John Stanko

"Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise" - Proverbs 19:20.

"No man is an island" is a secular proverb that is not spoken much any more, but it remains relevant. No leader is adequate to see or know all that there is to see and know. Yet with leadership comes the wisdom from the experience of decisions, some that worked and some that did not.  That wisdom needs to be shared in the organization, not just within departments, but across the board for everyone. Therefore, leadership should adopt a coaching program where everyone in the company has access to and can draw on the advice and counsel from wisdom sources, both in and outside the company.

LEADERSHIP STEP: If you want your organization to have wisdom, you have to learn how to share wisdom and have it accepted and acted upon by all. Your Step today is to acknowledge that part of your role as a leader is to coach others, both in and sometimes outside your organization. Once you accept that fact, you must then establish a coaching program to be adopted throughout your department or organization. This can be formal or informal, but should be accessible to as many as possible, and could be accessible through written and recorded material.

"Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice" - Proverbs 13:10.

When leaders think they know or can do it all, they are being proud, and pride in a relationship or an organization eventually leads to some sort of strife. What's more, leaders often explore territory in their organization that others have not considered, so there are many opinions about and options for what they should or should not do. Wise leaders seek counsel not only about their business but also about their leadership style and personality traits. This is referred to as coaching, and smart leaders regularly call upon or meet with people they trust to get advice and direction concerning their responsibilities and their personal growth and development.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Where is the greatest point of tension in your organization? Today, assume you are part of the problem—whether that's the case or not—and identify someone in your company, field, or region (or someone online) who can give you input around your area of need: budgeting, staffing, production, decision making, or team building. The only antidote for pride is humility so you're going to humble yourself and seek advice, perhaps from multiple sources, to help correct the problem.

"The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice" - Proverbs 12:15.

Leaders are usually skilled at foresight and strategic planning, but that doesn't make them infallible. They should be aware of the fact that they regularly need advice as they face new and difficult challenges. However, as today's verse warns us, a fool assumes he or she has all the answers because they already smarter than anyone else in the department or even organization just because they're the leader. Yet wisdom dictates even the smartest need to seek the expertise and perspective of others. The advice may be about specific decisions or it can pertain to the leader's overall capacity and ability to lead—the latter advice usually coming in the form of coaching.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Today, identify some area(s) in which you need coaching. It may be in a particular area like finance or team building, or it may be around your areas of personal ineffectiveness like time management or communication. Once you have identified the area(s), then ask around and secure a coach in those particular discipline. That may come in the form of reading expert material, going back to school, or securing the services of a coach.

"The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice" - Proverbs 12:15.

No leader is an island who has everything they need to be effective. Even the best leaders have advisors and counselors—those who help them frame their thinking and decisions in the best possible terms. These coaches also help leaders personally develop their leadership, business, and people skills. Once they benefit from and appreciate the role of coaches, these coached leaders can then become coaches themselves, looking to reproduce their own effectiveness in others.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Make a list of all the coaches and mentors in your leadership life right now—even if your leadership is limited to your own home at the moment. Are you making optimal use of those people at this point in time? What can you do to maximize their impact on your leadership? In what areas of personal development do you need some new coaching expertise? Can this be done through a reading program or do you need face-to-face help?