Leadership is like coaching but different!

As a coach you see things that your team members cannot feel. However, your team members feel thinks that you cannot see.

Coaching is about leadership, as a coach you must lead. It is the same for a leader as they must also coach. There are differences between a sports coach and a business leader. A sports coach cannot step onto the field but a business leader can be part of the team. This gives the leader a sizable advantage as they can influence the team more directly and can 'feel' things a coach cannot see.

The main function of the sports coach and the business leader is very similar. They need a vision for the team, they need to introduce a system by which the team will operate, they need to drive style, approach and culture. They set the environment in which the team can excel, and the team members grow and develop.

It is key that both sports coaches and business leaders have the ability to delegate, but not abdicate, responsibility. They require a 2-way flow of information but there must be very clear boundaries and a clear leader authority. Both need to be confident enough to acknowledge expertise in others and seek those with greater specific or specialist knowledge. Often in sport there are specialist coaches who work for the head coach. In business this support can be provided by external expertise in the form of advice from a NED or Chairman.

In a previous article I wrote, I talked about the need for people to be open to feedback and to want to learn. A coach or a leader must be open to feedback. Their relationship with their team must be 2-way. This means when the Leader/coach has an idea or strategy, the team must be able to work with it, shape it and in some cases challenge it. Remember, it is the team who will have to deliver the strategy/idea on the field or in the office.

If a strategy does not work when it is implemented, the group, including the coach/leader, must critique the situation to decide whether it was the strategy or the execution that was at fault. These can be tough conversations as the coach/leader may have become emotionally vested in, what was, their idea.

This is why they must have a strong, 2-way relationship with their team.

In sport, the most successful team is coach lead but player driven. A great coach creates an environment where they challenges their players but their players challenge them back.

In business it should be the similar, the environment that a leader creates must allow the talent to thrive, not just survive. There must be an open dialogue, people should feel trusted and should be openly encouraged to develop ideas, challenge the status quo and grow with the business.

How do leaders create an environment that allows and encourages their talent to excel and develop?

Culture, culture, culture. It is the role of the leader to drive the culture of the business. How do they do this? By their behavior, as it is this, that sets the standard for others to follow.

By Richard Wright