What is Leadership? Consider a Multi-Dimensional Approach

The field of leadership is not one that’s based on simple or singular concepts to nurture and facilitate growth and development amongst team members. Today, it’s easily recognized that there are a variety of facets to leadership training. Becoming a great coach requires more than simply reiterating traditional management philosophies and processes. What is leadership, then? As defined by Wikipedia, leadership is, “The process of social influence where one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.” Although this explanation may make the concept of developing leadership seem over simplified, when you break this definition down, it’s easy to see that there are many dimensions to leadership training. For those looking to truly advance a culture of high performance and commitment through improving the quality of human connectedness and intimacy, a more advanced and intelligent form of leadership training becomes a necessity.

In today’s most successful and innovative organizations, the most effective and motivating leadership methods take on the role of a thoughtful coach that shares and respects a greater amount of intimacy in the workplace. They lead by modeling a good example and their openness and sharing deliberately cultivates an environment where team members trust one another based on leadership’s intent and character. By sharing core values the team can work toward common goals and objectives more harmoniously and effectively. Additionally, exceptional leaders must learn to be in full command of their perceived emotional impact to team members and colleagues. They must remain considerate, empowering, and productive with their coaching communications. Some of the best leaders also value the power of true collaboration and accountability. When searching for leadership training, it’s extremely important to consider the many dimensions involved in learning leadership coaching methods and to find educational opportunities that address a more multi-dimensional approach.

In fact, to truly be an inspirational and innovative coach, you’ll also need to consider the importance of communication and social exchanges. Good leaders understand the underlying reasons for various behaviors in the work place and can be empathetic while providing guidance to help peers and team members grow and thrive. They understand that only 7% of meaning in a typical social exchange is in the spoken words, while 93% of communication is largely nonverbal. (Source: Albert Mehrabian) There is a logical progression to how we think, react, and handle our emotional responses and top leaders take advantage of this knowledge to enhance and evolve team communications in a more positive manner.

Sadly, this nonverbal communication is not as intricately focused on in modern business school curricula, deemphasizing the impact that body language, expression, movement, and even tone or pitch of voice offer in social transactions. Recent studies continue to show how nonverbal communication makes up the majority of social exchanges and messaging in both business and personal communications.

Are you looking for a way to turn your leaders into exceptional coaches? Perhaps you’re even a leader looking for personal growth? Don’t miss the upcoming CoachQuest 2012 two day workshop this June! If you’re ready to redefine, what is leadership, then you’ll be inspired, enlightened, and motivated to become an even better coach at this exclusive event. Visit www.coachquestleader.com to learn more about CoachQuest™ and their upcoming conferences.