14 Jun A New Kind of Leadership – June 2018

A New Kind of Leadership

So it’s now June, my favourite month of the year and my turn for the ECA blog. I was wondering what might be of interest to our followers.  Lately my attention has been very focused on Leadership Development, and how we move away from formal positional power to new power and greater collaborative effort.   I am reminded of that great quote from A Tale of Two Cities; ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’, and that really strikes a chord with me about our world just now . It is interesting to note that within our current climate the leadership landscape is talking about more collaborative approaches, compassion, kindness, health, wellbeing and community .  At a time when our context becomes ever complex, volatile and uncertain, it seems that we need to step back from our old ways and develop new and bold approaches, or perhaps to re-engage with some age old wisdom.  So I wonder what this means for our coaching practice.  How do we support leaders as they deal with the complexity and the ambiguity of the work they do? How do we continue to support them to stay courageous and open to the challenges they face?   Sometimes I can forget the power of the GROW model (John Whitmore) and the need to stay longer in our clients reality, and I am reminded that by being alongside that reality, as coaches we can better understand, and therefore better support and challenge.

Another aspect I am really aware of in my own work, is the need to keep reflecting,  because that is how I learn. When I take time out to think about my work, my impact, my learning I can refresh and restore my energies, I can appreciate the learning and I can prepare better for what is ahead.   I know as a coach I need to support coaches to see the value in reflective practice and invite them to take precious time to make it happen.