Your bigger impact and fulfillment are in enabling others!

A former student recently contacted me, and reminiscence she hated mathematics in school but that with how I coached them, she went on to score an A in GCE. She later studied Computer Science and was working as a Software Engineer. She ended by saying, “Due to the impact your support had on my life, I still use your name as my password till date (30-years after)”. Humbling the impact, one could have supporting others, a fulfilling feeling that surpasses any personal achievement one could have.

Developing others not only enables contributing to the growth of others but also provides learning opportunities for the coach. More importantly, It is a greater joy to see one’s protégé break new ground, reach higher heights and attain accomplishments than they envisaged, and even surpass the coach.

This was the most enjoyable element of my career. Whilst at lower levels, like the storeroom, my focus was about developing myself and excelling for personal growth, but as I progressed to senior roles, my focus shifted from self to enabling others, by coaching, mentoring, and motivating colleagues, along with building relationships to bring value for the team.

This is an important personal transition for anyone aspiring to a leadership position as a leader’s role is mainly about enrolling and inspiring others on a clear vision, and enabling and motivating the team to work towards delivering the goal. The focus moves from self to others, and a leader must spend time on coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring others.

Coaching focuses on a specific problem, a here-and-now issue. It works better by getting those being coached to reflect on the issue, cause, and options. In my experience, those being coached usually expect answers from the coach but it is more impactful to gently steer persons being coached to reflect themselves for solutions. A coach’s role is to guide, not to tell, as telling leads more to “compliance” but “co-creating” leads to “commitment”.

Mentoring is more on a long-term career. I found it more valuable to encourage mentees to first step back to think of their values, important things in life, and what they enjoy. Career ambition should be situated in the context of things that matter to us, as otherwise one risks not finding career fulfillment even if they attain their goals. It usually is also impactful for a coach to then share their own stories and journey.

Sponsoring is about putting the right people in the right roles based on capacity, capability, and results. A leader must do this without favoritism as there is more at stake than coddling feelings. Putting wrong people in vital positions slows a vision and demotivates the gifted and deserving. Many expect leaders to “sponsors” them, but in reality, whilst a leader can mentor and coach many, he or she can only sponsor a few “A” talents, for the team to be successful.

Recently, one of my mentees became a director of a major oil company and a part of his country’s think tank, helping to define his nation’s future direction. He described his “excitement at our progress to define our place in the energy transition”. It gladdens my heart to see such impact of a mentee and I am cheering by the side and it will not surprise me if he goes on to become a Minister in his country.

Leadership is more an art than a science but the quality of the people that a leader surrounds themself with, how well she or he coaches and mentors, and holds his team accountable, are key to delivering a vision.

Are you spending time developing others? There are many people younger than you or in a lower position than you or who have not yet reached where you have passed and who would as such benefit from your experiences and guidance. Be a role model.

Also, are you seeking coaches and mentors in your organization, profession, and own sphere to help you with your own personal development?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to coach and mentor others, or to seek coaches and mentors. It is never too early or too late. Act!.