Often when we have invested in developing leadership and they have demonstrated a particular level of competency, we consider them finished. They are now leaders and can go lead. Yet continued—and targeted—investment in your seasoned leaders can help keep them growing and learning, preventing stagnation and burnout. Just as we need to continue developing new leaders, we should also take steps to maintain the ones we have… otherwise we’re just replacing the leaders we lose through attrition.
Even seasoned leaders have a coach
The leadership development process is never truly finished. We all keep developing for the rest of our lives. More seasoned and experienced leaders need ongoing coaching as well. I’ve been doing coaching for over forty years now in one form or another, and I still have a coach. And he’s still really helpful to me. He’s not the same one I started with. I am fortunate enough to have had several people serve me in coaching roles over the years. Each brought a different perspective and each taught me something unique. It’s one of the most essential ways in which I’ve continued to grow in my own leadership and coaching abilities over the years.
It’s my considered opinion that everyone should have a coach. That could be someone who is more established in your own ministry organization, or it could be someone completely outside of your usual circles. Certainly there are advantages to each.
The leadership development process is never truly finished. We all keep developing for the rest of our lives. Click To TweetSeasoned leaders should be coaching others
In addition to my belief that everyone should have a coach, I also believe everyone receiving coaching should also be coaching others. That’s how it gets passed on. That’s how new generations learn leadership, learn coaching skills, learn how to grow into their callings, and learn how to develop others. With anyone you are coaching, be sure you are helping them pass on their coaching skills to others. Anything not passed on dies. Just as all disciples need to make new disciples, all leaders need to be developing new leaders, and all coaches need to be multiplying new coaches.
Anything not passed on dies. Click To TweetCharacter always counts
One other thought on coaching more seasoned or experienced leaders: Don’t forget to incorporate coaching about character. It’s too easy to assume they got all of that down early in their early days of following Jesus. But truly, none of us ever really gets it down. We all still have areas of our character and faith to work on and grow in personally. Often established leaders can get so focused on accomplishing goals that they forget to grow in humility and faith… and those are the essential roots of all we do as leaders. Consider the parable of the vine and the branches (John 15:4-5). It’s still true, no matter how many years we’ve been following Jesus.
We all still have areas of our character and faith to work on and grow in personally. Click To TweetResources
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