128 50 TOPEXECUTIVECOACHES
from dependence to independence in pursuit of a goal. In that sense, being a
coach is also a form of leadership. Some might argue with me on that point
because they hold that coaches facilitate or guide rather than lead. But to
me, coaching and leadership go hand in hand.
I don’t think you can lead people unless you have a sense of where you
want them to go. Leadership is about going somewhere. If you don’t know
where you’re going, your leadership doesn’t matter. Once people know where
they are going, the next step is implementation. That involves helping people
to live according to the vision and direction. Leaders lead by setting the stage
in terms of vision and direction. But they also work to get people closer to that
destination, which is what coaching for implementation is all about. At that
point, the leader or coach shifts from directing to serving people by guiding,
supporting, and cheerleading them as their needs require. The coaches now
become servant leaders.
In our company, we’re trying to create a movement to uplift the human
spirit by making sure that people-development gets put on an equal plane with
performance. That’s our vision and direction. As Chief Spiritual Officer, one
ofmy jobs is to connect us to that mission every day. Each morning, I leave a
voice mail message for the more than 250 people in our company. I talk about
three things: people tell me who ought to be prayed for; people tell me what
praising others should get; and I end the call with an inspirational message.
The prayer and the praising are part of the care and support we all need. As a
company, we have to check in on ourselves, make sure everyone is doing okay,
and cheer for those who are doing the work to make our vision and direction
happen. The inspirational message touches on those things and reminds us of
what we’re all here to accomplish.
For example, one day I talked about profit being the applause we get for tak-
ing care of our customers and creating a motivating environment for our peo-
ple. I emphasized that our company is all about relationships. First, we want to
create raving fan customers—people who are so excited about us that they
want to brag about our work. These people become part of our salesforce. To
create that, we need gung ho people—associates who are so committed to our
company that they’re willing to go the extra mile for our customers and each
other.
Coaching and leadership are about focusing on what’s important in life.
What are our values? What are we trying to accomplish? My own personal
coach, Shirley Anderson, helps me figure out what I want to work on. We talk
about what issues I have, what’s bugging me, what’s not working. We sort
through all of that and identify strategies that can help me become the kind
of leader I want to be.