Coaching vs. Leadership

There is a lot of talk about the similarities between coaching and leadership. And it’s true, they are very similar. Coaches/leaders:

• Define a clear end goal/ result to aim for. (E.g. Make $500,000 in sales by the end of the year).
• Assess the current state in relation to the end goal (E.g. You are currently at $50,000 in sales)
• Select a path to get there that best uses the person/team’s strengths (E.g You are good at cold-calling but not so good at closing. So you can partner with a better closer to help you convert the leads into sales)
• Remove the blocks that stand between a person/team and the goal (E.g. You struggle with accountability to get things done, so the coach/leader keeps you on task and checks in with you regularly.)
• Refine the strategy based on feedback so that a person/team eventually achieves the goal (E.g. Partnering with a better closer didn’t quite work because of the conflicts between both of you. So they schedule some training for you to help you become a better closer)

But in my mind there’s one major difference. And it has to do with their mindset. 

Leaders pull and Coaches push.

Leaders will pull you along when you decide you want to give up. If there are times when you don’t want to evolve, they will pull you along. That’s because leaders are invested in the outcome. They need to win.

Coaches on the other hand, can only push you to where you want to go. If you’re ready to grow, they will push you and provide challenges to help you succeed. But if you decide you don’t want to evolve, coaches can’t force you. It’s all up to you.

It’s helpful to think of the push/pull dichotomy when you lead your team. Because in the end, you must be able to do both.

The question is: Can you push and pull your team to success?