Coaching

This type of coaching for performance improvement focuses on helping individual team members work together more effectively. It can help them improve their communication, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.

One-on-one coaching

One-on-one coaching is a form of coaching for performance that typically focuses on personal growth and development. This type of coaching can help leaders improve their skills in areas such as communication, problem-solving, delegation, team management, and leadership abilities.

Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is a type of coaching that focuses on helping leaders to improve their skills in areas such as problem-solving, decision-making, and management. Executive coaches can provide them with specific expertise in these areas.

Technology enabled coaching

Technology-enabled coaching is a form of coaching that uses technology to help leaders learn and grow. Teams can use this type of coaching for performance improvement to support informal learning, provide feedback, and manage training programs that work independently.

The benefits of leadership coaching vary depending on the individual’s needs and goals. Team coaching for performance may help some people learn how to work together better. In contrast, others may need targeted behavioral or executive coaching to help them develop specific skills required for effective leadership.

What are some of the most common reasons why teams need leadership coaching?

There are a variety of reasons why teams might need leadership coaching. Some common reasons include the following:

• ineffective communication
• lack of team coordination
• unclear role expectations
• conflict within the team
• Inability to gain the confidence of a leader

Leaders unable to communicate effectively with their team or manage conflicts may find themselves in positions where they’re unable to achieve their goals. It happens because they need help to identify the challenges stopping their growth. Leadership coaching helps identify blind spots and weaknesses that limit achievement in such cases.

How does Leadership Coaching Help?

Coaching can help leaders break through barriers and increase productivity by helping them understand their strengths and weaknesses as a leader. By working with a coach, team members can develop skills that will enable them to work more collaboratively and harmoniously towards shared objectives.

It provides essential feedback and roadmaps to develop specific skills. In addition, it is exponentially useful for managers and leaders who cannot access in-house development tools such as mentorship due to organizational factors. Managers leading smaller teams or those who do not have access to seniors from their industry can gain substantially with the help of leadership coaching.

Leadership Coaching Benefits for Managers 

• Enhanced Leadership Skills: Leadership coaching helps managers develop and refine their leadership skills, such as communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, and strategic thinking.
• Increased Self-Awareness: Coaches help managers understand their strengths, weaknesses, and leadership styles, enabling them to leverage their strengths and address areas for improvement.
• Improved Employee Engagement: Managers who receive coaching often learn techniques to engage and motivate their team members more effectively, leading to higher employee satisfaction and productivity.
• Improved Handling of Challenges: Coaching provides tools for managing stress and pressure, allowing managers to handle challenges more calmly and maintain a positive work environment.
• Adaptability and Change Management: Coaches support managers in navigating organizational changes, fostering adaptability and resilience.

Leadership Coaching Benefits for Teams 

• Stronger Communication: Leadership coaching helps managers develop better communication skills, leading to more precise instructions, active listening, and an improved employee experience.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Coached managers learn to foster a collaborative environment, leading to better teamwork, idea-sharing, and problem-solving.
• Increased Accountability: Teams often benefit from a coach’s guidance in setting clear goals, expectations, and accountability structures, leading to improved performance.
• Easy Conflict Resolution: Coaching equips managers with skills to address and resolve conflicts within the team, promoting a more harmonious work environment.
• Skill Development: Teams benefit from managers who have undergone coaching, as these managers are more likely to invest in developing their team members’ skills and potential.

Moreover, leadership development exercises help leaders gain an edge over their peers. In addition to building personal skills, they understand qualities that are key to keeping teams together through highs and lows. After understanding the ins and outs of leadership in-depth, such managers and leaders help their teams grow massively with the help of their vision and the ability to realize them.

Understanding the Leadership Coaching Process and Focus Areas

How does Leadership Coaching Work?

1. Assessment and Objective Setting: The process starts with assessing the manager’s needs and goals. Then, the manager and the coach collaboratively set coaching objectives that address development areas.
2. Growth Plan Development: In the second step, a tailored plan outlining coaching approaches and growth strategies is crafted. It generally focuses on expanding self-awareness, identifying blind spots, and overcoming challenges.
3. Coaching Sessions: Next, the coaching sessions begin to discuss insights, progress, and reflections. It helps managers explore personal growth, self-discovery, and strategic thinking.
4. Action and Accountability: Based on these, actionable plans for implementing newfound insights into real scenarios are created. The manager remains accountable for applying learning to t2heir leadership role.
5. Feedback and Adaptation: As the process progresses, the coach offers constructive feedback grounded in observations and assessments. Coaching strategies are adapted to cater to emerging needs and evolving progress.
6. Evaluation and Continuation: The process ends with evaluating accomplishments relative to initial goals and assessing overall advancement. At this point, coaches foster a transition toward self-sufficient leadership practices, leveraging the coach’s guidance.

