Mentoring and coaching: the keys to character development for leaders

 

Mr Bob Hince Northmead, New South Wales, Australia

 

I believe that mentoring and coaching will be the key to providing courses and programs that will assist greatly in the development, and the continual development, of leadership character and virtue.

Recent leadership scandals, business and corporation collapses, church leader cover-ups and the disgrace of prominent leaders in many organisations, have seen a surge of demand for honest, virtuous and ethical leaders.

Many followers now believe that character (that is, a leader's virtue, values and ethics) is the basis for credibility and, without credibility, you cannot lead anybody. They believe that leadership skills are important - but they are the ‘link' between sound character and exemplary leadership. The skills ‘showcase', or visibly demonstrate, a leader's character.

I believe that most leader selection processes concentrate more on the candidate's leadership skills than on their personal qualities and character. Obviously, the skills are more visible and more easily assessable, and to accurately determine a potential leader's values, virtue and character is very difficult, if not impossible.

It would also seem to me that there is an unending supply of training courses for leadership skill development but very few successful character development courses. And if we don't soon start implementing character development courses that will benefit both present leaders and emerging young leaders, we may soon find problems within organisations.

The problem, as I see it, is that when skills are considered all important and rewarded, and the people with these skills are promoted up the ladder within the organisation, without the support of character development and ethical behaviour programs, then ethical leadership problems will continue to emerge within some organisations.

The problem, of course, is what sort of programs and what sort of courses will provide the necessary character development, and the continued character development, of the leader throughout his or her career? Whatever the answer, I am sure the emphasis would have to be on practices that allow the leader to internalise the desired character traits.

I am going to suggest a very basic outline for three such development programs that will require the involvement of mentors and coaches.

Hopefully, these suggestions will invoke some form of reply. For those of you who consider the suggestions ridiculous and unworkable, please say why these programs won't work. For those who see some merit in the ideas, please also suggest how the basic idea could be expanded. Perhaps there are those who see no place for mentors or coaches. Whatever your stance, all criticisms, suggestions, amendments and comments will be truly appreciated.

Suggestion 1

The focus of this course would be the development of one's own character. It would be much like a do-it-yourself program, but with the assistance of coaching. There are two main strands:

• finding and living one's guiding principles and purpose;
• periodically evaluating oneself in relation to the alignment of actions and guiding principles.

A coach would be of tremendous help with the first strand. They would help the coachee to determine, and draw out from within, the guiding principles by which that person wishes to live their life and to perform their leadership role. They would also help to draw out what the person believes is the purpose of his or her life and leadership.

The answers to such questions as to what one would live for, fight for, and die for could be determined. So, too, could a definition of personal success be formulated. The coach would help, too, with drawing out answers to such Dr Steven Covey type questions as: ‘What would you want to hear people say about you at your retirement?' ‘How about at your funeral?' ‘Then again, what is it you would hate to hear being said?' The coach would help the leaders to determine their guiding principles and the purpose of their existence. The coach would help the leader find his or her own answers.

The second strand would involve periodic reflection and evaluation of oneself. This reflection and evaluation would also take time to clarify and review one's core beliefs, values and guiding principles. I would also visualise the consideration of feedback, passed on by trusted friends or even a mentor. This feedback would be in relation to the alignment of professed values and daily actions.

Assisting with this self-evaluation could be self-determined checklists. Checklists can be helpful. For example, the Rotary Club organisation has a four-way test. ‘Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better relationships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?'

But, here again, a coach could help draw out the checkpoints that the leader considers to be important. For example, ‘Would I do it to my family and friends?' ‘Would I be OK about somebody doing it to me?'

I think that checklists that don't set out rules that have to be followed are very useful. They are especially so if they advocate principles that can be embraced and applied in any setting.

A coach could also assist a person to formulate and employ a checklist that checks out one's own personal integrity, not just the consequences to others. For example, check on actions which, while not hurting anybody else, will still damage our own sense of integrity. ‘Will I admire myself for doing this?' ‘Is this the sort of person I really want to be?' ‘Would this be pleasing to God?'

