Coaching Skills for Today's Leaders

Let’s accept it; leaders are vital drivers of organizational culture. They are who can make it or break it, and the decisions they make can cause a ripple effect on employee recruitment, engagement, development, and performance.

Today’s leaders must master the dance of leading, engaging others and delivering results. The old model of authoritarian leadership, controlling and rewarding performance is no longer working in this new age. Contemporary leaders must learn coaching skills to be able to accomplish goals and achieve results through people, by contributing to their personal and professional Development.

Coaching skills boost emotional intelligence in the workplace, and guess what? Ninety percent of top performers have higher than average levels of emotional intelligence, according to Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0. I am currently the director of Human Resources for a non-profit organization in the United States, and I take advantage of the 1:1 meetings with my staff to conduct coaching conversations using Points of You® tools.

By using the Points of You® Coaching Game, you can lead authentic conversations with your employees, foster positive change, create an emotionally centered work environment, and ultimately impact your organizational culture.

Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level?

Try these easy steps at your next 1:1 meeting with your employees: Be Present: Allow yourself to settle into a new mood, take a minute and center yourself before entering your meeting. Turn off your devices and be fully present. To truly engage others and create meaningful connections, we need to silence our inner voices and be mindful.

Use the Coaching Game to sparkle your conversation: place the coaching game cards facing up on a table and ask your employee to:

• Select a card that represents their role in the organization. This is a great moment to learn how your employee perceives their role. Ask them to think beyond their daily task

and think about the real purpose of their job. Why is it essential that they do what they do. • Select a card that represents what they are passionate about. What is it that energizes them, inspire them, and motivate them about their job and their life in general. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about your employee as a human being, their preferences, and even their hidden skills. Are there any gaps between their role in the organization and their passion? Reflect on this with your employee and then ask them to • Select a card that represents a bridge between their position at the organization and their passion. This card can give you and your employee a fresh perspective on how to create new opportunities or take advantage of existing ones. You can nurture and retain talent by providing them with personal and professional development opportunities. This can encompass anything from leadership training or the acquisition of a new skill, to merely pursuing something that inspires them in and out of the workplace.

Tips to keep in mind during your meeting: Listen: Leaders who listen can create trustworthy relationships that are authentic and loyal. Listening goes beyond being quiet. It involves awareness of body language, facial expressions, moods and general responses.

Be Curious: Curiosity keeps judgment at bay and encourages consideration and inclusion and helps employees drop their defenses.

Recognize Strengths: A great leader will help their people be the best version of themselves. The conventional way of leading, which tells us we must find and fix our mistakes and weaknesses, is outdated and disengaging. Today's leaders must embrace the uniqueness and strengths of each of their team members to ensure that they not only succeed at work but also succeed as leaders of their lives.

Empower You Employees: Be willing to develop their talents and hold them accountable for their growth.

Provide Direction: you can provide your employee with tasks that will help them move toward their goal and produce the desired transformation. This could include journaling, writing down observations, confronting stressful situations, etc. Also, Points of You® tools can be used in various kinds of organizational conversations, such as road shows, listening tours, and structured group discussions that foster a shift in the corporate culture by cultivating a framework for dialogue, empathy, and collaboration.