Corporate Coach Academy

Learn from Soo Woon Yee, a coach hailed from Corporate Coach Academy, at a recent interview she shared in Aha Coaching Show on her experience as a coach

1. What is a Coach Leader?

A coach-leader is one who has moved from the traditional leadership style of directing and telling to one who is influencing, empowering and role modelling.

I once coached a successful regional leader who was experiencing burn-out using the directive leadership style.  Known as the ‘parachute leader’, she was parachuted into different countries whenever there were major issues in the organization. The constant travel took a toll on her health and her family.  Partnering with her, she began to shift her leadership style towards listening to her people, leveraging on their strengths, and allowing them to implement their decisions.  Not only did her team performance’s increased, she also recovered from her exhaustion. 

• Why is being a Coach Leader essential for effective leadership?

The results are more sustainable in an organization as the coach-leader does not give the answers but facilitate their members thinking, empowering them to arrive at their own solutions, and co-creating with them. It’s about teaching your people “how to fish than giving them the fish”.

• What are some core skills that a leader should focus on to become a Coach Leader?

The starter kit comprises the 3 As of Coaching;

• Asking Powerful Questions.  It takes humility for leaders to acknowledge that they don’t have all the answers.  Once they do that, it opens the space for others to participate more freely and the collective wisdom brings the team to greater heights.
• Active Listening. Listening with patience is the greatest gift we can give to others.  A coach leader listens not to argue or to push his views but to understand the other person.
• Assuming Best Intention.  This involves giving feedback and feed forward to work together with the person to come to an action so they become better versions of themselves.  It is difficult to give feedback, so using a structure such as SBI (Situation, Behaviour, Impact) model with lots of practice will go a long way to develop better relationships.

• What are the key elements of a Coach Leader?

The two key elements are winning the inner game and empathy. 

The inner game means knowing who you are, what you stand for, and what success means to you rather than doing what is convenient. 

Empathy is the ability to connect through listening and being non-judgmental.  Easier said than done, a leader can begin to exercise empathy by holding his words and to understand the person who is with them. Instead of saying “that’s not a good idea”, a leader could ask “what do you think are the pros and cons of this idea?” 

• What are potential roadblocks a Coach Leader may face?

A leader may have the fear of losing control but as they take small steps, they will see the benefits of greater engagement and commitment from their team resulting in lower resistance and resignations.  The leader will grow into the role of a coach-leader with time. 

• What are your final words for people who wants to be a Coach Leader?

Coach leadership is not a destination, it is journey. Leaders need to learn, unlearn and relearn to be a better version of themselves and after that, to consistently raise their own bar.  Coaching is about the people they are leading, it is not about the leaders.  Ultimately, if the leaders do it right and their hearts are in the right place, they will see their people grow and have a thriving organization.

Corporate Coach Academy is the World’s Top 3 ICF Coaching School and Top Coaching Provider in Malaysia. It is known for its ICF coaching programs and offers the best executive coaching programs with 3 learning options.