How a Leader Is Also a Coach
The job of a leader and a coach has a lot more intersections than you think. As John Quincy Adams rightly points out, a leader can be considered a good leader only if they carry out the tasks of a good coach as well. The job of a leader similar to a coach is to guide a team of professionals according to their potential. Leaders are also entrusted with the job of improving a team’s performance and also scouting new talent. Reach on to understand my take on how a leader can hone the skills of a good coach me of the traits of leaders that also make them their team’s coach
1. Inspiring others
This is probably the most important trait in the entire list. There is a well-known quote that claims that “a good leader, inspires others with confidence in him, a great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves”. A leader always has several tricks up his sleeves in order to inspire his fellow employees.
2. Delegation of tasks
A good basketball coach knows their team in and out. Right from the players’ strengths to weaknesses, the coach is familiar with their traits. A leader should also know what their employees are strong and weak at, and delegate tasks accordingly. This will not only ensure that the tasks given out are completed on time but will also make sure that the employees perform to their maximum potential. Delegating tasks is important not only because one cannot do all tasks by themselves but also because it helps in building confidence and trust in the employees. This task is as important as inspiring others. It is an absolute necessity that a leader has faith and confidence in their employees. It is in fact, one of the many tools that a good leader uses in order to inspire their employees. Employees on seeing the amount of faith and confidence that their leader has in them enable them to perform to their maximum potential.
3. Taking responsibility
One of the easiest ways to determine whether a leader is a good or bad one is by seeing how they deal with failure. If a leader blames a specific employee for a collective failure, then they are certainly not a good leader. Failure as well as a success if the cumulative result of all the work done by the employees as well as the leader. However, it is also important that a leader guides his subordinates and make them realize their mistakes. A leader must create such an atmosphere that his subordinates feel the need to rectify an error and focus on working as a team better.
Wrapping it up
Understanding your team in both wins as well as losses is extremely important for a leader. A good leader just like a good coach carries out all their tasks with great empathy. Your passion, honesty, integrity, and commitment as a leader will determine the rate of success of your entire team. A coach can predict the trajectory of his team’s success. A good leader similarly, should also have the ability to visualize and work on materializing long term goals.
