LC Extension

Effective leadership is never easy – but it can be even more challenging when you are faced with leading other leaders, who are already in roles with influence and responsibility.

One of the biggest things to remember when leading leaders is to essentially lead without authority. This is a common situation in academia or professional services sectors like law and accounting. In these situations, direct reports are often used to having a high level of professional responsibility and autonomy, so they are perhaps less inclined to look for guidance or authority from other professionals – even their own leaders.

You can learn to lead this potentially intimidating crowd effectively with proper coaching skills, sensitivity, confidence and a willingness to listen with empathy. If done right, you can even master this unique challenge using skills and strategies such as mentorship, active listening, and positive but practical feedback to build psychological trust.

Here are some of the essential elements to effectively lead other leaders.

Communication is key

An authoritative, top-down leadership style has fallen out of favour in recent years. It is especially ineffective – and even harmful – when leading other leaders.

Instead of asserting authority, use persuasion and active listening to influence your leadership team. Whether you are working with other managers or not, effective leadership is not about issuing orders — it is about getting people in genuine alignment and showing them that you have taken the time to consider their perspective.

Facilitate group discussion and healthy debate while nurturing an environment of respect, ownership and shared success. Make your case persuasively enough to get everyone truly aligned, rather than forcing them to simply obey your choices and commands. This isn’t the type of group you can lead by simply sharing your decisions and expecting everyone to fall in line.

Trust and autonomy

Leaders are confident and informed. They trust their own abilities – and you should, too. To manage your leadership team effectively, they must believe that you trust them. If you don’t, perhaps you should reconsider whether they should be part of your leadership team.

Surround yourself with capable leaders. Don’t be afraid to hire someone who might know more than you. Instead of fearing that they might be after your job, focus on what they bring to the table for your organization, and don’t forget about succession plans.

Give leaders clear goals and expectations. Then step back and let them work independently, without micromanaging. Don’t be afraid to entrust your leaders with difficult situations or challenges that you might not know how to handle yourself. This gives them opportunities to rise to the challenge, flex their own creativity and leadership skills, and come up with innovative solutions and strategies that can help your organization grow.

Develop your coaching ability

To successfully lead other leaders, you must be an effective leader yourself. That’s why it’s vital to take a coach approach toward leadership.

By developing coaching skills, you will learn how to listen and engage with your team more effectively, evaluate problems with a new perspective, and encourage your team to work together to reach goals, which can lead to positive changes throughout your organization.

Reports show that combining coaching with training can lead to an 88 per cent increase in productivity, compared to just 23 per cent from training alone. Coaching can also provide additional benefits, such as:

• Attracting and retaining top talent
• Better business management
• More collaboration and enhanced teamwork

Organizational coaching can provide the necessary skills to create positive, lasting and successful change for your organization and your leadership team through goal setting, collaboration and a supportive framework.

Help other leaders develop coaching skills

Leading anyone is about helping them become the best version of themself by developing their skills and expertise so that they are empowered to do their best work. Why wouldn’t that be equally true for other leaders?

Recognize your leaders’ wins, whether they are big or small. Focus on the areas where they excel, and how they can develop those strengths further. It is also important to look for gaps in experience and skill sets and treat them as learning opportunities. Detailed, consistent feedback and ongoing coaching and mentorship are excellent vehicles to help your leaders grow and succeed.

There are many ways you can help prepare new managers for leadership and encourage seasoned leaders to explore and hone their skills. This is where organizational coaching skills can be helpful.

Organizational coaching increases employee engagement and demonstrates a commitment to employee development, which are both key factors in recruiting and retaining top talent.

Encourage your leaders to enroll in a coaching course to experience multiple benefits, such as:

• Better work performance and team relationships
• Improved communication and time management skills
• More job satisfaction and opportunities for advancement

Developing employees’ soft skills through coaching also supports stronger connections between colleagues, and increases flexibility and positivity when collaborating on projects with others. Continual learning and coaching require discipline and initiative, but the outcomes are well worth the effort for your leadership team.

Master every leadership challenge

Leading other leaders is a complex task, and the necessary skills required to be an effective leader have changed dramatically over the past few years. That’s why it’s important to constantly develop your own skills to be at the top of your game, whether that’s through organizational coaching courses or other professional development opportunities.

LC Extension at Lethbridge College is dedicated to helping leaders thrive in this changing world. Our professional and leadership development resources are designed to help leaders unlock their potential and surpass their professional goals, wherever they are on their leadership journey.

Explore LC Extension today to keep up with the latest trends and training in leadership, management and the evolving workplace.