Blog Post: A Simple Assessment for Coaching Leaders

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When coaching a leader, there are two immediate aspects to assess. One is organizational direction. The other is the mood of the followers.

1. Where are we going?
2. How do people feel about it?

Each question should affect the other. Some leaders decide where the organization is going with little to no input from the people. Other leaders care more about the peace and happiness of the followers than they do the organizational direction. These two need to go hand in hand. In fact, since most of us have two hands, it is easy to consider that one hand of the leader is on the rudder, and the other hand is on the people.

The Rudder

The analogy is that the organization is a ship. It is already heading in one direction, perhaps by purpose, perhaps by neglect. A ship cannot turn on a dime. It is surprising how even a small rudder in the water can turn even the largest ship. Depending on the size of the ship, the rudder can only turn the ship so fast, but the rudder must create a turn that can be sensed by the followers (who are on the ship).

The People

Some people on the ship will be passengers, but we are hoping to enlist as many sailors as possible. The sailors are key to the operation of the ship. The direction matters to them because their work is directly impacted by the navigation. The passengers are fickler. They desire a destination, but they are more swayed by the turbulence of the ride. Too much turbulence, and they will either get off the ship or replace the captain with someone who has a lighter hand on the rudder.

Most leaders are tempted to put both hands on the same spot. Some leaders love the people and hate to disappoint them. They don’t want to see any distress in the people. They will take their hands off the rudder and let the ship drift and say things like “You can’t turn a ship this size too fast.”

Other leaders jump right on the rudder and pull the ship into a maximum turn. The people and the supplies all shift hard in the opposite direction. The ship begins to groan, sounding as if she might snap. You might hear the leader say things like “No pain. No gain.” “Too many passengers, not enough sailors. These followers don’t care about the destination.”

As a coach, when you are hearing such statements, you could make this concise statement to the leader and/or the team.

“For an organization to move forward, the leader needs to have one hand on the rudder and one hand on the people.”

If there is no resonation with this statement, I would go back to listening. There is a more pressing issue.

If there is a request for more information, then I would describe the people and the rudder.

If there is resonation with the statement, then I would show them the following model and ask, “where do you think the hands of the leader currently are?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then ask an open-ended question like, “What are you learning from this model?”

A model like this is great for coaching because it allows for the assessment of where we are and provides some awareness of where we need to go. The direction of the conversation can then go into many different directions.

1. Where should we be headed?
2. How can we get a better sense of direction?
3. How can the people help move us forward?
4. What do people need to be more helpful on this journey?
5. How can the people help the leader navigate the direction?
6. What is being lost that we need to take time to grieve?
7. How can we encourage the leader to grab the rudder?

The conversation should end with action steps toward development of the people and/or how many degrees to turn the rudder. Our hope is for the organization to go in the right direction with energized and dedicated people at the side of the leader.

1 thought on “A Simple Assessment for Coaching Leaders”

  1. Hi Brian Miller,

    One of your best blogs yet. I love the analogy you give of the boat (passengers) and the rudder (sailors). Two very important key components for us leaders to be aware of when making decisions that have the potential to either invite us to change our course, embrace something new, or leave something behind. Being a leader ain’t always an easy job, but it also doesn’t have to be a lonely job either. That is why the body of Christ has many gifts and we also have the fruit of the Spirit. We are all in this together. Love the questions you also share with us here. I remember Pastor Bill Hybels giving a talk at one of the Leadership Summit conferences around helping your church go from here to there. He shared that it wasn’t enough to just say to the congregation, this is where we should be heading. He shared the following about vision casting towards something new:

    1. “What does God want our ministry to look like 5 years from now?

    2. “What does HERE look and feel like right now?”

    3. Building a case why we cannot start here. What are current challenges?

    “Leading is about asking people to join with you on a mission. To risk with you. To believe with you that the cause is worth pursuing.”

    Thanks CAM!

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