Coaching Leadership

A transformational Leadership style!

Coaching concept is not as new as it is perceived today. Its traditional roots are traced in the 1960s, through the research study of two scholars Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard and silently practiced over time to today’s widely acceptance by contemporary organizations embracing and embedding it as part of their organization culture especially across Europe, US and now African coming out strongly with many organizations now embedding coaching in their own way.

Today, I cannot count the number of organizations here in Kenya for example that have embraced coaching as their leadership culture: from financial institutions like Co-operative Bank of Kenya, telecoms like Safaricom, insurance companies like ICEA lions, government and quasi government institutions like Longhorn publishers, educational institutions like Strathmore University, religious institutions like ICC church, other businesses and start-ups, to name but a few.

Coaching is now a recognized approach to leadership and recent studies have proved especially here in Kenya and East Africa as a region that using coaching as a leadership style impacts organizations positively due to its focus on people thanks to a number of individuals whose organizations have been at the forefront of championing coaching in Kenya and the region and representing the continent at large like Eileen Laskar-MCC, Founder and President of CDI-Africa Group, George Nuthu- PCC a coaching consultant and practitioner, Emily Kamunde-ACC, Micheal Oyier-ACC, Director Serenity Group Ltd among other individuals not to mention myself championing this agenda of advancing coaching as a way of life.

So what’s this Coaching Leadership?

This is a leadership style where a leader creates an intentional focus on developing their team member’s personal, & career or professional aspects. The leader not only acknowledges their staff’s strong areas and support them solidify and channel their strengths in further developing themselves, but, more importantly recognizes their weak areas and develop an intentional plan together with the staff to turn them into strengths.

In short, coaching leadership involves nurturing, genuine professional care and love whose end result is positive impact and progress towards staff’s personal goals and professional aspirations.

Why Embrace Coaching Leadership as a Leader or as an Organization?

1. Coaching involves investments in effort and time both on the part of the leader and the staff and conversations there-in are thought provoking and actionable. This then means that there is improved connection between the staff and the leader which then is likely to enhance better engagement in the team but more importantly is the staff gains a better understanding of themselves (self-aware) their self-efficacy, their contribution to the overall strategic direction of their organization and thus improved productivity.

2. As shared above coaching is an ongoing conversation, with actionable outcomes geared on the progress of the staff in various identified areas, both cognitive -critical thinking and strategic thinking and behavioral- improved traits in leadership, actionable planning and tracking of progress. This makes coaching a tool to better equip teams for challenging leadership tasks.

3. Coaching enhances locus of control and thus motivation for levels for team members since it involves continuous conversations between the leader and staff looking at areas that require development and working together to enhance those areas into strengths. This then enables the staff to feel genuine care and trust from their leadership and therefore, boosts their ability and confidence but also motivation levels.

How can you develop a coaching leadership in your organization?

1. Your leaders need to have reasonable knowledge and experience, in coaching, to provide guidance to their staff – various credible organizations in Kenya are today providing such accredited coach training or more so link up with us for referrals of organizations we have worked with.

2. Your staff need to be willing to learn, focus on their improvement areas and work on themselves. We (Step-Afrique)provide other self-leadership programs that will help staff develop these skills and traits ahead of embedding a coaching leadership culture in your organizations.

Coaching Leadership from my personal experience is the best approach to managing and leading people as it supports in building productive relationships and also cultivates leadership pool within the organization.

Don’t be left out, get in touch if you wish to create a culture of coaching leadership within your organization.

About Coach Gilbert.

Gilbert Ang’ana (Coach Gilbert) is Founder & Leadership Advocate at Step-Afrique and also a PhD Scholar in the area of Organization Leadership Development.

Step-Afrique are experts in delivering Leadership development programs, & Coaching. With specialist expertise in Self-Leadership, Engagement & Productivity & Organization Culture.

t: +254 0743990422| e: afriquestep@gmail.com | http://www.stepafrique.com |