Finding Balance in a Changing World
Author: Luis J. Echarte
Available in PDF here:
I have always liked to have a constructive dialogue with people, and I have noticed that when asking questions, people verbalize their reality, and learn a lot about themselves.
One of the attitudes that made me grow professionally was my interaction with people. Asking and listening to experts, I learned about a number of topics that I did not know; I also became aware of the importance of having a relationship in which people feel comfortable with me.
When reading and learning about coaching, I realized that what I had done before, during my working life, was correct: there are many people with good ideas to whom we need to listen. It was then that I offered my skills to the people who belonged to the organization and, later, to external colleagues as well. I am sure that this boosts everybody's growth: both of people and companies.
This text is a set of readings and experiences that I have had along my professional career, and which I want to share with those who are starting the adventure of building a solid working team and be their guide in this fascinating process.
The main leadership role in modern companies must be to motivate collaborators to use their minds.
Coaching is the most appropriate leadership model to motivate your team: it promotes treating people respectfully, emphasizing learning and development.
Developing a culture of warmth, trust and freedom in the workplace is essential for employees to feel safe. It is important to feel comfortable to express ourselves without fear.
Leaders that coach understand that when they help others to be successful, they also nurture their own success.
Coaches do not give instructions from a distance, they devote a great amount of their time communicating and knowing the persons they lead.
There are only two things that you must do during individual conversations with the members of your team: ask questions and listen actively.”
Positive feedback allows collaborators to know that their contributions are acknowledged, and that they are valuable members of the team.
Only a small gesture of appreciation is needed to have a great impact on the motivation of a person.
Coaching is a model that prioritizes the construction of solid relations, and the development of a support culture.
At the end, the best way to learn coaching is by doing it.