Why Coaching?

I frequently hear conversations about the need for better leaders and better leadership development. Those conversations are often accompanied by hand-wringing because many of the current approaches for developing leaders aren’t working. My answer to this challenge is a single word: coaching. Coaching is one of the highest leverage investments available for a leader’s growth.

What is coaching? The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.  Building on this definition, the best coaching is client centered, growth oriented, and results driven.

Client centered coaching is based on each client’s unique needs and context. It focuses on the specific opportunities and challenges the individual wants to address, not a pre-determined template. Growth oriented is anchored in the belief that every person can improve as a leader. Coaching creates forward movement that catalyzes growth in essential leadership knowledge and abilities. Results driven coaching leads to positive, tangible outcomes for the leader and the leader’s church or ministry.

What are some of the topics that arise in leadership coaching? The client may need to manage staff more effectively. She may need to discover new ways to handle conflict rather than retreating when it occurs. He may struggle with setting priorities, either organizationally or personally. The beauty of a coaching relationship is not just the immediate impact of addressing a specific challenge. Clients continue to reap the benefits of new or improved skills and greater self-awareness long after the coaching engagement ends.

In his new book, Tempered Resilience, Tod Bolsinger says, “To lead alone usually results in either a failure of nerve or a failure of heart.” He then makes the bold statement that it should be considered “leadership malpractice” for a pastor to lead without professional support (from a coach, therapist, spiritual director, or mentor). Could a coaching relationship be the key that will unlock your growth as a leader?

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