Three Leadership Skills to Achieve Victory

I’ve been absorbed watching the Olympics and have so much admiration for the athletes. As a leadership development trainer and coach, I’ve also been thinking about the critical role the coaches play in this life-changing dream and journey. My goodness, their nerves must be frazzled yet they must continue to pour belief and encouragement into their athletes.

We all have responsibilities to lead others. Whether you guide members on your team, family members to make decisions, clients to help their business prosper, or counsel friends through challenges, the role we play as leaders is crucial.

Here are just a few thoughts and ideas on critical roles I believe the coaches play that I hope will be helpful as you lead:

·   Develop/Equip to high performance
·     Guide/Coach to achieve desired performance
·     Inspire to believe and receive rewards

Before we delve into the roles, here are a couple of important components to pay attention to:

1.    Communication elements:
· Words- words matter… a lot. "Thank you" are the two words people love hearing most

 · Tonality – how you speak the words, be sure the emphasis you put on the words conveys the message you want to deliver. "Your project was completed on time and the information was helpful" delivers a different message than "Your project was completed on time and the information was helpful". We must be mindful of how our tonality impacts interpretation and conveys what we want to say.

 Body language- eye contact, and leaning in will send a completely different message than looking down and crossing your arms

 2.     Communication Styles:
There are a variety of assessments available to analyze our styles.  It’s important to recognize your own style (self-awareness is critical), and the style of the person with whom you’re communicating. When giving feedback, how the information is received can be very different depending on the style of the recipient. DISC is the assessment I typically offer to clients, and the effectiveness of engagement increases immensely when we recognize the style of others and deliver it accordingly.

In the words of my mentor, John Maxwell:
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.

Develop/Equip high to performance:

Everything (in my opinion) begins with the mindset. Do you believe they can achieve? Do they believe they can achieve?  Assuming the answer to both of you is YES, then, identify their strengths that can be fueled to build to the level they desire.

How can you reinforce their belief? How can you build their courage? What tools are offered to continue to upskill them? What books or articles can you suggest? Which podcasts or webinars have you recommended? Who are the people they associate with that remind them of who they are and who they are becoming (their coaches, mentors, cheerleaders)?

Have you actually demonstrated for them how to do what you perform in a manner that will deliver success?  When I hired and developed salespeople, I didn’t just hand them a book to read and say "good luck." I went with them to visit the prospects and clients and demonstrated the process.

A word of caution: if we get so caught up in our own responsibilities and don’t provide development opportunities and increased responsibility, those who we have a responsibility to flourish may become bored and quit or leave. Yikes.

Guide/Coach to achieve desired performance

My guess is that the Olympic coaches course-correct quite a bit, and they are coaching the most esteemed athletes. The point is, we are all human and none of us is perfect. So consistent constructive feedback is important. I’ve seen a lot of leaders who do not coach or course correct. Usually, because it’s uncomfortable giving feedback and the fear is that the feelings of the recipient will be hurt.

What if these athletes didn’t get the feedback required to deliver the outstanding performance they are capable of? As leaders, the expectation is that we help others reach their full potential.

You may already be quite comfortable giving criticism and if so, bravo! If, on the other hand, you could use a refresher, a couple of techniques are below:

1. Sandwich: compliment, criticism, compliment, and benefit
"The first part of your speech was great and engaging. I felt that the middle part was vague and could use clarification. Your conclusion is strong, and I know when you make some revisions, you’ll have an inspiring speech"

2. STAR
   Situation – the friction between you and your peer is becoming a problem
   Task –        Create a process to improve communication
   Action –      Please contact them to schedule an appointment so you can discuss
   Result –     Positive communication and collaboration is the expectation             
            

Inspire to believe, and receive rewards

Going for the gold is the ultimate reward in the Olympics.
What’s the ultimate reward for your team members? Know their individual goals.
How can you inspire them to push through the pain and do their very best? Do they want notes of appreciation and motivation? Or is a pat on the back and small words of encouragement the tool that propels them?
How can you celebrate them?
How are you acknowledging the small victories along the way? Accomplishing a well-performed task that was once a struggle is worthy of celebration.

What are you doing to model that in addition to their leader, you’re also their biggest cheerleader?

Throughout these Olympics, I’ve seen so many heartwarming instances with the coaches and their athletes. Sometimes the coaches offer a firm hug when the performance does not go as hoped and planned. Other times there are high fives and pats on the back in celebration. Many times, there are what appear to be genuine and brief conversations between them.

As leaders, we have the responsibility to build the confidence and self-esteem of those we lead.
Even though your victory dance may not be like the Australian coach in the video (wow, he was pumped),

Click here to check out the super enthusiastic coach! (feel free to skip the ad)

Let’s commit  to:

·         treat our team members how they want to be treated,

·         remove obstacles and guide them to overcome them,

·         to consistently do their absolute best and

·         recognize that as leaders, our mission is to unleash their inner champ!

If you read through this letter it validates that we are on this journey together. Thank you!
Let me know how I can help you with tools to become an even more effective leader.

I'm looking for more individuals like you, who are committed to cross the bridge from where they are, and take the right steps to narrow gaps...at work, at home, and in the community.


Connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/michellebeauchamp
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Make today matter. Let's cross the bridge together to learn.grow.succeed.

Creating Significance
Michelle Beauchamp
The Champ Group
949-713-3622
www.beasaleschamp.net