As a leader, you should know why coaching your team matters.
One of the mistakes I see younger and older leaders make is, recruiting people to the team and then giving them no real training and then turning them into a room to lead. That doesn’t sound bad until you also realize that that’s all they do with their team.
Anyone can organize a team and keep them scheduled, but a leader will also know they must coach their team on a regular basis.
No professional sports team would hire a coach and then tell them to recruit a team, give them a playbook, and then tell them to go win the game! Why then, would we expect our team to “win” on the weekend, when we haven’t shown them how to keep winning even before they hit the so called field?
Coaching matters for several reasons:
First: A coach can see things you don’t- A coach sees a higher and bigger picture that we often can’t see from ground level. When we coach our volunteers or we get coaching ourselves as leaders, we gain a new perspective that we didn’t previously have.
I found a coach myself, and he challenged me to grow as a leader and kept me from getting into ruts that would have made me an ineffective leader.
Secondly, Coaching helps you ask the right questions: Most leaders focus on How? instead of Why?
I found myself asking my coach a bunch of “how do I?” type questions. He quickly noticed that was my focus and corrected me. It’s more important to ask why? first, then to ask how? As I shifted my questions to “why?” I gained a greater understanding and insight into the “how’s.”
So coaching does matter and each of us whether we are serving on a team or leading a team, we need someone to help us win. Going to conferences is a good thing but they are not the same as coaching. I spent a lot of resources and time going to conferences but the best value I have received was when I got into a coaching program.
Let me encourage you to find a coach, you can’t afford not to. Find one who suits your style, budget, and needs. They are not all the same, they have different ways to coach. Interview them and see who fits you and then let them walk beside you and let them coach you.
I have 30 years of experience as children and youth pastor. I have lots of experience and relationships with other leaders to lean in on and help you lead well. I’d love the honor of talking with you and see how I can help you reach your leadership potential.
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