Leaders are, more often than not clever and skilful, but seldom understand the importance of emotional intelligence, how to build trust and the let power go to others
The Encarta online English Dictionary describes ‘Delegation’ as the giving of some power, responsibility, or work to somebody else.
This is not as easy to do as it sounds since traditionally humans have always operated under a hierarchical structure with kings, priests or bosses at the top. This has lasted for centuries. People were expected to obey without question.
However, the type of leadership required of modern business is of a different nature; not only does it need to encourage proper delegation with the requisite authority, but goes further and promotes innovation which is the key to growth in these dynamic times; growth problems are often due to the suffocation of entrepreneurial spirit. The introduction of middle managers is only a part, albeit a vital part of growing a business. It is multi-faceted and must be driven by effective leadership.
The world is changing so fast, the sort of skills leaders required even 20 years ago are, alone not sufficient to lead through change. This new form of leadership requires less of the external skills needed previously and more from the leader as a fully developed individual: in short the calibre of the person ‘inside’.
Sir John Whitmore suggests that “Leaders have lost respect and people don’t listen to them in the way that they used to (no longer obedient). Leaders do not cope well with changing circumstances, in essence it may be because they are underdeveloped personally and this is something that cannot be taught.” Leaders are, more often than not clever and skilful, but seldom understand the importance of emotional intelligence, how to build trust and the let power go to others.
Executive Coaching is an intervention that works to develop this far better than any other, because it addresses the behaviour of leaders in their approach to dealing with this new world.
Concurrently we see signs of an evolution, a shift away from hierarchy and all that that suggests towards self-responsibility. It may take 50 – 100 years for a full transition, but we are emerging into a world where people are taking more a responsibility for their own lives.
Coaching is an industry that works towards this far better than any other. It helps build responsibility into other people by enhancing their capability to make choices and decisions of their own. Coaching can be the midwife of this transformation in the evolution of mankind helping to facilitate empowerment which is critical to corporate success.
The successful execution of growth in any business depends on aligning everyone and everything around a single set of corporate goals with the purpose of achieving these faster, cheaper and better than before. The development of corporate goals may well be practiced to a lesser or greater extent by most businesses, but it is the subsequent alignment of these that is often omitted.
Growing bureaucracy must be avoided at all costs! “Parkinson’s Law” (C Northcote Parkinson 1958) says that it is the individual ‘worker’, their unique situation and skill-set that dictates the amount of work done in a given time; some will take longer to do the same work than others.
