COACHING PRACTICES FOR LEADERS

Coaching Practices for Leaders



Table of Contents

Introduction1

Outline - Practice Experience3

Case Study6

Process7

Choice to Lead9

Leadership Stories9

Organizational Influencing and Politics10

Leadership Polarities and Choices11

Progress11

Results13

What Worked?14

Participative Theory of Leadership14

Distributed Theory of Leadership15

Integrating Different Leadership Perspectives15

Understanding the Needs of Current Market16

Coaching and Ethics17

Plans for Future Use of Coaching Learning18

Summary19

Lessons Learned20

Areas for Improvement20

Further Study21

References23

Coaching Practices

Introduction

Organizations are currently involved in the dilemma of leadership and management development challenges, which results in lack of management abilities that usually rob the high-potential managers of critical on-the-job experiences, depleted resources for employee development, and a rapidly aging workforce, which results in decline of experienced managerial talent for leadership positions. The general failures of organizational structures and significant changes in work arrangements force executives and management development professionals to rethink how high potential managers achieve the necessary developmental experiences for leadership positions. Leadership development is defined as an intentional effort to provide leaders and emerging leaders with opportunities to learn, grow and change. In addition to that, leadership development is an effort aimed at providing an opportunity to emerging leaders to produce the skills necessary to function effectively within the organization (Arvey et al. 2006: pp. 1-20).

Leadership is understood as a process or activity in which people are mobilized to create positive change. Note that the definition identifies leadership as a process or activity in which many people can partake (not a position or skill), and it involves creating change (not maintaining the status quo). So why should we focus on and care about leadership? On an individual or personal level, developing leadership capacity is important because it helps someone become a more effective person and group member, one who is able to make innovations and initiate changes (Day 2001: pp. 581-613).

Leadership is important for sustainability and long-term success; leadership contributes to innovative thinking and new ways of operating and thriving in an ever-changing and complex world. On a larger, societal level, leadership is needed for creating a better, more just world. Leadership goes beyond serving one's needs, and its service-oriented nature lends it to creating positive change, which is needed for the sustain-ability of humanity and the environment.

Leadership is required in the world of business to resolve any limitations. Raelin (2004) says that managing the systems and procedures are only part of the job. Initiative, motivation, and inspiration also play a critical role in making organizations work. The aim of the organization should not be that whether there should be any leader or not, but what leadership should be practiced in the organization. It will not only assist in achieving goals of the company today, but also to establish a new and enhanced ability of the organization to achieve objectives and purposes in the future (Raelin 2004: pp. 131-135).

In this paper, we will be analyzing principles of practice-based learning embedded in the programme of leadership development. In addition, we will be linking academic elements in coaching practices within the Executive Coaching situation. We will also be discussing the areas that are needed to be improved with the discussion ...