When we began Leaders Who Coach in 2010 the prevailing definition of coaching resembled either getting out of the “penalty” box for poor performance, or leaders “consulting” by giving advice or a solution to a problem or issue. Our purpose is to develop leaders who coach using the same competencies as professional coaches, integrated into their everyday leadership.
Professional coaches spend hundreds of hours learning to coach, through knowledge and practice. In our experience, “experiential learning” augmented by identifying the how and best practices of coaching embed developmental coaching in leaders and organizations.
Results from our participants and recent research resoundingly support our approach. An August 2018 HBR article describes a large controlled study where leaders attended a 15-hour program that was highly experiential and focused on the core coaching skills (identified by the International Coach Federation). Using before and after video assessments by experts and feedback from peers, the results of the study showed a 40% increase in overall coaching ability.
Participant’s ability to listen, recognize and point out strengths and let the coachee arrive at their own solution increased 54%. (https://hbr.org/2018/08/most-managers-dont-know-how-to-coach-people- but-they-can-learn).
As we develop more leaders who coach and assist organizations to become coaching cultures, we will share the results from other studies and our own ROI research. To learn more, contact us.
