As I have journeyed through the many roles of leadership, I have discovered three distinct roles that help others succeed. Trainers share knowledge, mentors share wisdom and coaches share discovery. A great leader knows when and how to be all three. To understand the difference, let’s build a house.
We could start at the local Home Depot and take classes from a trainer or educator who knows the skills needed to build a house. We may spend time with a number of different trainers to learn all the skills necessary. We could learn about lumber, about plumbing, about electricity and about painting. It’s possible we could learn all the skills needed to build a house and never meet anyone who has actually built one.
We could find someone who has already built a house. This could be our mentor, someone who is willing to share their experience with us. We could gain lots of wisdom about what to do and what not to do while building a house. A mentor would teach us how to build a house just like they did.
We might engage a coach. The coach will ask questions that will help us discover what we need to learn and where to find the learning. The questions might lead us to a trainer or a mentor. We will uncover our strengths, knowledge and weaknesses. We will gain insight into the obstacles we might encounter as we build our house. Ultimately, the coach will help us learn to design our own house.
To be an effective leader, it’s important to know when to train, when to mentor and when to coach. It was after I discovered how and when to be all three that my team members began having success….
Comments