17 May JFK reminds us Leadership and Learning must go hand in hand

On Nov 22nd 1963, the day he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy was due to give a speech in Dallas warning that America’s leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason. Fifty –five years on, the speech has been recreated and re-recorded by experts using the latest voice technology, designed to assist sufferers of Motor Neurone Disease, and can be heard here.

The speech he was due to give in Dallas that day repeatedly asserts the importance of, and need for, learning alongside leadership. This is a concept we encourage managers who attend our Coaching for Managers programme to explore.

Many of the participants on our programmes are line managers who struggle to understand how coaching and management ‘fit’ together. A ‘traditional’ manager might hold beliefs such as ‘I need to have all the answers’ or ‘it is my job to solve the problems’. They confuse giving orders with being in control and believe the stress that comes with taking responsibility for everything that happens is just ‘part of the job’.

We help managers see it differently – starting with a shift in mindset, which then leads to a shift in behaviour.

Shifting to a coaching mindset means managers no longer feel they have to have all the answers, solve every problem and keep a firm control at all times. A manager with a coaching perspective believes in the resourcefulness of their team, sees the manager role as adding value by unlocking the gifts and talents of others, and understands that adopting a coaching style can create opportunities for individual and organisational learning. Why not join us on our next Coaching for Managers Programme and see how developing a coaching approach can facilitate learning and engagement as well as motivating individuals and improving organisational performance.