WABC LEADER-AS-COACH COACHING DEFINITION

Leader-as-coach coaching is carried out by leaders or managers within a business, non-profit organization or government entity as part of their role in managing and developing others within the same organization. It is the process of engaging in a formal or informal structured conversation with a team member or members, with the goal of improving performance in the achievement of strategic goals.

The leader-as-coach adds order, clarity, understanding and perspective to problematic situations, helping team members to look at the broader context of issues or problems. Through listening to understand, incisive questioning and delivering effective feedback, the leader-as-coach enables team members to understand their roles in achieving business success, and supports team members in thinking deeply and creatively of new or different approaches to enhance those roles in measurable and sustainable ways.

The leader-as-coach manages the unequal relationship involved in their coaching by recognizing the inherent difference in power held by the leader and team members. Through awareness of the value of directive and non-directive approaches and by appropriate use of both, without misusing positional power to the detriment of the team members or the organization, the leader-as-coach ensures that coaching conversations leave team members feeling positively motivated to apply their new learning and understanding. The leader-as-coach focuses on supporting team members to leverage their strengths, rather than emphasizing perceived weaknesses. The leader-as-coach actively demonstrates respect, fairness and transparency towards team members, seeking to understand them from their own perspectives.

The coaching may involve different goals (e.g., goal achievement, problem solving, performance development, career planning or team building), but throughout there is a clear focus on the business objectives of both the team and the organization. Successful coaching helps team members achieve defined business outcomes within the context of the organization.

To that end, the leader-as-coach should seek to abide by the highest ethical standards which recognize the importance of diversity, difference and the need for mutual respect.

SOME BACKGROUND

Since 1997, WABC has been committed to defining and leading business coaching excellence. We’ve spent years on in-depth research, literature reviews and consultations with some of the world’s top business coaches and their clients to create evidence-based standards for professional business coaches.

In 2023, we engaged a WABC Research Team to undertake a further in-depth literature review and research into leaders-as-coaches. One result is this working draft definition of a leader-as-coach coaching in June 2024. This definition is based on the real-world tasks of leaders-as-coaches in small and large businesses, governments, institutions, nonprofits–any organizations where they practice. From later-2024 to later-2025, this definition will undergo further validation through our pilot accreditation process involving a select group of training providers from around the world. Once the pilot is completed, we’ll finalize and publish this definition.