The right guidance can help people managers bring out the best in themselves and their employees

Leadership coaching has existed in some form or other for decades, but the modern workplace brings with it challenges that traditional development methods were not necessarily designed to address. Many companies have found themselves looking for leadership coaches in order to help executive and management teams reach their goals and bring about meaningful results.

The right leadership coach can help make your employees more effective, but different teams will have different needs, and executives need to be mindful of that. There is no universal solution. To make the process easier, we have rounded up a comprehensive guide to leadership coaching designed to point executives in the right direction.

What is a leadership coach?

A leadership coach partners with a leader to facilitate their development through a process that leverages, explores, and experiments with the mindsets, behaviors, and capabilities to help them expand and enhance their effectiveness and impact as a leader of others and within their organization.

Simply put, a leadership coach helps employees, typically in management positions, hone their leadership capabilities in alignment with the company’s culture, values, and business objectives. It sounds easy enough, but successful leadership coaching is a complex process rooted in behavioral science, a far cry from the generic training videos of yore. And while being a leadership coach is often compared to being a mentor, it is a more holistic approach, as opposed to just pairing a more experienced manager with a newer one.

Even though coaching is a proven leadership development tool, some executives are hesitant to make the investment. To learn more about the value of leadership coaching, particularly during turbulent and disruptive times, watch our free webinar.

For a concise primer on what coaching is and is not, see BTS’s overview: What is Leadership Coaching? which complements this section with definitions and examples you can share with stakeholders.

Types of leadership coaching

A leadership coach may conduct sessions in one-on-one or group settings, so it is up to you to find the best option for your company (or partner with a platform that can help you build a program designed to address your organization’s needs).

Here are a few of the most common types of leadership coaching formats:

• One-on-one leadership coaching: Leadership coaching is a highly personalized personal and professional development experience using an action-oriented approach where a leader works in partnership with a coach to increase their self-awareness and uncover insights that can lead to lasting behavior and mindset shifts, hone their leadership style and capabilities, and expand their impact. This format is best when needs are specific, sensitive, or urgent.
• Group coaching: Group coaching is an immersive, personalized vertical development experience, in partnership with a coach and peers who are at similar levels in the organization and share similar developmental needs and interests, that expands a leader’s capabilities, capacities, and impact. It builds peer accountability and creates peer networks and community through shared learning, though it may not be ideal for highly specific individualized needs.

Modern programs often blend formats. For example, wrap 1:1 coaching around broader learning academies or labs to reinforce practice and application. BTS’s Leader Lab shows how immersive practice helps leaders execute strategy at pace, read more at The BTS Leader Lab.

For more on modern leadership coaching and how it differs from traditional methods, read the full blog post: What Is Leadership Coaching?

What qualities should one look for in a leadership coach?

In order for leadership coaches to bring out the best in your management teams, they need to have the right set of capabilities. In addition to being committed and empathetic, the right leadership coach should have these critical abilities:

• Communication: Managers and executives need to be able to effectively communicate with their teams, so you should expect a leadership coach to be able to do the same. Look for a coach well-versed in the three Cs: clarity, conciseness, and consistency. Programs like BTS’s Speak Like a Leader can be useful complements when communication is a priority, learn more at Speak Like a Leader Program.
• Adaptability: You may have specific long-term plans for your business, but the market always has other ideas. The right leadership coach will be able to roll with the punches, adapting to meet new goals and helping managers do the same. Mindset-based approaches are especially effective; see BTS’s view on mindset-focused coaching at Mindset-Focused Leadership Coaching Enables New Habits.
• Discretion: Since leadership coaches generally have access to proprietary or confidential company information, you need to be able to trust them not to use this information irresponsibly. You will want a coach whose commitments to confidentiality are guaranteed. Look for coaches who follow recognized ethical codes such as ICF or EMCC and who explain the boundary between confidentiality and duty of care.
• Conflict resolution: One of the most difficult capabilities to develop, particularly for newer managers, is how to resolve conflicts within their teams fairly and amicably. Leadership coaches can help managers develop conflict-resolution capabilities by mediating difficult situations and conveying the value of leadership. Practical role plays and mediation frameworks accelerate transfer to real situations. This can be done with a coach, or now, through AI: see BTS’ Verity AI offering for role plays.
• Time management: Leadership programs are typically limited to a predetermined amount of time, and your leadership coach needs to be able to make the most of that time by adhering to a schedule that keeps the program on track, while remaining flexible when changes occur.

Strong executive coaches will also be transparent about credentials and process. BTS outlines executive coaching services and standards at Executive Coaching.

What other qualities should executives look for in a leadership coach? Get more details here: 10 Skills to Look For in Your Leadership Coach.

How does a leadership coach benefit remote employees?

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies switched to a remote or hybrid model, and they appear to be here to stay. That should not discourage your efforts to help your management teams develop their capabilities, however; a leadership coach does not need to be in the same room as your employees in order to be effective. In fact, because most workers in America prefer the work-from-home model, employing a virtual leadership coach can help keep everyone happy while still being just as effective as in-person coaching, if not more so.

If your workplace has also put a remote or hybrid model into effect, you will want to find a leadership coach with experience in fostering strong online relationships. Here are some of the ways online coaching benefits employees:

• Encouraging accountability: Rather than force accountability with tools like keyloggers and inevitably generate resentment, leadership coaching can help leaders set expectations and communicate follow-up processes to allow employees to meet deadlines while delivering high-quality work. Use outcome-focused visibility and agreed goals rather than intrusive monitoring.
• Improving retention: Employees who feel engaged and inspired stick around for the long haul. Leadership coaches can help managers ensure their direct reports’ efforts are acknowledged and appreciated, helping the off-site staff feel seen.
• Mastering hybrid management: Managing remote employees is, in itself, a skill that needs to be developed. Leadership coaching can guide managers and help them more effectively run remote and hybrid teams while meeting the unique needs of different employees. Psychological safety and clear norms are essential.
• Developing online communication skills: Is that smiley-face emoji a good sign or a bad omen? Sometimes email or Slack conversations lack the subtle cues of in-person communication. Online leadership coaches help managers communicate effectively whether in the office or working remotely, which helps avoid miscommunication and misunderstandings.
• Fostering positive company culture: Can a company culture exist if everyone is not in the same building? Yes. Your team’s online presence is an extension of your company values, and online leadership coaches help develop that culture without sacrificing productivity.

Digital coaching platforms can also provide real-time reporting on engagement, goal progress, and session attendance to measure impact across distributed teams. See BTS’s view on AI-enabled practice for how technology increases practice and feedback at scale, read How AI is Accelerating Leadership Development by Enabling More Practice.

For more ways that online leadership coaching helps managers lead remote teams with confidence, read the full article.

Empowering corporate leaders through coaching

Finding the right leadership coach to match your team’s specific needs is not a simple task, but you do not have to go it alone. Sounding Board’s proven leadership coaching solutions help leaders meet their full potential, while our leadership development software allows executives to scale and measure results. If you are ready to learn more about how Sounding Board can help improve productivity and make your managers even better, book a demo today!

As part of BTS, Sounding Board expands bts.com capabilities to deliver technology-enabled coaching with measurable behavior change. Read more about the combined offering at BTS Acquires Sounding Board.