Senior executives often present the platform for coaching referrals as critical to their direct reports' future success and advancement. As part of the engagement, it is important for the coach to understand how transparent the manager has been with reference to the import of successful skill acquisition. It does beg the question as to how often the manager positions the leadership transition to their employee as vital for their future advancement within the organisation. If they don't acquire key skills they won't be on the succession planning list and it is therefore a show stopper. Do their managers really articulate this crucial message? Maybe 75% of the time.
And when it doesn't happen, a curious pattern emerges. Somehow it is advised that the coach act as a vehicle for the boss's key message. The coach grasps the full import, however this is not shared with the employee with the same degree of candor and potential implications. The coach is expected to be the messenger with all the guts. This is not a difficult task as a well trained coach needs to have the fortitude to be transparent, challenging and direct. This is part of the coach's mandate. Raising the bar on performance to allow for even greater contribution to the organisation is a central component of the coaching process.
When the original message though is not communicated by the organisation with the same degree of criticalness and urgency, the ability for the coaching process to be effective is compromised. The employee then interprets the coaching initiative as a "nice to have" rather than a need to have skill set. There is no awareness, recognition or accountability that specific leadership behaviors are salient for further advancement of both the leader's business platform and own career progression.
Leading without guts lacks integrity and ownership.
A leader's ability to transform and mobilize others is highly dependent upon the clear articulation of required leadership skills. Instead what happens is the coaching initiative gets stick-handled into the realm of HR. To be a true business partner HR must work strategically with their respective lines of business. This entails hiring, developing and retaining top talent based upon key competencies determined germane to effective and successful leadership. Top talent comprises specific skill sets that support and steer the strategic direction of the organisation.
So why are some leaders without courage? This after all is messy stuff. The easier conversations are ones that are numbers driven, clean, quantifiable and ever so cerebral. Direct challenge to one's style of leadership involves the realm of feelings, emotions and behavior. The response to this type of dialogue may result in defensiveness, resentment, or fear. Leaders may not want to engage in this emotional minefield so over to HR. They'll handle the emotional content. That's why they're there isn't it?
This results in a key challenge as the dialogue with the employee does not have the same import or sense of urgency as the original conversation held by the manger is not presented as critical. It often gets diluted even further as the referral moves forward to the coaching engagement. The coachee now has a mixed message. From their vantage point they may have been amply rewarded based upon financial performance. Generous bonuses abound despite an absence of leadership, poor morale, lack of a cohesive team or weak strategic alliances. So it isn't surprising that the question emerges by employees as to how really important is it for them to acquire additional leadership skills.
It takes a truly emotionally aware, professionally mature executive to own the challenge. It requires stepping back and reflecting upon why behavioral change is necessary to build teams, influence and form strategic relationships. If behavioral change is required, we do owe it to employees to be as transparent as possible. Empowering both HR and the coach to advance this initiative will maximize success. True engagement requires tough conversations by senior leaders. These conversations act as drivers for enhancing leadership effectiveness.
If "how" leaders achieve results and drive profits truly matters, then executives must boldly partner with their direct reports in building a culture that promotes and attracts top talent. As executives identify potential successors, they must acknowledge and be explicit regarding central leadership behaviors that embody both the values of the organisation and are key to its success. Senior leaders who are transparent are highly influential. Their credibility is genuinely admired and deeply respected. Leaders with integrity motivate and inspire like minded successors. These successors carry the torch and transfer the learning to our next generation leaders.
About the author
Cindy Wahler is an organisational psychologist and executive coach with expertise in leadership development.