The benefits of leadership coaching for personal growth and transformation
So many of the subjects I’m going to cover in this article – coaching, leadership, growth and transformation – are open to interpretation and debate. So let’s begin defining what each means, at least in the context of this piece.
What is coaching, leadership, growth and transformation?
Coaching
Grant (2000) states that coaching is “A collaborative solution-focussed, results-oriented and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee.” Or Clutterbuck (2003) states that coaching is “primarily a short-term intervention aimed at performance improvement or developing a particular competence.”
Or, put very simply: You already have the answer, and I will help you find it.
Leadership
So, what of the word leadership? It’s a word with many connotations and interpretations. In order to unpick these a bit, I found the following:
Northouse (2004), whilst reviewing leadership theory, identified four common themes:
- Leadership as a process.
- Leadership involves influence.
- Leadership occurs in a group context.
- Leadership involves goal attainment.
If you search for “definition of leadership” on the internet you will find at least 227,000 results. The Oxford dictionary online states that leadership is “the action of leading a group of people or an organisation.”
Leadership as a concept has been discussed by people since people began to lead others. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ book Meditations is still purported to be read by world leaders to this day. From Julius Ceasar to Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan to more recent leaders such as Winston Churchill or Boris Johnson, leadership has been a pervasive and divisive topic. According to one source, Amazon has 57,136 books listed with leadership in the title. They might not all be specifically leadership books, but it gives the sense that there are a lot of them. You will have your own thoughts on what leadership is, but it’s arguable that, if you have responsibility for and/or influence over others, you are a leader.
Personal growth and transformation
Finally, we need to look at the concept of personal growth and transformation. Personal growth is one of those terms that means something different to everyone. The Collins online dictionary says that personal growth means: “development as an individual.” We might then say that personal growth and transformation is the change in a person’s thinking and behaviour that enables a better state. They have developed themselves in whatever way has been deemed appropriate for their goals.
For example, if I want to run a marathon, I need to develop the physical and psychological attributes that will enable me to reach my goal of running a race over 26.2 miles. The transformation, therefore, is both physical and psychological.
The benefits of leadership coaching on a personal level
What are the benefits of leadership coaching on a personal level? In a 2014 study on the effectiveness of executive coaching, Nadine Page and Erik de Haan stated:
“Effective coaching relationships do produce real and observable impacts in the eyes of all parties invested in the coaching journey. There is real consistency between coaching outcomes as reported by client, coach, and sponsor, suggesting that they see similar benefits from the process.”
Page and de Haan’s work identified that getting the right coach is key to fully realising the benefits of leadership coaching. A coach should ideally conduct what is often known as a ‘chemistry’ conversation with someone looking for coaching. The purpose of this is to see if the relationship is going to work for the person being coached (the coachee).
In addition, to fully see the benefits, a coachee should know what they want out of a coaching relationship. What will it look like? What will it feel like? What do I really want to achieve? This may not become fully evident until after the coaching has started. But that is okay if these elements are established early in the relationship. The clearer both the coach and the coachee are, the better the results will often be.
Joy McGovern et al in a 2001 article titled Maximising the Impact of Executive Coaching discovered the following:
- 77% of the people in their study reported improved relationships with their reports as a result of coaching.
- 71% reported improved relationships with stakeholders.
- 67% reported improved teamwork.
- 63% reported improved relationships with their peers.
- 61% reported improved job satisfaction.
All these outcomes come from a change of behaviour and thinking of the coachee. Through leadership coaching, they have gone through personal growth and transformation that has positively impacted their working life and relationships.
Feedback on coaching
Some feedback from coachees can be very profound when discussing the benefits they have gained in because of coaching. One of my own coachees, who has agreed to me sharing their reflections on what they gained out of coaching, said they had:
“A renewed and refreshed feeling that I am in control of my life and time and that others ‘depending’ on me can negatively impact my mindset even when there are no negative outcomes of me not acting on their dependence.”
They key to this coachee achieving and indeed exceeding their desired outcomes was that they were able to be open minded and focussed on what they wanted to achieve.
It’s also arguable that the question ‘how much do you want it’ comes into play here. Why are you engaging in coaching? Is it because you really want to change things, or have you been told by your boss that you have to go? How much effort are you prepared to put into your own development?
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you want to see the very real benefits from leadership coaching, remember three key things:
- Find the right coach for you
- Be open minded and committed
- Stay focussed on what you want the outcomes to be
As Aristotle the Greek philosopher said, “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
Author: Nev Holmes, Programme & Operations Lead
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