The Different Hats of Leadership

Last month, I spoke about coaching skills for continuous quality improvement. Before I dove into coaching skills, I shared the difference between mentoring, coaching, consulting, and training. Even though we were focused on coaching skills, I had many senior level attendees share the value of seeing how these were all different tools. 

While it is tempting to lump them all together, knowing which tool is right for the job is a skill bordering on an art.

How do you know which tool is right for developing new talent, empowering your team, or hitting deadlines?

Excerpt from the International Coaching Federation 2022 Global Consumer Awareness Study.

A Global Consumer Awareness Study by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 2022 showed that of people who are “somewhat aware” or “very aware” of coaching, only 25% of people selected the correct definition.

Let’s start first with what coaching is not.

Mentoring

Thirty percent of those surveyed chose the definition of mentoring for coaching.  Mentoring is defied as offering guidance from one’s own experience or in a specific area of career development. This is likely because many people see coaching as advice giving. Mentoring is invaluable for those seeking inspiration and perspectives about a way to handle a specific problem and it is often a talking activity for the mentor and listening for the mentee.

The challenge is that the information may not be helpful for the mentee due to difference in circumstances and opportunity versus the mentors. "Here's how I did it" may limit the creativity or consideration of options and resources for the mentee.

Consulting

Consulting is assessing an organization’s practices and recommending solutions for improvement based on expertise in a specific area.  As a leader laying out "this is how I would do it" can pose risks. It can give teams a great place to start though you may miss out on fresh and creative ideas. Some people will do it that way to phase or feel they must follow direction given.

A big part of being the boss is sharing this experience and providing direction.  This is an essential element of leadership.  However, leaders can’t empower their teams if they are not inviting ideas and making room for diversity, creativity, and collaboration.

Training

Training is defined as working toward achievement of specific learning objectives based on a set curriculum. And yes, it IS important to make sure people have the skills they need to do their job well. However, training is often confused with coaching due to coaching in sports. People think of a coaching culture as one where people receive the skills needed. Coaching goes beyond a specific skill and evaluation thereof.

Coaching

ICF defines coaching as “partnering in a though-provoking and creative process to maximize personal and professional potential.” So what does that mean?

Coaching is not telling or advice giving. It is more listening than talking.

Coaching is an act of curiosity to expand perspective and possibility.

As a leader curiosity helps you calibrate with the members of your team. In a one on one asking questions such as:" What is your greatest challenge?" "What resources are available?" "What is your plan to move forward?", gives you a new level of depth and richness to their context and knowledge.

When you assume you know their challenges or problems you miss out on an opportunity to learn what they know. If something isn't getting done and the person is aware and has a plan AND they self-identified it, come down on them versus exploring and being curious can be the difference between micromanagement and empowerment.

Why deep dive into these distinctions?
Because as leaders, manager, and subject matter experts, you can easily find yourself doing all the talking and people will let you. When you suck all the air out of the room, others will learn not to speak up.  If I’ve learned anything from coaching, it’s that all of my clients are caring people and they are not malicious in their actions. It's easy to jump in with an answer or offer strategy because of your experience.  It feels like you are helping!  It is okay to be quiet and let others share first. Mentoring, coaching, consulting, and training have their place.

How often do you think about the proper leadership tool for the job before diving in?