Leaders on every level undoubtedly have demands of time, responsibilities, fires to put out, problems to solve, and administrative details that cry out for attention. If you don’t feel stretched then you are not in a high level of leadership. Effective leaders live their lives in the deep water. It is not as comfortable or stable as the shallow area close to the beach. During all of what was just described you will find one particular dynamic that is true of every effective leader.
Every effective leader is a coach. It begins with the fact that he or she has a team and if you do not have a team then you are not a coach or a leader for that matter. The team may be employees or volunteers but a team does exist. The team may be small or large but there is a team. Who is on your team? Okay. So, you have a team. The question is, how are you coaching them? What do coaches do?
- They spend structured time with the team and with individual players working on the development of skills, understanding of strategy, and working together to accomplish common goals.
- The coach works with players on an individual basis to identify strengths and weaknesses. A plan is developed to help the player leverage his or her strengths and means by which they can improve upon their weaknesses.
- They have expectations and provide inspiration to help the players to not only do their best but to perform beyond their abilities.
- They care about the players off the field as well as on the field.
The primary task of any leader is to develop leaders. While a leader is a decision maker and a problem solver, he or she understands that developing other leaders will enhance the ability to do both more effectively over time. I love coaching leaders on my team and I try to take it a step further. I try to invest in leaders who are not on my team. Leadership is a great honor. Legacy leadership is the higher aspiration. Be a coach and you will be on the way to maximizing your leadership.