Leadership Coaching

by Patti Oskvarek

How do you coach for leadership?

A client comes to you and wants to improve their leadership skills or has been told by management to improve their leadership capabilities.

Client Scenario:
My employees are disengaged. We’re not making our goals; I don’t know what to do? I have people above me saying you’re not meeting your objectives. How do I get my employees to be engaged and make our exceptions?

Here are questions to ask a client to ignite their thinking towards becoming a better leader:

• Describe your current work environment.
• What do you want your work environment to be?
• Describe your current working relationship with your staff.
• What kind of working relationship do you want to have with your staff?
• How are you perceived as a leader now?
• How do you want to be perceived as a leader?
• Describe the characteristics of a leader you admire.
• How will you incorporate those characteristics into your daily leadership?
• What is your communication style with your staff?
• How do you communicate team goals and the organization vision?
• How is the way you communicate perceived?
• What do you want to change?

Leaders may or may not know how they come across because they are following the example of others.  Leaders may or may not have thought about their ability to choose how they lead. These questions expand their thinking and open the door to them owning their outcomes.

Possible takeaways from these questions:

• Opening the clients’ mindset to the possibility of change.
• Motivating ownership of their leadership style.
• Inspiring a willingness to work on better communication and listening skills.
• Discussing change in a positive way.

During coach training there is a focus on a positive, proactive focus for creating meaningful change that becomes a powerful approach for developing leaders.

Coaching leaders is an opportunity for them to be inspiring, communicate the strategic plan effectively, reflect the vision, and motivate others to make the company goals a reality.

About the Author: Patti Oskvarek is a Certified Professional Coach through Center for Coaching Certification and Master Certified Coach from World Coach Institute. She is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) Phoenix Chapter.  She is dedicated to helping others find passion, purpose and confidence in all they do.  CoachingforInspirationwithPatti.com