How to Champion Your Employees with Leadership Coaching
If you are a fan of Marvel comics and Stan Lee (and even if you aren’t), you’re likely familiar with the following Spiderman quote…
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
This certainly applies when we’re talking about ways that supervisors, directors, and company leaders can champion those working underneath them. And, while you might assume the responsibility for checking in on employee satisfaction and morale is a task best left to the HR department, the truth is knowing how to hire well, defend, advocate for, and support those working under you is the earmark of a really good leader.
But such skills don’t always come naturally and can take decades to learn…and that is where a skilled leadership coach can help.
In this article, I’ll answer what is leadership coaching, “do I really need it?” and does leadership coaching even work! First of all, let’s set you up to be a great leader of your own volition:
So how can we champion our direct reports and employees?
Give credit where credit is due – If one of your employees comes up with a killer plan to increase customer acquisition, share that idea…and its creator…with the masses. You want to share it with other subordinates, but it’s also important to sing that employee’s praises with your peers and supervisors. Champions aren’t afraid to share the spotlight.
Criticize concepts, not employees – You want to create a culture where employees feel comfortable brainstorming in front of you. An employee working for Disney once noted her supervisor lived by the following philosophy—be “tough on ideas, kind on people.” When direct reports pitch an idea that is unquestionably rough, champions know how to find a way to communicate what won’t work in a way that doesn’t feel personal.
Ask questions – One of the most effective ways to find out how employees feel is by engaging in meaningful conversation. Ask them what made past working relationships so good (or so awful). What’s their preferred way to receive both praise and constructive feedback? Just the act of asking shows employees you care about them and want to work collaboratively to create a healthy workplace culture.
At the end of the day, leadership coaching is about being curious about your team. What is the culture like among the people you lead? What is working? Where do you see room for improvement? How do you make that happen?
With the right coach, you’ll learn to celebrate creativity and champion the people you serve in a way that makes people excited and eager to work for you…and what could be better than that? On that note, I’ll answer the questions I promised.
What is leadership coaching?
Often, executives approach me and say, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with a business coach in the past, but what is leadership coaching? Are the two really that different?”
The short answer is…yes. It’s as if you’re comparing a general practitioner and a neurologist. Both are highly skilled, both have a wealth of experience, but one offers a more specialized level of care. You might be surprised to know that there are even specialty coaches like health-care worker coaches and realtor coaches!
A good leadership coach will focus on you as an individual and how you interact with those you manage and use this information to improve your relationships with your direct reports.
Does leadership coaching work?
When I’m approached with the question “Does leadership coaching work?” I have fight the urge to shout, “Hell, yes, it works!”. While the enthusiasm is sincere, the delivery could be startling. So, here’s my more measured response:
Leadership coaching offers a bounty of benefits. A good coach will remove blinders and reveal blind spots you never knew existed. They will help you ditch old, non-productive habits and unlock the full potential of your team.
And, perhaps most importantly, they will help you improve team dynamics by teaching you how to serve as a champion of your team.
Want to learn more about how to be an incredible leader and hire a Superteam? Get my eBook on hiring, training and retaining.
