Ryan Farsai is a career marketer with operational excellence whose creative thinking solves business challenges.
Only a handful of people leading organizations ever had formal training. Of course, if you can find the time, there are a million books. Or, you can watch some TV. As marketers, we appeal to our customers about our products and services through storytelling, and storytelling can teach us how to become better leaders.
Rudy, Ted Lasso, and even movies like Ocean’s Eleven and The Lord of the Rings can teach us a lot. What they all have in common is team development through empathy for each other and a goal that seems a little out of reach. Imagine two men, a wizard, an elf, a dwarf and four hobbits banding together despite their differences. They learn and grow together, and there’s a figure that coaches all along the way.
Understanding Successful Leadership Culture
So, what can we learn from these coaches? A coach-leader creates a safe space for employees to share their thoughts and ideas, encourages them to take calculated risks and helps them navigate challenges. Coaching creates highly engaged employees. Higher team member engagement has 21% higher profitability and achieves earnings-per-share growth that is more than four times that of their competitors.
The benefits of coaching go beyond the individual level. According to BetterUp, companies with high coaching culture have significantly higher year-over-year and five-year average growth than low coaching culture companies. In other words, coaching isn’t just nice to have—it’s a must-have. Imagine not having to fight attrition because team members are highly engaged and own their career development.
There’s evidence in practice as well. Some of the most successful companies like Google, Microsoft, Netflix and Deloitte all have strong leadership coaching cultures. That’s not a coincidence.
A great example of coaching leadership comes from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. When he took over the company, he noticed that the culture focused on internal competition and negative reinforcement. He implemented a coaching culture that emphasized empathy, active listening and collaboration to flip the culture. He encouraged his managers to adopt a coaching mindset and to focus on developing their team members’ strengths rather than simply identifying their weaknesses. This approach helped turn around Microsoft’s culture and improve its performance, with the company’s stock price more than tripling under Nadella’s leadership.
Beginning The Journey To Great Leadership
So, how do you get started? One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by adopting an always-on coaching mindset. Coaching requires active listening, empathy and providing constructive feedback regularly. By honing these skills, you communicate more effectively overall, build trust and ultimately make better decisions.
Great coaches don’t wait until the last game of the season or at the end of the year review to give feedback. They support successes and change up assignments along the way to refine strengths and double down on what a team member is good at.
Coaching to your player’s strength especially benefits new managers and ensures the organization has a pipeline of qualified leaders ready to step up when needed. Take Linus Caldwell from Ocean’s 11, played by Matt Damon. He’s the least experienced of the heist crew. But during a critical moment in the heist, when their plan faces unexpected challenges, Linus takes charge and improvises to ensure their success. His repeated attempts to become a leader figure (and the respect the crew gives him) pay off.
Final Thoughts
It is important to note that coaching is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Effective coaching requires understanding each team member’s unique strengths, weaknesses and learning styles. A good coach-leader tailors their coaching style to each individual, providing personalized guidance and support.
Coaching is not just a one-time activity but a continuous process of growth and development. It uncovers your team’s greatest potential by improving skills incrementally and building confidence.
At its core, coaching is not about the leader’s personal gain but about getting the people to the end goal by making decisions based on advancing the performance and well-being of the team. In The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf consistently makes decisions prioritizing the greater good and the quest’s success. His unwavering commitment to the team’s goals and the overall mission makes him a true embodiment of selflessness and team-oriented leadership. Ultimately, the leader gains recognition for elevating groups of highly engaged people who drive greater success as a whole—a win-win for everyone.
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