Leadership – True or false?

Leadership

True or false?

Coaching encourages people to question and further develop their own leadership behavior

Coaching does not provide direct suggestions for solutions but rather encourages people to question and further develop their own leadership behavior.

 
Especially in the upper levels of the hierarchy and in the context of leadership, coaching is indispensable. Even if there is (still) no official job description
for a “coach” or “business coach,” coaching as a form of consulting is associated with high standards. The description from the Fachverband Deutscher Bundesverband für Coaching (DBVC) on its understanding of coaching has also contributed to this.

Coaching is a professional form of consulting that – contrary to what is often expected – does not offer direct solutions but rather supports people with leadership and control positions in particular with self-reflection. The effectiveness of the “leadership” service can thereby be optimized.

A “reflective” format

Coaching provides a space for reflection in an individual and intimate setting. The coach supports the coachee in taking a look at his or her actions, thought processes and opinions from a distance. This enables them to understand modes of action, patterns and connections and to derive changes in their own behavior, thought and emotional patterns.

In this context, coaching primarily aims at the individual development of the manager in fulfilling daily tasks and achieving goals. In doing so, it is important that the manager remains in charge. The manager’s insight and knowledge are crucial to the success of any change process. This is a main focus of the coaching process. In addition to tasks, dealing with different roles and utilizing them appropriately is an important aspect. In the context of operational changes, managers are faced with different and usually new requirements and tasks. Here, they are not only challenged on a factual level but also on an emotional level. The coach helps the manager to reflect on his or her own behavior from a metaperspective. This allows new options for action to emerge or previously unnoticed effects of certain behavior patterns become apparent.

Coaching is therefore usually not a one-off training, in which the coachee receives important advice or instructions from an experienced coach. Instead, the focus is on the joint development of optimized approaches.

An additional “set of senses”

In order to assist the manager with realistic situations, the coach accompanies the manager in relevant situations, e.g., in communication and decision-making processes. Subsequently, they reflect on the leadership action that took place. The coach provides an additional “set of senses” that the manager can rely on. The coach supports the manager in reflecting on his or her own leadership process. The coach helps by asking specific questions or making observations. Like a small spotlight, the coach draws the manager’s attention to certain aspects.

At the beginning of the coaching process, many managers are irritated as they often expect their behavior to be evaluated in terms of “right” and “wrong” through a more directive approach from the coach. Guided reflection through professional questioning is new for many managers.

Ulrich Kyas, Director at Basler AG can confirm this with his own experience: “It is always surprising to see how little sensitivity you have for your own behavior. Having someone at your side to help you calmly reflect on situations afterwards and work out which fields of action can still be improved has proven to be extremely helpful for us.”

Please feel free to contact me if you want to get any further information

ULRICH BECK, Senior Expert, STAUFEN.AG

Leadership of various successful lean projects in the electronic production and plastic injection molding

Systematic coach and process consultant, learned machinist

phone: +49 7024 8056 0, e-mail: contact@staufen.ag

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