Being a leadership coach places you in a powerful position in which you can help business managers, community leaders, sports coaches, and others leverage their own leadership skills to maximize performance. But how do you become the leader that being a leadership coach demands? What traits does leadership coaching demand?

Put the Leader in Leadership Coach

To be a leader, you have to act like a leader. To act like a like leader, you need to be a leader. If you are just acting, your clients will know. But, can you teach yourself to be a leader?

Myth: Leaders are Born, Not Made.

There is no doubt that some people are more naturally inclined to lead, more naturally charismatic, more naturally a magnet for attention and followers. However, everyone has a specific set of unique skills and has a leader hiding somewhere inside them. A good coaching program, a good mentor coach, and some self-analysis and reflection will help release the leader within. Identify your skills and determine how they can help you lead others.

Leading in the Wrong Direction Isn’t Leading

Commanding attention does not make one a leader. A good leadership coach not only can use skills and techniques to command attention, but must lead clients in the RIGHT direction. Leading clients in the wrong direction does not make you an effective leader. You must have specific goals and you must help your clients identify their goals, and then create a direct pathway to these goals – the right direction!

Leadership is a Belief in Yourself

The strong have it, the weak want it – what is it? Confidence! Good leaders are confident in their abilities – a confidence that comes from training, education, and preparation. Confidence is a solid belief in yourself.

Confidence is Not Arrogance

Never confuse confidence with arrogance. Do you think clients want a arrogant leadership coach? Arrogance is an outward trait, while confidence is an inward trait. Arrogance is style, confidence is substance. Adding a touch of humility to your confidence will subdue any arrogance, make you more accessible to others, a more desired coach, and a more exceptional expert on the fine art of leadership.

To sum things up, a good leader:

1. Can be made. Training, education, experience, research, and hard work can make a leader.
2. Knows that just being a leader isn’t enough. Leaders lead in the right direction.
3. Believes in their abilities. Leaders have confidence in their ability to get things accomplished and know how to offer this confidence to others.
4. Must temper this confidence with a bit of humility. A good leader must also have the ability to criticize and analyze their own actions. Leadership should not be confused with arrogance.

In a highly competitive world, a good leadership coach is in demand. Every company, every organization, every sports team, wants to find an edge on the competition. Teaching employees, group members, or players to possess leadership skills and discover their own leader within is one of the best advantages in a competitive world. Before you begin your coaching career, fine tune and amplify your leadership qualities with training, education, and self-analysis – put the leader in leadership coach!

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Fred Philips
Business Coach
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