COACHING
Leadership Coaching
By Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia
For the marketers who have been following my work , you will know that my 2 professional loves are the professions of marketing and coaching . In between there are several sub loves of teaching , training and writing , all platforms to help disseminate learning and development .
Having practiced marketing in both corporate and academia for well over 2 decades , one would think that you know every single thing about a profession . And yet the more time goes by , the more you realize the richness and depth . The joy of discovering a new framework or a divergent discussion simply makes me 120 % sure that if I had to start over - I would still pick the magical profession of marketing .
I often draw parallels with coaching and how the process of coaching reminds me of a strategic marketing plan . What has become crystal clear , is that success in the marketing profession ( and I dare say all professions ) is not just dependent on technical knowledge but also on leadership skills .
The age-old debate - are leaders born or made ? Many scholars have different thoughts . I think you can learn leadership skills , even if you aren ’ t born with a natural talent or predisposition to this area . And this has led me to the domain of leadership coaching .
Recently I came across a debate on what leadership coaching is and what would be the role of a coach . Let us give it a context .
Ken is a relatively new CEO of a manufacturing company . The seniority of the position and the responsibilities that go with it are immense . As the head of the organization , it is not easy for Ken to confide in a colleague when he has challenges or wants to bounce off some ideas . Ken could work with a leadership coach to help him on this journey .
What would a coach help him with ? Would the coach need to have been a CEO himself ? Would the coach train him on leadership skills ? Would the coach give him the answers ?
Let us start with the basics . The International Coach Federation defines coaching as “ partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential .” The focus can be on productivity , performance , leadership or any
“ Having practiced marketing in both corporate and academia for well over 2 decades , one would think that you know every single thing about a profession . And yet the more time goes by , the more you realize the richness and depth .” other area the individual would want to focus on .
How does coaching work ? Coaching is thought of as an ASKING intervention rather than a TELLING intervention . It uses the power of questions and keen listening coupled with observation to create awareness and understanding for the client . There is a lot of asking and not a lot of telling . This would mean that the coach does not provide answers and in fact does not need to be a subject matter expert but rather a trained coach . Think of great football teams . The coaches aren ’ t the most talented players , but rather they have mastered the art of bringing out the very best in their team members .
What then is leadership coaching ? When one hears the word leadership , it usually drives a picture of influencing people , motivating people , impacting others and providing direction and guidance . The common factor here seems to be “ people ”. A quick diversion here to the 7ps of marketing where one of the Ps , is the ‘ P ’ of people . Therefore , leading and managing people impacts the success of brands and businesses .
Leadership coaching is then the opportunity for an individual to be more self-aware about the impact their leadership has on people around them , to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and allow them to be more effective at leading .
A leader like Ken can have a safe space to be vulnerable and share
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