As a leader, there are so many roles and responsibilities that you have. Be it supporting your team, being a patient listener, or encouraging them to take risks and go out of their comfort zone, a successful leader does all of this and a lot more. Making a transition to leadership positions is not easy for every professional and the one thing that always assists are coaching skills. As a leader, you should believe in the mission and organizational goals and align your leadership style to them. One can take the help of coaching skills to achieve greater success. 

Discussed below are 9 essential coaching skills for leaders. 

• Be supportive 

Be supportive to your team members. When they know you’re supportive, it builds relationships based on trust which is most essential for growth and development. A supportive leader lays a strong foundation for mutual trust between him and the team members. While developing coaching skills, support and respect are two aspects that should never be overlooked. 

• Establish impact 

Let the employees know their importance and how their hard work and commitment have a direct impact on the success and growth of the organization. Make sure that every member understands their role and responsibilities in the bigger picture of achieving goals. 

• Remain curious 

Curiosity is such a driving force that it keeps you discovering new skills and talents. It keeps judgment at bay, encourages inclusion and consideration, and makes you a better leader. When talking about coaching skills for leaders, curiosity is something that’s very important. 

• Show empathy 

Being empathetic is one of the strongest characteristics of a person. It becomes all the more important when you’re in a leadership position. People look up to you and you want to set a good example. Be empathetic towards employees, put yourself in their position and always think rationally. 

• Recognize strengths and weaknesses 

A good leader is someone who recognizes not just strengths but also weaknesses. And this holds true for himself and for his team. A conventional way of leading is by telling your team what to do. But the new way of coaching is guiding them through the process and not imposing your choices. 

Today’s leaders embrace and bank upon the uniqueness of every team member. Enhancing the coaching skills will help build a better team that’s diverse and has varied competencies. 

• Confront excuses and resistance 

It is best when your plan is full of transparency. Define roles in the beginning, what each person needs to do and by when is the expected timeline. This would reduce the chances of miscommunication and excuses. In adverse cases, when excuses and resistance arise, it is recommended to deal with them upfront and as soon as possible. Using coaching skills to build conflict management can be beneficial for leaders.

Help employees make the necessary preparation to handle challenges. Support them by helping them get over obstacles with extra effort and support.  

• Know how to develop your process 

Developing a process and a particular leadership style is so important for leaders. It is like developing and polishing your personality. Make sure the plan is doable and measurable. Once that’s done, you can always work on the methodology to make it more efficient and successful. 

Developing your process is a part of various corporate training, and you can also customize it as per your business needs. 

• Take ownership of results 

A good coach is someone who knows, teaches and applies the knowledge effectively. In addition to these, it is also important to take ownership and be accountable not just for yourself but for your team as well. It is one of the coaching skills that’s often neglected but should be focused upon. 

• Don’t give up 

Discourages employees will not be productive and engaged and that’s not what you want for organizational success. Even in tough situations, you need to have a positive attitude and keep that motivation high. If you give up, your team will feel dejected and disheartened. Make them feel that you’re invested and committed in the process and will go the extra distance to help them achieve their goals. 

There are innumerable benefits of coaching skills. But these will be helpful if implemented at regular intervals. Whether it is a new leader or an experienced one, there is a training program for everyone.