Counsel, Coach, Champion – 3 Components of Great Leadership
At some point in everyone’s career, you need the right person for your needs at the moment to continue your growth. You may believe you have a good handle on how you are running your store, your district, your region, or overall business, but likely there is still a need for someone to help push you into new areas. Great leaders can play these roles, and the best anticipate that need and assume these roles before you know you even need it.
There are common threads through each of these components that lead to the positive outcomes they are designed to support. What is interesting about these three things is each are both commonly seen as nouns, as well as verbs. That makes it more apparent that these are both roles for a leader to play, and actions to take.
Providing counsel, support through coaching, or championing your cause are all qualities that most people would say they want to participate in. Many likely believe they do it often and well. But these are huge undertakings and require a culture that supports both leaders who wish to perform in these areas and employees that choose to accept the offerings.
In my experience, and in many reports or studies that have been conducted, would indicate that there are wide gaps between the aspirations of companies and leaders in this area and the actual practice of them.
Let’s look at these three components to get a better understanding of what they are and what they may look like in practice.
Counsel
This is defined as advice given, especially as a result of consultation. It is a clinical definition for sure, but in practical use it is providing insights and information based on asking questions and learning about someone’s situation. From that, you provide counsel. This can be a stark contrast to how it is often referenced in retail – counsel tends to suggest that you are performance managing. ‘I need to deliver a counseling to that person.’ Depending on the context, that can be true, but it doesn’t have to be negative.
The concept of counsel also implies the need to listen. How can you provide advice or helpful information without fully knowing the situation and circumstances? Done effectively, counseling involves asking many thoughtful questions, listening intently, and piecing that information together.
Counsel as a noun means having someone that represents you. In the legal realm, your lawyer is your counsel. Certainly, they give advice, but in many instances they represent what matters to you. You will see that as one of the common threads between each of these leadership qualities.
Coach
Coach as a noun is well understood. We see coaches on the sideline of any sporting event. In general, it is accepted as someone there to help you get better at what you do. Coaches provide guidance, feedback, and direction on improvement. However, coaching can, and should, be much more. They should be helping to design strategy and looking forward, versus just at the moment. Coaches can see the entire field and the role that everyone on the team needs to play. They may assist individually in the tactical aspects of the role one plays, but they are assimilating that into the entire picture.
As Sir John Whitmore, a leading figure in the field, defined it, skilled coaching involves “unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance.” 1
Again, much like counseling, coaching can take on a negative reference and is used when an employee needs help with performance. Strictly that may be true, but coaching is not just for people who are underperforming. If the goal is to unlock the full potential and maximize performance, then everyone would be in constant need of a coach to assist them in reaching that pinnacle.
Champion
When you hear champion, do you think ‘the winner’ or someone who helps others to win? Shouldn’t those be the same things? Applied with a Servant Leader mindset, they would be the same. ‘Winning’ comes from helping others reach their own levels of success. Being a champion as a leader is more about supporting and representing those you lead and serve. Everyone needs a champion along their career path. They can be a mentor, a peer, a boss, but everyone benefits from having someone in their corner providing extra pushes along the way with others for your cause.
Champions have your best interest at the forefront. They see their role as helping you achieve your objectives. This is an important role for a leader to play. And you can likely see why it can be so difficult. It can be challenging to put other’s needs ahead of your own, especially if there may be some conflict with your own views or position within the organization. Leaders who champion effectively for others, are at the top of their game and certainly view themselves in service of others, that is where they measure and derive their success.
Counsel, coaching, and championing: three components (in both noun and verb form) that the best leaders use to support their team and followers. They carry a common thread of being in service to others (servant leadership), listening for the purpose of support, and making themselves available to help others reach their full potential. None of these are easy, all take practice and dedication, yet will always make a leader standout. If you aspire to be a leader that others choose to follow, providing these three leadership elements is essential.
How are you developing your skills for providing counsel, coaching, or championing for others?
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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash