Often in the business world organizations are faced with the challenge to include leadership coaching or training programs to stimulate the growth of the organization and provide value to their employees. Like how I brought out the differences between psychotherapy and leadership coaching, I now attempt to differentiate between leadership coaching and leadership training.
Understanding Leadership Training Programme Vs Leadership Coaching Programme
| Leadership Training | Leadership Coaching | |
| What does it involve? | Imparting certain skills or transferring knowledge. It could involve enhancing communication skills, time management, employee performance, or certain processes vital for effective workflow within teams. Transfer of technical knowledge and/or direct learning. | Learning to realign or reorient towards new goals, and deal with new challenges. Make a difference in the area of life that is not performing at an optimal level. |
| Who is it for? | Management teams, functional teams, business leaders, and professionals across all stages of their careers. | Mid to senior-level leaders. Eg: Senior executives, managers, business heads, and C-Suit executives. |
| How is it conducted? | Group training | One-to-one coaching is most preferred. Although small groups of 4-5 leaders coached together is not uncommon. |
| What happens? | A certified trainer imparts the training to the group in the required area. | A leader works with a certified coach who challenges the leader’s limiting beliefs and asks the right thought-provoking questions. A coach prompts a leader to search for answers within their own selves. |
| Outcomes |
Improved employee turnover Employee retention Overall boost in organizational productivity. Leaders identify their blindspots Improvement in skills. Leaders and teams function at a higher level Larger organizational problems have better resolution. |
A goal-oriented leadership coaching program serves to take the leader to take a deeper look at themselves. Brings to light a leader’s hidden talent Coaching impacts leaders to change their behavior, shed their old patterns, and identify their own strengths which might be dormant within them. A good coach holds the coachee accountable for their actions and helps the coachee to move forward. Adds meaning to the leader’s life. Leadership coaching brings immense value not only to the leaders but also to the organizations. |
Leadership Coaching or Leadership Training what to choose?
Leadership training is recommended when there is a requirement to help teams and groups gain specific knowledge or acquire a skill set.
Leadership coaching is optimal for leaders of organizations who are looking to ace specific long-term goals while working on themselves. It is for those who wish to make a difference to the organization in the long run. These leaders work strategically and produce results that matter.
Do you have any other questions on leadership training vs coaching, I would be happy to answer them.