Executive coaching by Rachel Burr, Catamentum Leadership Coach, empowers individual leaders, teams, and organizations with people skills.
In these often challenging times, leaders and executives may wonder how to motivate and empower their employees. They want to improve employee engagement, encourage employees to take ownership, and help drive the organization’s success. Leaders want the best for and from their teams, but achieving that goal can be challenging.
Surveys show that employees want both greater empowerment and support from leadership.
According to a 2008 study by Google, employees said two of the most important qualities/skills in a manager were (1) being a good coach, and (2) empowering their team, rather than micromanaging.
In 2020 Gallup surveyed 1.2 million employees from nearly 50,000 businesses across 45 countries to understand what employees wanted from their managers. First and foremost, employees said the best managers are coaches. The Gallup survey found the best managers: (1) focus on team engagement, (2) leverage the unique talents of each employee, and (3) set clear expectations and goals. One big takeaway from the survey is that “The best managers talk to their employees and teams. A lot.” In other words, people skills are invaluable.
The question is how to turn the reciprocal wants and needs of both leadership and employees into shared success.
Executive Coaching Empowers Leaders with Functional Skills and People Skills
Good leaders develop their skills overtime, both through experience and by leveraging resources. Executive coaching is a key resource that can be a catalyst to enhance leadership, both through developing functional skills and people skills.
A newly promoted leader, or a newly onboarded executive, may have outstanding talent and drive. Managers may be promoted for their extraordinary technical skills and capabilities. Nevertheless, if leaders and managers lack the necessary people skills, they will struggle in their new roles.
In these situations, executive coaching helps leaders and managers close the gaps. Coaching helps a leader navigate the challenges of a new role, or helps established leaders navigate ongoing challenges, particularly related to people management, mindset, emotional intelligence (EQ), and skill development.
While executive coaches don’t have all the answers, they are trained to ask good questions and guide leaders through their development process.
People Skills Can Transform Leaders and Organizations
As the Google and Gallup surveys suggest, going beyond functional skills requires excellent communication and people skills. A leader may have superb functional skills and business sense, and may have achieved considerable success, without mastering people skills. To reach the next level, even successful leaders may need to scale up.
Developing better people skills can be as simple as learning to listen and giving constructive feedback. It can encompass examining mindsets, developing greater emotional intelligence, and nurturing connections among employees and teams across the organization.
When blind spots and limiting mindsets come up, executive coaching can lead to a process of self-discovery and transformation. Personal transformation can translate to organizational transformation, and form the building blocks for the next level of success across the organization.
Leaders who Learn People Skills Help Themselves, Their Teams, and Their Organizations
When leaders develop the skills and traits to empower those around them, everyone wins. Leadership is a team sport. Successful leaders ultimately serve their teams and work toward a shared goal. In short, leaders who learn people skills help themselves, their teams, and their organizations.
Rachel Burr is an executive and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience working with CEOs and the C-suite across all industries, in organizations of from 200 to 10,000 employees. Rachel holds dual master’s degrees in Organization Development and Clinical Psychology, as well as numerous certifications in the field of executive coaching. Rachel is a “people expert” who works with clients to unleash their leadership potential.To book an appointment visit: https://catamentum.com.