We know that disruption and change are a constant part of organisations today, and we can no longer rely on leaders to always have the answers and direct their people to get things done.
We need to move away from traditional command-and-control approaches and move towards empowering our people through a model that supports adaptation to change, tapping into people’s strengths, energy and innovation.
According to Anne Scoular, organisational psychologist recognised as one of the five leading experts in business coaching globally by the Harvard Business Review, the role of leaders is shifting to being more of a coach who brings out the best in their people and trusts them to get on with the job.
There is, however, a balance that is needed. As Anne states, when we’re mentoring or providing direction for people, we “put in content” by providing them with information, advice, or guidance.
When we’re coaching, however, we “pull out” the capabilities others have within them by asking questions instead of providing answers, supporting instead of judging, and facilitating growth instead of telling people what to do.
It is important that we know how and when to do both – to be able to “put in” and “pull out” content, as there are times when we need our people to know things and provide direction for them, and times when we need to bring their capabilities forward.
In this section you will explore Feedback and Coaching conversations and Mentoring and Buddy Systems to look at how you can “pull out” information through coaching and “put in” information in a way that still empowers your people through mentoring and buddy systems being put in place to support wellness.