Leadership development and business coaching

Leadership Development

Leaders of professional firms have the very difficult job of trying to provide direction and support to people who want to work independently in a market where clients demand high quality services provided consistently across the whole firm.

Leadership can sometimes be thrust upon people as a result of unexpected changes within the business. In some cases, leadership is based on sheer charisma and drive. The proverbial question of whether leaders are born rather than made can be debated at length, but our experience proves that, with targeted support, people can develop their range of leadership skills in a way that suits their own temperament and personality. It is also essential to identify and develop future leaders so that people are encouraged to think about the long-term future of the business.

We offer leadership development in a number of ways. First of all, we can deliver direct skills enhancement such as improving listening, influencing and coaching skills. We also provide one-to-one business coaching which allows current and future leaders to develop their individuality.

Business benefits that result from leadership development include:

Business Coaching - What is it?

'Executive coaching is defined as a helping relationship between a client who has managerial authority and responsibility in an organisation and a consultant who uses a wide variety of behavioural techniques and methods to help the client achieve a mutually identified set of goals to improve his or her performance and consequently, to improve the effectiveness of the client's organisation within a formally defined coaching agreement.' Kilburg 1996

A coach is more than a traditional manager or mentor. This is because it is the job of a coach to listen impartially and without judgment. A colleague who might be a good listener for a while can easily become bored if the tale of woe is too long! A coach is patient and offers a perspective above and beyond that of a colleague or family member. A coach is committed to helping the client move forward with clarity of vision.

Who hires a coach?

In the professions, it is likely to be someone who needs to make changes in their behaviour at work and has no one to guide them. As many firms have not understood people's need for support, this would probably be senior and managing partners, heads of department, team leaders and partners with new responsibilities. Coaching produces good results because the client is not longer alone. They have an ally who can help them keep up the momentum of change. It is likely that successful partner of the future will need to be successful coaches themselves.

What are the benefits of coaching?