LEADERS IN EXECUTIVE COACHING

Praesta partner Robin Linnecar recently spoke at a gathering of HR directors drawn from a range of leading law firms and other professional firms. The main thrust of his talk and the subsequent question and answer session concerned recent developments in coaching and mentoring and how the professions can secure maximum benefits from coaching.

"The professions recognise the value of coaching, says Robin, “but there’s still some uncertainty about how best to use it. As the delegates indicated, part of the problem is the increasingly wide range of suppliers offering coaching services; it’s hard to distinguish between them in terms of the quality of delivery or the supplier’s appropriateness in addressing specific development needs.”

In essence, coaching is all about helping people to become better leaders. Robin was quizzed about the creation of a leadership ‘model’ – was there more than one? – and what the model should be. He also addressed queries about measuring the effectiveness of coaching and how to ensure that coaching delivers sustained changes.

“As I explained to the delegates, leadership – an individual’s ability to inspire – can take many forms, but you can’t be a good leader without first being a skilled manager: are you able to delegate; are you good at giving feedback and listening to your colleagues? It’s all about securing understanding and commitment.

“Coaching for professionals should be no different to coaching managers in other sectors: the focus should be on developing an individual’s skills so that they are better positioned to achieve their potential and, through that, greater success for their organisations.”