Hence, Suggestion 1 is basically a DIY program, with coach assistance.

Suggestion 2

The focus of this character development program would be on gaining character development wisdom from mentors, that is, experienced, admired seniors.

The process here would be to firstly, find a senior person or colleague whom you admire. This would be someone you would like to emulate – a ‘soul mate'. This person could be a retiree; a neighbour; a family member; someone at church or in a club. The type of mentoring I am visualising here is the simple act of a relationship.

There are no mentoring ‘methods', no set of steps to follow, no set timetables or contracts - this is just the simple act of a relationship with someone who can be trusted with your thoughts, your flaws and your life purpose.

The meetings could be over coffee; walking around the park; over a beer or sitting by the river.

Secondly, it is at these meetings that the young leader asks questions of the senior person. These are questions about conflicts, challenges or successes that the senior person has experienced. They help the young leader understand that deciding what is right and wrong need not be done in isolation. We depend on others for our morality and identity.

The young emerging leader asks questions and draws out their stories. These senior's stories convey the lessons of experience -theirs and others- that will help the young leader make ethical and virtuous decisions.

Surely one of the great joys of growing older is the sharing of these stories with the next generation.

I believe it is the role of our senior leaders, the ‘elders at the gate', to pass on the culture, values and ethics of exemplary leadership, just as the tribal elders around the campfires in past times passed on the values and mores of the tribe. The young emerging leaders were expected to follow in their footsteps.

Why stories? I feel that, in today's society, data overwhelms us and stories have the strong attraction of simpler times and a clear simple message.

What is being rediscovered by some very vibrant companies is what cultures have known for centuries. Stories are a powerful method to ‘grow' young leaders. Stories provide an air of reality and a view of leadership that no book, clever consultant or trainer can provide.

I believe that leaders learn much from the lessons of experience as told by the senior leaders. It is through these significant relationships with seniors that practical leadership capability can be learned and where character is shaped by the crucible of reality.

Unfortunately, some senior leaders don't seem to appreciate their responsibilities or their capability to ‘grow' the next generation. They don't appreciate the great value of stories in developing leadership. They don't realise that leaders of character grow other leaders of character who, in turn, do the same. We must encourage them to undertake the role advocated.

Suggestion 3

The focus of this program is on leadership character and ethics developed within the immediate organisation. I believe we should be very concerned with developing character building programs that will benefit the emerging young leaders, on site, within the organisation. The emerging young leader will have the help of both coach and mentor. For example, whilst the young leader is being taught the leadership skill of how to prepare an action plan, or, how to delegate, by the organisation's appointed mentor, at the same time he or she is discussing his or her values and beliefs in relation to the implementation of these skills with the coach.

The coach would help them contemplate and visualise the effects of the implementation on others and the alignment of this action with their own guiding principles and values. Time would be spent determining how this learned skill could link character to leading.

Thus, this program would basically be about analysing, contemplating and discussing one's values and ethics in relation to, and in conjunction with, the learning of a new leadership skill. It would involve the assistance of a coach and the organisation's skill teacher – the ‘mentor'.

This type of mentor should not to be confused with the pre-mentioned senior leader type ‘mentor' who relates to the young leader, rather than instructs.

In brief summary, the three suggestions for character development programs for leaders are:

Suggestion 1: This program is about moral awareness, with the assistance of a coach. It is an amalgam of mediation, contemplation and introspection.

Suggestion 2: This is a program that teaches that having to decide for yourself what is right and wrong does not always mean deciding in isolation. We depend on each other for our sense of identity, morality and emotional wellbeing.

Suggestion 3: This program teaches that leadership skills ‘showcase' a leader's character and ethics. The skill is really only the link between character and leading.

Hopefully, young leaders will learn that exemplary leadership is more about a leader's virtue, ethics and values than it is about leadership skills.

 

Mr Bob Hince is a former principal who resides in New South Wales, Australia. He is now an educational leadership consultant who works throughout Australia and internationally.

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