What makes coaching so magnetic, and why are people flocking to it faster than they do to the latest viral dance trend? Let’s dive into the logic (and sprinkle in a bit of humor) behind coaching’s growing appeal.
All in Leadership and Coaching
The Symbiotic Relationship Between Leaders and Culture
In the intricate dance of organizational dynamics, the question of whether leaders shape culture or are shaped by it has long been a subject of debate. This relationship is not merely a one-way street but a complex interplay where both elements influence and mold each other.
Is Meditation Necessary for Business People?
Many of us think that prayer and meditation are for religious people, not for those who operate in a market place, people who day and night deal with business practices.
New Year’s Resolution
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
--Henry Ford
Do Leaders Shape Culture, or Does Culture Shape Leaders?
Leaders may believe they steer their business ships. But “there is a long-standing controversy about the relationship between culture and leadership. Do leaders shape culture, or are they shaped by it?” as Bolman and Deal (2008) point out.
Transformational Leadership
Bass (1990) defines transformational leadership in this way: “Superior leadership performance -- transformational leadership -- occurs when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purpose and mission of the group, and when they stir their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group” (p. 21). The article proposes a concept of transformational leadership as a synthesis of adaptive, authentic and inspirational leadership approaches.
Cultural Web and Leadership
Because business environments change frequently, leaders do not invest enough time understanding cultural differences and their impact on corporate lives.
“Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead”?
“In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”
–Richard Feynman (but attributed to many)
Leading the Transformation Programme
The world of transformation management has evolved significantly. Though today’s leaders use artificial intelligence techniques to predict outcomes, transformation remains challenging and unruly. Kotter (2006) says, “Most major change initiatives – whether intended to boost quality, improve culture, or reverse a corporate death spiral – generate only lukewarm results. Many fail miserably” (p. 1).
How to Make Better Choices When Leading Transformation Programmes
Empirical evidence and academic research show that transformation programmes almost always make problems worse than they already are. No matter how they are framed and organized, transformation programmes regularly fail: outcomes are unpredictable and horror stories are common. What is the solution? How should leaders cope with these problems?