Leadership coaching is a relatively new field that is growing in popularity. It involves working with individuals or groups to help them improve their leadership skills. Coaches may work in a variety of settings, including businesses, schools, and hospitals. Many of the skills necessary with leadership coaching for healthcare are common to other sectors.
In the wellness sector, leadership coaches need to have a strong understanding of medicine and be able to effectively communicate with both patients and staff. They must also be able to motivate and inspire others, as well as provide support when needed.
Coaching is a demanding field, but it can be extremely rewarding. Those who are successful in leadership coaching often find that they make a positive impact on the lives of those they work with. If you have the passion and skills required, leadership coaching may be the perfect career for you.
Here are a few key skills that leadership coaches need to be successful in the wellness or healthcare sectors.
Excellent Communication Skills
First, leadership coaches need to be excellent communicators. This includes being able to listen carefully and ask questions that will help their clients or colleagues identify their goals. They must also be able to give clear and concise instructions. Leaders must also be able to provide feedback that is both positive and constructive.
It is not always about what you have to tell someone, but also how you explain it so that it is easier to understand and better accepted.
Ability to Motivate and Inspire
Second, leadership coaches must be able to motivate and inspire others. This includes being able to set realistic goals and helping the person stay focused. Leaders must be able to provide support and encouragement when needed.
The ways a coach might motivate include:
- To establish trust
- To offer hope
- To be positive
- To provide useful resources
Coaches first have to gain the trust of those they are mentoring and training before respect can be gained and tips and advice accepted as useful. Some people get on better with certain personalities but a leadership coach needs to be able to get on with everyone. They should be someone who cares. This is part of working in medicine, anyway, so that should not be hard to achieve and maintain throughout their coaching term.
Inspiration is all about making those you are coaching feel that they are making progress and only being constructive with any criticism, which should be kept to a minimum.
The resources given might include those related directly to medicine or be more general and related to increasing motivation in general and building resilience. This will allow staff to face whatever the crisis is, day or night.
Supportive
Third, leadership coaches must be able to provide support when needed. This includes being available to answer questions and provide guidance.
The person being coached should always feel that there is someone that they can turn to.
Medical Understanding
Fourth, depending on the types of coaches a section requires, they should have a strong understanding of medicine. This is, of course, essential for helping those working with staff who see patients about their medical conditions. Leaders must be able to effectively communicate with both staff and patients.
Medical environments require a particular kind of coaching because they are high-pressure situations, where difficult conversations often need to be had in terms of the conclusions reached. Patients will often become upset and this can take its toll on staff who feel those emotions. Staff can be coached to help deal with this.
Those who are successful in leadership coaching for healthcare often find that they make a positive impact on the lives of those they work with. If you have the passion and skills required, leadership coaching may be the perfect career for you.
