Assessing the Coaching Relationship - Essay Example

The coaching leadership experience I had was very interesting from a personal point of view. My coach was indeed a very involving person. He was not shy to conduct activities that were aimed at creating a bond that allowed fewer communications between us. Communication is a great way of understanding ones perspective and also gaining new perspectives into different aspects of life (Watson, 2004). These are among the most fundamental things that I encountered. I believe that I have made significant progress in identifying myself as an individual and part of the greater society. Life is made of much more than just ones perspective about what is wrong and right. In essence, I have learned that every aspect of life is significant in creating a diverse experience that focuses on the development of the individual or the society.

The most beneficial aspect of my coaching sessions was the broader view of life that I gained. I now believe that life is made of much more. Sometimes, people tend to overlook the most important aspects that create a unique individual. When some of these aspects are neglected, one is shortchanged into believing life is all about individual happiness rather than creating a proper environment for one to exist in (Cashman, 2008). It is ideal to ensure that every aspect of life is unique in its own nature. The happiness of one is made whole when it takes an internal as well as an external approach in a way that is becoming commonplace for individuals to be happy with themselves and their surroundings (Watson, 2004). I find this view of life very beneficial to how I run my everyday life by putting into perspective the importance of different things.

The coaching processes helped me learn a lot about myself as seen in earlier paragraphs. However, the most intricate parts of the sessions that redefined my thinking were those that had a significant impact on my leadership qualities and abilities. The coaching sessions made me realize that leadership encompasses many aspects of life that are very crucial. The crucial nature of the components of a good leader is attributed to the importance of understanding ones followers and striving towards providing opportunities to meet their needs. Any great leader will tell that adapting to the situation is one of the key things in leading successfully. The current leading environments in the modern world demand that leaders understand those they are leading (Watson, 2004). It is therefore important to make it ones goal to create a profile of the expectations of the followers. Furthermore, it is quite difficult to be a great leader if one is not in tandem with himself. It becomes tedious tasks of understanding other people without understanding yourself first. Leaders tend to reflect more on their personal situation to create a better version of themselves.

Consequently, leaders ought to gain knowledge on a regular basis. One important fact is that reading more allows one to get a broader view or understanding on any given topic in life. In view of this, leaders who strive to gain greater leadership skills and qualities keep improving most aspects of their lives through reading more. For instance, a leader in the Information Technology industry ought to be more informed on the developments in their industry to enable them to be more creative in solving different problems in the work environment that require a certain expertise (Cashman, 2008). Lack of knowledge tends to make the leader become inadequate in fitting the leadership profile as they will not be able to lead from the front, but rather seek advice in almost every problematic situation he or she comes across. Therefore, ability to lead others comes with a good understanding of yourself, others and the environment you exist. By gaining these two components of leadership, one can be able to exercise leadership appropriately.

Leadership coaching sessions are quite interesting as they open one up to many possibilities of life. Indirect influence from the coaches makes one realize the importance of different things. For instance, my coach plunged me into critical thinking about what one would have done in a given situation. The situational analysis opens one up to a given problem that needs to be solved. However, the problem can only be solved when you gain a different perspective on its causes (Cashman, 2008). This is related to the cause of the problem, where once identified the solution is easily thought of. For instance, positional power trust is created through building awareness and commitment. Power involves being at a point of an advantage than others. An individual has to be aware of impending responsibilities, and duties thrust upon powerful people. Awareness does not come by chance, but as a result of deep reflection that assures one of the possibilities of becoming powerful.

However, in the aspect of positional power and trust, trust becomes very important tools. It is inevitable for a leader to be powerful without being trusted by his or her followers. Moreover, respect as a component of a strong relationship in the workplace is significant in creating positional power between the leader and the followers. Correspondingly, the integration of power, trust, and respect is important in creating a working relationship in an environment where leadership ought to prosper. Therefore, in facing various challenges and obstacles as a leader and a team, power, trust, and respect need to be present to ensure a successful coordination of thoughts and implementation of ideas through different activities aimed at solving or overcoming the particular challenge.

In the workplace, there is a unique strategy to be employed that fosters great leadership practices. These activities are core to the development of the relationship between the leader and the follower. Furthermore, these activities aimed at creating a proper way of facing challenges in a successful manner in an organizational environment. It is therefore particularly important that the strategy is well laid out and implemented in the correct manner. The first step is always important as it allows the identification of the problem at hand. Secondly, after the identification of a given problem, research becomes important in finding out the cause, effect, and results of the problems either to a given organizational process or activity. Thirdly, brainstorming, discussion and eventually consultation are important in coming up with different ways to tackle the defined problem. After everyone has provided creative solutions for an involving creative problem-solving session, the team agrees on one solution that presents the most effective and efficient way to remove the obstacle.

Personal and interpersonal difference occurring due to differences in opinions and beliefs are unavoidable components of the workplace environment. However, as a leader, such differences should not be the bane of you. The difference should indeed provide an opportunity to gain different perspectives on a certain issue. Furthermore, such differences provide an opportunity for positive discussions to pick the right alternative from a list of choices that entail solutions to a given problem. Therefore, interpersonal differences ought to create robust relationships rather than adversely affect that existing relationship. The fundamental nature of individual and leadership development lies in the ability to recognize and respect ones opinions as significant in creating a better definition of a given problem or solution.

References

Cashman, K. (2008). Leadership from the inside out: Becoming a leader for life (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Watson, L. (January 01, 2004). Self-leadership: Becoming An Exceptional Leader. Radiologic Technology, 75 (6), 457-467.