Why is coaching healthy for leaders?

When I’m asked about my favorite leadership task, coaching tops my list and today I’ll tell you why.

A few years ago,while performing a demanding leadership role, I started wondering – why is it that of all the activities coaching tends to leave me so energized and inspired?

I enjoy both coaching as well as being coached… and I enjoy both equally;I simply love the process of exploration and being challenged with questions that I don’t have quick answers to. And I like to provide the same space for reflection and discovery for others by facilitating their freedom to choose a desired direction andmobility to take steps towards achieving their goals.

I fell in love with coaching when I personally realized how incredibly useful it is in all aspects of life – be it business, job, family, wellbeing, you name it – this approach helps us see new opportunities and opens up our perception of what is possible. Recently, there is more and more research backing it up with countless studies on neuroplasticity, compassion and mindfulness…

One of the findings that blew my mind shows why coaching is beneficial not just for its recipient but also for the one who is providing it.

But before I present the revelation, I’d like to share my top three favorite attributes of coaching, that might shed more light on whyI believe it deserves your attention:

Universal principles

I’ve been lucky to meet several great coaches in my life; and these coaches inspired me with their art of mindful coaching. Today, whether I coach teams or individuals, I follow the basic principles I learned from them: being there fully present for the other person without any personal agenda and minimum inner noise on my side; noticing and embracing whatever is; first listening to connect and understand, then letting the questions emerge from the moment intuitively; helping the person in front of me uncover the answers lying deep inside of them while staying focused on them with empathy, patience and objectivity…

Aren’t theseskills fundamental for any interaction?
How would our workplace change if we practice these principles on a daily?

Inspiration

In my view, coaching guarantees a life-long learning. I love to learn and whether I coach or I’m being coached, I feel the flow of inspiration that is happening both ways.When Iwork with teams the effect only seems to multiply… Connecting with people in an authentic way provides a special sense of fulfillment. In addition, coaching is a chance to facilitate the learning process for others.

Are people often reaching out to you to talk things through?
Has anyone told you about your ability to help others articulate and simplify complex matters into actionable portions?

They might not be explicitly asking you to coach them, but they indeed are after a keyoutcome of a good coaching process

Sweet spotting

We all have certain talents; these are the things we do naturally well. And during our life we all find out which tasks leave us energized vs. tired. I adore moments when a coachee finds out the overlap between his gifts and passions, and identifies how others might best benefit from his talent and energy. There’s something sacred in seeing a person who spotted and – maybe for the first time – touched the purpose of their life. I’m very grateful that over the past couple years I have seen many and this passion has become my job. Certainly, I feel that being a coach is my sweet spot and I knowt his is how I can best serve the world.

Do you know your sweet spot?
How can you help others find theirs?

Because when we do what we love and believe in every day, life is infused with purpose and days become more engaging, meaningful and enjoyable.

And so finally…why is coaching healthy for leaders?

Dr. Boyatzis author of Resonant Leadership who integrated recent findings in neuroscience with research on leadership and stress,offers a more holistic approach to leadership development. He suggests that inspiring and supportive relationships are important, also because they activate openness to new ideas and social orientation to others. Positive emotions are contagious and seem to stimulate our well-being and even growth of new neurons in our brain. Coaching others with compassion,i.e. toward positive emotions, helps a person open themselves to new possibilities.

I believe that leadership is about inspiring others to be their best and focus on learning and enjoymentat least as much as on their performance. I noticed that connecting with people in a positive and hopeful conversation about a desired future can do miracles. I have seen people moving from frustrated and hopeless to highly motivated and innovative. Over the years I realized that investing time to clarify the purpose is essential. All too often, as managers we focus on numbers and performance metrics. Unfortunately, this approach leads to disengagement and tends to close our minds. No wonder many organizations struggle with innovation. If we want people to be open and energized lets help them visualize an inspiring purpose first. The research suggests that our chances are much higher if our communication evokes positive emotions in people three to six times more often than the negative.

Dr. Boyatzis also states that leaders’ sustainability is adversely affected by the effects of chronic stress associated with their leadership role. When leaders experience compassion while coaching and developing others, they experience psycho-physiological effects that restore the body's natural healing and growth processes, thus enhancing their sustainability. Boyatzis suggests that to sustain their effectiveness, leaders should emphasize coaching as a key habit in their role.

The following is the“net net” of what you have just read:

While you coach people, your mind and body are recovering from the negative effects of stress your job may have had on you. Please prove me wrong, but I have yet to see a leadership role that doesn’t involve a considerable amount of pressure and power stress!

Who wouldn’t want to perform an activity that releases the stress thus re-balances our health while at the same time helping others take charge of their life, find ways how to do a better job or simply feel a bit happier?

If you’ve read this far, coaching may soon top your list of favorite activities!

What does it take to coach with compassion?

Compassion is usually defined as having the following components: