What causes leadership? There’s been more said and written, more models, consulting, theories, training programs, and books on leadership than we can hope to track. The lesson from all the noise is clear: there’s no silver bullet, no single formula for leading or being a leader. It’s ultimately rooted in what each individual brings to their leadership portfolio.

Leadership coaching therefore focuses on the individual being coached. What skills and strengths do they already have? How effective is their current leadership style? Where do they want to expand their skills, or alter or grow, their style? What new skills could or would be useful? What learning, what different points-of-view, will give them new power and new possibilities for their growth, development, and effectiveness?

Being an effective leader is an art. The capacities and skills required to lead shift with the circumstances and times. The “being” and skills needed to lead in the next decade are very, very different than those used in the past decade.

Leadership coaching doesn’t provide a preset formula or model to be taught to the coaching client. Instead a leadership coach will engage the client in an inquiry to look at their leadership opportunity from varying points-of-view and from different paradigms. The clients’ vision, passion, intelligence, creativity, commitment, and confidence will be fostered, challenged, supported and expanded.

Clients will be challenged to confront their own competence and incompetence, along with their tolerance for divergence, ambiguity, and failure. If useful, strategic and tactical models for success will be offered for consideration as existing strategies are scrutinized and analyzed.

Leadership coaching engagements will last from six months to several years. Throughout these long term relationships, clients are challenged, encouraged, and mentored to grow themselves beyond the limits they have thought to exist for their leadership potential.

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