A proven way to be more effective as a leader

Last month, we took a look at a leadership study which found the following attributes as most important for executive presence in a modern world:

Gravitas	Communication	Appearance
Confidence	Superior speaking skills	Polished look
Decisiveness	Command of a room or Zoom	Authenticity
Inclusiveness	Listen to learn orientation	Fitness

Although a fortunate few possess these traits naturally, most need to develop at least some of them. This is often when people turn to executive coaching, hoping to gain new insights and tools to support their development.

But does coaching really help? And if so, how?

Researchers from the University of Newcastle and Macquarie University pondered these very questions, and decided to conduct a quantitative study.

The results are in: leadership coaching improves leader effectiveness

The study investigated how leadership coaching improves leader effectiveness, and found that coaching leads to significant increases in:

• authentic leadership behaviour
• change-oriented leadership behaviour
• leadership self-efficacy
• leadership effectiveness

Self-efficacy had the largest effect, where coaching was shown to boost leaders’ confidence in their abilities – especially when it came to enhancing their capacity to facilitate change.

The strongest driver of overall effectiveness though was the change in authentic leadership behaviours, including more self-awareness, transparency, and moral/ethical orientation.

These are pretty compelling results, and they beg the question:

Can I expect to achieve these results if I work with a leadership coach?

What to expect from your leadership coach

The study specified that it only engaged full-time accredited coaches with substantial prior experience in executive and leadership coaching.

Although I am one such coach, I don’t believe it’s always about the credentials. It’s about finding the right fit for you.  

My first coach was not the right fit for me. At the time, I wanted someone to tell me what to do…and that’s exactly what they did. It almost became a parent-child dynamic, where I would seek approval or ask permission and sometimes they would give it.

This is not dissimilar from transference and counter-transference in psychology, where a client may unconsciously project feelings onto their psychologist and see them as a mother, teacher, or other figure from their past.

It’s a far cry from the strengths-based approach I employ with my clients now, which often sees me acting more like an enthusiastic linesman or the calm pit crew chief as my clients navigate important professional (and personal) situations.

I chose to become accredited because I strongly believe in evidence-based approaches. For example, my 1:1 coaching packages are delivered in 6 or 10 sessions because it’s a structure that consistently gets results. This is mirrored in the study, where coachees received an average of 6 one-on-one coaching sessions lasting between 60–90 minutes, received over an average of 4 months.

I’m also a Professional Fellow of the Institute of Coaching (one of only 3 in Australia) which is based out of McLean Hospital – the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School. I worked towards obtaining a Fellowship because I recognise the Institute as a global leader in coaching science.

5 pitfalls to watch for when working with a coach

For someone seeking a coach to help achieve results similar to those seen in the study, you need someone whose intention is to empower you to be the most authentic version of yourself. Because, as the study shows, this is also what will make you an effective leader.

If you’ve started working with a coach and aren’t getting the results you expected, here are 5 pitfalls to watch out for:

1. You’re looking for a script instead of learning to trust yourself. Checklists and guides are great, but they will always lack context. If you find yourself in a leadership predicament wondering “What would someone else do in this moment?”, the question you really should be asking is “If I’m being the leader I want to be, what would I do in this moment?”.
2. Your coach thinks they’re more of an expert on you than you are. A good coach will not tell you who to be or what values to have. They will help you see what’s working and what’s not. If your coach does all the talking, you have to ask – what am I learning here? Is it how to trust myself, or how to ingratiate myself with this ‘expert’?
3. You think you need to fix who you are. Coaching is not about learning to be this person or that person who is ‘promotable’. It’s about being you, in a place where you feel at home as a leader. Find that place and lead from there.
4. You think over-preparedness = brilliance. Many of us mistake over-preparedness for credibility – trying to anticipate every question as a way to feel safe and reduce anxiety. If you or your coach are a victim of this mentality, you have to question it. Instead ask: what really matters here?  
5. Your leadership definition is off, and your coach doesn’t question it. Many people seek coaching because they need help to transition from being a technical expert to a leader. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in this case is to define leadership based on your old technical role, instead of what your new role is asking for. Let go of what made you successful up to this point, and allow your definition of leadership to evolve into who you are becoming.  

It’s time to make your own leadership jacket

To be the effective leader you want to be, you need a coach who will help you find your leadership through authenticity. While this is highlighted in the study as an accredited coach, if your coach is helping you avoid all of the above pitfalls and become the leader you want to be, then see where it takes you!

On the flip side, if you’re not getting the results you want or are treating your coach as a parent/teacher/sibling and they’re responding in turn, it’s time to find a new one.

I often use the analogy of shopping for a new leadership jacket. Mine won’t fit you perfectly, and neither will the jacket of leaders you admire. You can take inspiration from our designs, but in the end, you have to tailor your own so that it fits perfectly.  

The way to do that is by working with a coach who listens more than they talk, and who is dead set on helping you fly, rather than flying for you.  

To learn more about working with a full-time accredited coach, check out my Leadership Strategies Series workshops for public sector leaders, or one-on-one leadership coaching.