
Clear Confident Leader Weekly Observer, Issue #57
From the Greenbelt of Boise, Idaho, First snow in town
The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.
– Harvey S. Firestone
From a developmental perspective, real growth requires some qualitative shift, not just in knowledge, but in perspective or way of thinking. Growing is when the form of our understanding changes; we often call this “transformation.”
– Jennifer Garvey Berger
Last week I co-facilitated a program for twelve leaders, preparing them to become internal coaches for their organization. It was an intense three days filled with new knowledge and extensive practice, enabling growth and development for each of us.
We built on a growth mindset, and shifted fixed interpretations to see strengths and resourcefulness. We transformed our own abilities while supporting the growth of each other. We fostered a community of practice to carry into building a coaching culture in their organization.
Our knowledge and use of coaching has shifted significantly over the past twenty years. Once known for helping individuals with “performance problems”, coaching is now used to develop people and team effectiveness. Organizations are increasingly expecting all their leaders to coach, to accelerate collaboration, innovation and growth.
Leaders are being asked to make a qualitative shift from telling others what to do, to developing people and teams to create better results together. It requires a transformation to let go of old habits, and build new capacities to guide others.
When overwhelmed by today’s complex challenges it is easy to be triggered into reacting with old habits. Our opportunity lies in what Viktor Frankl articulated, “between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
What are you choosing to do?
I work with teams and leaders to create better results through the conscious practice of leadership. Let’s create a better future today!