Leadership Solutions

If you are like many, the New Year brings resolutions to work out or get to a gym. It seems that we all want to be as fit as the athletes we see in the sports world. But by the end of the month, many will stop using those new gym memberships. It is hard for individuals to keep themselves motivated to exercise. Add a personal trainer and the incidents of success go way up. Walk into any gym that trains high level athletes and you will see coaches. Tiger Woods is said to employ four coaches, while at his peak of play Magic Johnson had six coaches. Why is it a recognized way of improving an already stellar athlete? Because it helps high level performers fine tune their game.

This tactic has been under appreciated in the business world. To date, coaching is seen as only for the very few high potential leaders or the "big problem" leaders to try to flesh out issues that are holding a person back. Coaches are not utilized in the business world as effectively as in the sports world.

Leadership Solutions hopes to change that with the introduction of Solutions-Based Coaching. It's a shift in the direction of executive coaching to look at leaders as people striving for excellence in their fields. Sometimes, a leader will have specific very short-term needs that require a coach. This is where Solutions-Based Coaching comes into play.

Managers can select the option of coaching when they want to learn something rather than when the company feels he or she needs to improve. The coaching can be focused on a specific learning objective and customized to targeted goals.

For example, a manager in Topeka wants his team to work more effectively. He signs up for Solutions-Based Coaching and it is decided that in about four sessions his issues can be resolved. In these sessions, he and the coach will:

• Conduct a mini-survey
• Clarify goals
• Make a plan of action
• Estimate the business impact of the team working more effectively
• Refine the plan based on data received from the team
• Execute plan with the coach monitoring progress
• Follow up with additional resources if needed
• Evaluate the impact of coaching

In this example the sessions might stretch over four to six months to allow the manager time to implement the changes recommended by the coach. Unlike a seminar this process does not require travel costs or time away from the office and it can fit around business deadlines and work demands.

Here's one way to emulate the professional athletes and you don't even need to head to the gym. Solutions-Based Coaching can give your business a new efficiency for the New Year.