March 8, 2025
What is leadership coaching and how could it benefit you?
Being your best and giving your best isn't always about doing or achieving big things. Often, quite the opposite is true
As leaders, the way we think, communicate and act has the potential to positively or negatively impact those around us.
When we're in a position to influence others, it's important that we're able to give the best that we can.
Why do some leaders choose to work with a coach?
- To look at themselves for who they truly are
- To learn how to live a life that is larger than individual interests
- To make an investment in themselves and, hence, in the people they lead
- To explore the question:
Are we living a life that makes sense to our psyche, to our soul, a life that is aligned with our inner values whether at work, at home or in our social contexts.
I often start a coaching session by asking:
‘Tell me about you as a leader in a way you have not told before.’
At first clients find this question puzzling because it’s an unusual invitation. After a pause people tend to enjoy having time and space to feel into their experience as a leader. It’s often so much more than simply talking about the issue or area in their life that they want to solve, fix, or change.
When is a good time to start leadership coaching?
Spring is on its way, a time of planting seeds for new growth, a time of renewed energy and change.
Spring beckons us to wake up. Wake up to life. A good moment to ask ourselves better questions:
- How do I want to show up as a leader?
- What do I most care about?
- Where is my attention?
- What have I avoided and can no longer ignore?
- What are my reactive patterns that most hold me back?
- How often do I make choices that are driven by fear?
- What needs to grow in me now?
- What is the potential to do things differently now?
- What do I need to unlearn / learn?
- What resources can I draw on?
- Who are my most important connections?
- How am I in service to something beyond self?
Leadership coaching is about being your best and giving your best. It's about creating a life that feels meaningful. This is not always about doing or achieving big things. Often quite the opposite is true.
Meaning arises in moments when we can pause and recognise something in others. Meaning arises when we can sense into a situation and follow our intuition. Meaning arises in an honest conversation with someone, meaning comes in a moment when we dare to speak up about something we feel passionate about or can have the courage to not know all the answers. Meaning comes when we are centred, grounded and curious about others vs being preoccupied with our own needs and wants. Meaning arises when we begin to be on our own side vs constantly giving ourselves a hard time.
When we render our life more meaningful, the ego quietens because it’s less busy defending the status quo. Something larger can come through us.
Leadership coaching is all about quieten the ego by getting to know your psychological defences, conditioned tendencies and reactions, so that you can make different, better choices about how you respond to colleagues, peers, employees, and to what’s happening in a fast moving world.
When we quieten the ego we become able to live a larger life that becomes more and more about what other people want and need and less and less self-interested. Living a larger life connects us more deeply to ourselves, to our deepest values, and asks of us to show up to others in our relationships, in how we relate to others, our colleagues, friends, loved ones. A larger life beckons us to open up and to relax into the mystery and complexity of life.
Leadership coaching helps people to:
- Explore and become aware of reactive patterns and tendencies that the ego always wants to keep and preserve because it’s familiar and hence feels safe and secure
- Unlearn reactive patterns and to check in on these to track progress
- Become aware of the consequences and the pain that reactive patterns cause, because they hold you back from giving the best you can
- Become clear of who you want to become as a leader
- Set intentions to make better choices for yourselves, others, life
- Explore and ask yourself who and what do you want to serve
- Be accountable by checking in with you so you follow through on your commitment to yourself and others
- Establish a practice of regular reflection
Why not make a start now?
Simply spend a moment in your favourite place indoors or out, and feel into how your life as a leader is going right now:
- What does it feel like?
- What might be an important question you need to ask yourself right now?
- What needs your attention?
- What is your life as a leader calling for?