The impact of a coach on a leader or team is tremendous. It can make the difference between winning and losing. Think Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors.
It is the same in disciplemaking and church planting. A leader with the right approach, who has developed the necessary skills and has the temperament to coach people to take action, has a tremendous advantage.
A group I worked with recently has a number of pastors and church planters learning the art of coaching. One leader shared the dramatic change in people when he has taken the coach approach. In several conversations when he was asked for advice, he turned to the individual and challenged them to reflect and brainstorm solutions for themselves. In just about every case, the people have responded enthusiastically and taken responsibility for their actions. This is the power of a coach approach.
Making this change is significant, strategic and sacrificial. Here are five shifts that occur when a leader moves from being indispensable to an empowering leader:
- Shift from being viewed as the expert vs. viewing the other person as the expert
- Shift from being the center of the conversation vs. supporting the other person
- Shift from being the advice-giver vs. listener
- Shift from being the creator of the agenda vs.hold the other person accountable for the agenda
- Shift from being responsible to take action vs. empower the other person to take action
What could be the impact if you were to make these shifts?
- You will help people think for themselves, foster a high sense of ownership and take action!.
- You will expand your circle of influence so that you are not the only catalyst to lead an initiative, implement change or create a new culture.
- You will accelerate the process of:
- Disciplemaking
- Leadership development
- Church Planting
