¿Cómo estirar a los clientes para alcanzar su potencial de liderazgo?

Creating AWARENESS that BEING A LEADER can be learned is step one. In my experience you first start excelling and then you are chosen by others to become a ‘leader’. That’s why lots of managers are not even aware that being a leader is a role that you can learn and develop. So before starting with tools and methods creating AWARENESS that BEING A LEADER can be learned is a logical and essential step before you can professionalise your leadership.

I listen more than I speak! We have two ears and one mouth, so use them both appropriately! Ask Open ended questions which require your customer to think about how to answer the question. Don't argue with the customer, however, express honestly your assessment of the situation and give the customer the resources to make better decisions.

Part of the journey is realising the courage to be coached is the first step. There is something inside them searching for the spark to ignite their leadership abilities. We are partners on this journey so we begin with acknowledging that. Some things will feel new and exciting others will be painful because they seem impossible to master. It is all part of the process and perspective is the key to unlocking the most difficult doors along the way. The why is where we usually start! When will follow after that...

Identifying strengths and gaps is crucial in crafting a tailored leadership development plan. By using tools like 360-degree reviews, you're not only pinpointing areas of excellence and need but engaging a holistic perspective from peers, subordinates, and superiors. This provides a multifaceted view of leadership capabilities, promoting transparency and self-awareness. The key is to translate this insight into actionable goals that align with both personal aspirations and organizational objectives. It's a strategic move that transcends mere assessment and lays the groundwork for meaningful growth.

When I have clients come to me for coaching, specifically around leadership, I find that they feel that they should know it all, otherwise they are not a good leader. Ironically, it's surrounding yourself with people better than you, who you can help develop and grow that makes you a good leader Be vulnerable, it doesn't make you weak, it makes you human

A stretch plan is more than a roadmap; it's a catalyst for growth, pushing clients beyond their comfort zones into realms of new potential. By incorporating SMART objectives and clear timelines, you anchor aspirations in reality. Yet, the true magic lies in the challenges that prompt new skill acquisition, network expansion, or novel responsibilities. It's a delicate balance between structured planning and the daring to venture into the unknown. This combination fosters not just incremental improvements but transformative leaps in leadership capacity, aligning personal growth with organizational innovation.

Exceptional advice! Leaders lead, followers follow. A leader is one that your customer should trust! Once a "bond" is made, working as a team to come to solutions is much easier. I don't "push" my customers into uncomfortable situations, however, I "happily involve" them in the thought process of change. I also remembered in sales, "if I say it, the customer can doubt it, but if the customer says it, it must be true".

I would say coach might need differences approaches situationally. For some situation - starting with empathy and acknowledgement will help, For some it is calling out the elephant in the room For others it is reframing, metaphor story, silence, recalling success past ...etc And remember it's Journey of the client, and my role is to partnering With clients, Not doing it For Clients.

A stretch plan is useful only when we note that the client has the right motivation. If the motivation and drive is not there, stretch plans wouldn't work.

You should also encourage them to get feedback/feedforward from their team of peers, direct reports, supervisor, and others that they work closely with. If you are not able to observe them in interactions with others, it is important for them to seek how others experience them directly.

Understanding the complexities of the business, industry, and the people within the business, often brings a series of conclusions that may mutually take the parties in the process to a greater understanding of the issues and challenges before them. Once I had an owner who when questioned about a subject, let's say it is about his install crew, he would refer to the install manager, or if it was service related, the service manager, etc. I looked the owner in the eye and asked, "Do you run this business or do your managers run the business? It was a rude awakening for this owner.

The implementation phase of a stretch plan is where intentions meet reality. Providing constructive, specific, and timely feedback acts as both a compass and a motivator, steering clients toward their goals and acknowledging progress. Combining praise with critical insights fosters a growth mindset. Support isn't just about cheerleading; it's about instilling accountability and offering guidance. Coaching techniques like active listening and reframing not only help clients overcome challenges but also empower them to learn from each experience, transforming obstacles into stepping stones and nurturing their journey toward leadership excellence.

There is a balance between the freedom to fail and preparing the foundations for real accountability. The cadence of interactions is where this really gets tested. Too often and you become a bottleneck where nothing is resolved without your input or sounding board reflexes. Too little and the inertia/momentum dies on the vine as overwhelm and doubts creep back into the mind of the coachee. The right balance that develops accountability and autonomy as well as the psychological safety to miss the mark at times is vital. That's where the real lasting impact lives...

Reframing is important sure! However, coachees also have natural instincts that may be just as valuable. Getting them to acknowledge their existence and sound out what they're experiencing as a way to examine their initial reads helps when encouraging new methods or experiments. Otherwise, you may end up suggesting experiments which deny the existence of these first instincts altogether. The goal is to highlight the coachees usual practices and then offer alternative methods to broaden their perspective. There are opportunities to counter default thinking can be exceptionally cathartic as these methods were probably seen as 'too natural' (just the way I am) to mitigate.

Encouraging clients to experiment and learn elevates their growth journey from static to dynamic. By fostering a safe environment to try new strategies, you enable them to embrace failure not as a setback but as a lesson. In this process, a growth mindset becomes more than a concept; it transforms into an actionable way of thinking. Challenges turn into opportunities, and effort becomes a path to mastery. By guiding clients to see experimentation as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block, you instill resilience and an appetite for innovation, enriching their leadership capabilities.

The review and adjustment phase is vital in stretching clients, ensuring that the plan remains relevant and resonates with their evolving leadership journey. This iterative process of evaluation and recalibration ensures alignment with the shifting landscape of personal growth and professional demands. By embedding flexibility into the stretch plan, clients are better prepared to navigate unexpected changes or challenges. More than just a conclusion, this final step embodies an ongoing commitment to growth, maintaining the plan's vitality, and positioning the clients for continuous advancement in their leadership potential.

This is indeed a very important part of the journey. As you have built this rapport together, hopefully this is an area where the coachee leads the process and you question the parts that need definitive answers. Which goals were the most difficult to attain? What could you have done differently in your approach? How will you construct the right balance between goals that stretch you and are realistic to obtain? Where do you feel you need to improve most going forwards? The answers may surprise you both! You are also able to ground the conversation in some amount of reality. For instance, someone who wanted to achieve a score of 50 who sees 48 as a failure despite starting from a previous high of 30 is missing all the improvement

In my experience, it is also helpful to work with clients to pull past examples of success into particularly challenging situations, working with them to see parallels and proof of success that can be applied to the current situation .

I talk about other industries that have had similiar issues but are not related to a Contractor's Business. The wall comes down when they feel you are not judging them against their industry competition. I bring up the book "Uncopyable" from Steven Miller, which has many examples of how the brands we know today became in essence, "uncopyable".

I find with my clients that opening them up to the possibilities through crafting a vision of their future, really stretches them. Often they doubt their abilities because they lack clarity on where they are going. Once that clarity is cemented, we then work on the goals and actions required to get them there. Breaking these down into smaller tasks, helps them realise how achievable it is. It often boosts their confidence which they are then able to use to adequately lead their teams to the same destination.