Where can Leadership Coaching Help You?

• Effective Communication: Coaching helps managers improve communication skills, enabling them to convey ideas clearly, listen actively, and connect with their teams.
• Conflict Resolution: Coaching guides managers in handling conflicts constructively, promoting healthy discussions and maintaining a harmonious work environment.
• Goal Achievement: Coaches assist managers in setting meaningful goals and creating actionable plans to achieve them, fostering a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
• Identifying Blind Spots: Coaching uncovers blind spots and weaknesses in managers, enabling them to overcome limitations that hinder their effectiveness.
• Emotional Intelligence: Managers develop emotional intelligence through coaching, enhancing their ability to understand and manage their own emotions and those of their team.

How do you Choose the Right Leadership Coaching?

Choosing the Right Leadership Coach for You

Choosing the right leadership coach is crucial and can significantly impact your leadership development. Here are some things that you need to consider while weighing options in the arena of leadership coaching: 

• Experience and Expertise: Look for coaches with a solid background in leadership, coaching, or a related field. Consider their experience working with individuals in leadership roles similar to yours.
• Align with Your Goals: Choose a coach who understands your goals and challenges. Ensure they have experience coaching individuals in areas relevant to your development needs.
• Track Record of Success: Seek coaches with a proven track record of helping leaders achieve. Look for testimonials, case studies, or references that showcase their impact.
• Empathy and Relationship Building: Look for a coach who demonstrates empathy, respect, and a genuine interest in your growth. The coach-client relationship should be built on trust and understanding.
• Customization and Flexibility: Choose a coach who tailors their approach to your unique needs and preferences. Flexibility in adapting the coaching process as you progress is essential.
• Feedback and Accountability: A good coach provides honest and constructive feedback. They also hold you accountable for taking action and making progress.
• Availability and Accessibility: Consider the coach’s availability for sessions and ongoing support. Ensure they are accessible when you need guidance or have questions.
• Cost and Value: While cost is a factor, prioritize the value you’ll receive from the coaching relationship. Evaluate the potential return on investment regarding your leadership growth and career advancement.

The Challenges with Conventional Approaches to Leadership Coaching

While the criteria to pick the right leadership development coach for you can be longer, it also points to a potential list of problems you may encounter in the traditional leadership and development coaching setup. 

Typically, coaching relationships can disappoint the takers because: 

• There was an apparent mismatch between the coach and the coachee. It can easily happen as leadership styles, learning, and teaching preferences vary heavily; a cookie-cutter approach just doesn’t cut it. 
• The coach never understood their problem. It will likely be the case if your coach has not updated themselves about new happenings in the industry, especially in the post-pandemic era. 
• It was not comfortable. Let’s be honest: opening up to a stranger about our deepest insecurities is not the easiest or the coolest of experiences. In such instances, many rapport-building measures are needed to create psychological safety, which the rapid intake of leadership coaching sessions simply does not allow! 
• It seemed like a waste of time. You are not alone in feeling this. Imagine a leadership development session that carries on a litany of speeches, but you have a long list of tasks staring at you. That scenario is a nightmare for anyone, especially those who cannot apply the demonstrated solutions to super-specific work challenges.

How does Risely help you avoid these issues?

While typical challenges block the success of traditional leadership development sessions, there are great ways to break out of the challenges. Risely, the AI co-pilot for leadership development shows the way: 

• Take charge of your learning: The process begins with picking the challenges you are facing. It helps Risely understand where to help you. At the beginning of this journey, your leadership skills are assessed to understand your skills and help you accurately. 
• Learn at your own pace: With Risely, you can set up the frequency of contact. Say goodbye to sessions that keep you hooked to a screen at work. Instead, say hello to nudges that push you toward growth, one step at a time. 
• Watch your progress: Unlike sessions that take in hundreds and bid them farewell at once, Risely helps managers progress and monitors it at every stage of their learning journey through assessments that seek feedback from your team, too! 
• Risely watches your back: When you get stuck, where do you look? Wonder no more because Risely comes with Merlin, an intelligent chatbot that is available and always eager to help you overcome tough tides. 

Learn more about your best bet at leadership development here: How Does It Work?

Conclusion

Leadership coaching is a powerful way to help teams improve their performance. By providing individualized feedback and coaching, leadership coaching helps teams identify and address any issues preventing them from achieving their goals. Various types of leadership coaching can help businesses of all sizes. In this blog, we listed the key features needed in every leadership coaching for performance improvement. If you are looking for leadership coaching for performance improvement, ensure it ticks all the right boxes!