Why Every Leader Can Benefit From Coaching

Why do so many well-meaning business leaders refuse to seek leadership coaching for themselves and their organizations? What gives?

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The fact is that world-class athletes all have coaches. Even the GOATs (greatest of all time)—including Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and Usain Bolt—all worked with personal coaches in an effort to be the best that they could possibly be within their chosen sports. Nonetheless, it seems that the connection between coaching and performance is lost among those business leaders opposed to leadership coaching.

Indeed, the resistance to leadership coaching can be so strong within these individuals that it borders on the irrational. My hunch is that the most reluctant business leaders among us are driven by some deep-rooted fear that any desire on their part to be coached will be viewed as a weakness among their peers.

Of course, nothing can be further from the truth. Proper leadership coaching can make a good leader exceptional—as long as the leader is willing to put in the work needed to make it so.

Here are a few of the common takeaways you will discover when working with a solid leadership coach:

1. Leadership is a choice.

At times, the responsibility for taking the lead may unexpectedly fall upon you. In such a situation, you have the choice to either step up or allow someone else to take charge. Regardless of your decision, you must accept the outcomes that come with your decision. If you do opt to take charge, do so with intention and mindfulness. Avoid haphazardly leading others without being deliberate with, and aware of your actions.

Coming to grips with this simple realization can make you a better leader. It can serve as a reminder that you have a choice and that choosing to lead comes with responsibilities, which makes you accountable to the people you lead and the people who lead you. Both can be powerful motivators for you to work at becoming a better leader.

2. It's about them, not you.

Often, individuals become overly fixated on their job title or position in the organizational hierarchy, causing them to forget that leadership is not about their own self-importance. Instead, a leader’s mental energy should be placed on the individuals that they are leading. After all, leadership does not exist without people to lead.

Therefore, it is crucial to keep in mind that it is not necessary to "win" every interaction we have throughout the workday. By prioritizing the needs of those we lead, we can become more effective and empathetic leaders, gaining a better understanding of our team's perspective on work. Learning that we become most successful by enabling the success of our people, leaders can redouble their efforts to provide the leadership that their team needs to thrive.

3. Resilience can be taught.

Top-notch leaders are adept at teaching their people how to become more resilient. They do this by taking a multi-prong approach focused on developing the mental, physical, and social aptitudes required to become hardier in the face of challenging times, while feeding the spirit.

The mental practices, for example, focus on self-regulation, aiding individuals in re-framing their thoughts, adapting to change, and increasing their self-awareness. The physical practices emphasize getting proper sleep, maintaining a balanced diet, and engaging in exercise.

Social practices prioritize effective relationship management, improving communication skills, and promoting a sense of community. They feed the spirit of team members by encouraging individuals to reflect on their core values, guiding principles, and purpose for doing the work at hand.

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By incorporating these four aspects of resilience into their leadership style, effective leaders help their team(s) weather setbacks and emerge stronger on the other side.

4. Your self-talk is a reflection of how you lead.

Your inner voice, also known as self-talk, is an ongoing conversation you have with yourself throughout the day. While many people may not be consciously aware of it, this internal monologue combines conscious thoughts with ingrained beliefs and biases that can significantly influence our behavior and performance.

Studies suggest that individuals who practice positive self-talk can develop essential mental skills, including problem-solving abilities, improved performance, and greater resourcefulness in managing challenges and personal hardships. However, negative self-talk can have the opposite effect, undermining our confidence and stability and diminishing our capacity to lead others.

Indeed, if we tend to engage in negative self-talk it is critical to work on "flipping the script" so as to enhance our ability to function at our best every day—for positive self-talk improves how we choose to lead others.

5. You’re the one that they’ve been waiting for.

Carpe diem! It is essential that you seize the moment that you find yourself in, right now. If you don’t, the opportunity to take the lead may forever pass you by.

Leaders lead and let others manage. So, lead! Remember, a leadership void will always be filled. If you don't step up, someone else will and the outcome may not be what you prefer or expect. Therefore, I encourage you to take action. Your team craves that direction from you. Give your people what they need to be as effective as they can be.

It all comes down to confronting these questions: If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

In closing, I should point out just how honored I am to be ranked among the top leadership coaches in the country (e.g., Thinkers360 has me ranked first one among the nearly 5,000 thought leaders that the industry watch group tracks on their platform). I believe that this recognition gives me the agency to share the value that can be derived through leadership coaching with you in this forum. With that, if you are a business leader that has historically resisted receiving leadership coaching, I encourage you to rethink your position because there is so much to be gained through the experience.