My Five Key Lessons for Entrepreneur Leaders by Ed Johnson

From Entrepreneur to Leader – My Five Key Lessons

Seven years ago, I found myself sitting across a white board and thinking about building my company from scratch. Seven years later, I am reliving the same moment, following a successful acquisition and the start of a new journey with uRoutine. Between the early stages of the next venture and reflections upon what’s been and gone so far, I realize that there are some key lessons learned. In particular, as my role evolved from entrepreneur to leader, and our first business grew at an exciting rate. There comes a point in almost every successful entrepreneur’s journey when they will, inevitably, transition from being the hands-on driver of every decision, to leading an organisation towards sustained, scalable success. This shift is neither automatic nor easy. It certainly requires a fundamental change in mindset, skills, and approach. I co-founded PushFar in 2018 and we grew quickly. With that growth, my role evolved just as quickly. Things weren’t perfect (I suspect they never are in the startup world!) and there is a lot of learning each and every day. For entrepreneurs and founders who find their role evolving into the role of a leader, as your team expands and the business grows, I have put together my five key lessons in this transition and what you might expect along the way. We’ll start with, perhaps, the most obvious one – letting go and delegating!

Table of Contents

From Entrepreneur to Leader – My Five Key Lessons

Delegation: The Daunting, Important Art of Letting Go

One of the most difficult but crucial shifts from being an entrepreneur to an effective leader is learning how to delegate. In the early days of a business or startup environment, entrepreneurs tend to wear multiple hats: product, sales, marketing, tech, finance, and customer service. This level of involvement is certainly necessary at the start – in some cases, not only is it necessary but also extremely valuable. An entrepreneur wearing lots of hats will learn a lot and this will help the business to grow faster, better. Yet, as a business scales, this multi-hat-wearing-role quickly becomes unsustainable. Trying to do everything yourself will eventually limit your growth and can lead to burnout. Delegation is not about relinquishing control, as much as it might feel like it is. In reality, it is about empowering others to take ownership and be the support that you will probably need. It starts with hiring people you trust and clearly defining roles and expectations. More importantly, it involves letting go of the belief that no one can do things as well as you. A well-chosen colleague or hire can often do a specific task better, faster, and with more focus than an overstretched entrepreneur. Recognising that there are others who can do things better than you is important, early on. Leave your ego at the door when you’re starting your business, and this process of delegation will be far easier – no matter whether it happens 6 months or 6 years into your business. A common mistake is delegating tasks but not the authority that go with them. If team members have to check back with you on every decision, they are not truly empowered, and the bottleneck remains. True leadership involves giving people the autonomy to make decisions and trusting them to execute their responsibilities. This shift frees up time for leaders to focus on high-level strategy and vision. An additional benefit is that your employees are likely to stay with you for far longer! Nobody enjoys feeling like they are being “managed” and trusting them with responsibility will give them a greater experience. This leads me nicely onto my second lesson. How good are you doing at delegating? Check your score, with a free assessment of delegation skills from Risely.

Team Empowerment: Collaboration is Strength

A business is only as strong as its team. Cliched, perhaps, but entirely accurate. As you shift gears from entrepreneurship to leadership, your role will shift from that of a doer to an enabler. Rather than being the person who solves every problem, you need to create an environment where your team can thrive and solve problems independently. And where does that start? Well, empowerment starts with trust. This means creating an open, transparent environment where team members feel valued and heard. People perform at their best when they feel a sense of purpose and ownership over their work. Giving your team clear goals, the resources they need, and the freedom to find their own solutions leads to a more engaged and productive workforce. They won’t always get it right but creating an environment where they feel able to occasionally fail and learn from that, is even more valuable. It’s how we all learn and grow. Regular communication is also important. Leaders should encourage collaboration, provide constructive feedback and always celebrate successes. A strong team culture is built through inclusivity, shared goals, and a sense of belonging. When your employees feel as though they are contributing to something meaningful, they are more likely to stay motivated and committed.

Strategic Thinking: Seeing the Whole Business

One of the biggest shifts in moving from entrepreneur to leader is stepping away from the day-to-day operations to focus on long-term vision and strategy. People talk about not being able to see the forest through the trees, and this is no more relevant than when you are running a business and you, as an entrepreneur, are caught up in the minutiae of running a business. From solving immediate problems, and responding to emails, to managing the day-to-day, there will be little time to think bigger and see the business as a whole. While, of course, tasks like responding to emails and immediate problem-solving are important, a leader’s role is to ensure the business is moving in the right direction. Strategic thinking should involve understanding market trends, identifying new opportunities, and making informed decisions which will ultimately position your company for future success. Asking blue-sky-thinking and big-picture questions like “Where is the industry heading?”, “How can our company differentiate itself from the competition?” and “Where do we need to be in 12-months’ time?”, to give but a few examples. Leaders have got to set aside dedicated time for strategic planning. This might involve regular off-site meetings, brainstorming sessions with senior team members, or working with mentors and advisors to gain fresh perspectives. Surrounding yourself with a strong leadership team and leveraging their insights can help in making more informed strategic decisions.

Resilience: Dealing with The Challenge and Uncertainty

For anybody who sees themselves as an entrepreneur, you will know that the entrepreneurial journey is filled with highs and lows – trust me! From financial pressures and investment rounds to market shifts and unforeseen crises, challenges are inevitable. What separates successful leaders from the rest is resilience – the ability to adapt, learn, and push forward despite setbacks. Resilience is certainly not about ignoring difficulties or pushing through blindly. Instead, it’s about maintaining a level-headed approach, assessing situations objectively, and finding solutions. Leaders should be cultivating a mindset that embraces failure, as part of the process. Think about every setback as an opportunity to learn and refine the approach. As an entrepreneur you should learn to get good at this pretty quickly! A key aspect of resilience is maintaining emotional intelligence. Leaders set the tone for their teams, so never forget this one. If any leader reacts with panic, uncertainty will spread. This is particularly true in the case of entrepreneurs who are usually not only the leader but the owner of the business. That uncertainty is enough to cripple an otherwise empowered, exciting culture. Instead, maintain a composed, solutions-oriented approach. This will reassure your team and maintain morale. Taking care of one’s mental and physical well-being also plays a crucial role in resilience. Long-term success requires endurance, and that means managing stress, maintaining work-life balance, and staying physically and mentally fit. Don’t be afraid to take the holidays you deserve.

Maintaining a Strong Company Culture

Culture is the glue that holds an organisation together. Another cliché, but it is just as true. Culture is what defines how people in your business interact, how decisions are made, and what values drive the business to success, or continued success. While culture will develop naturally in the early days of a startup, as a business grows, leaders should learn to be intentional in nurturing and maintaining it. A strong culture is built on clear values and consistent actions. You need not only articulate these values but embody them in your own behavior. One such example of this could include making sure that you are truly “offline” and taking a proper break, when you are on holiday, and in-turn ensuring you allow your team the same space, undisturbed, when they go on holiday. If transparency, innovation, and collaboration are core values, then those must be evident in daily operations, hiring decisions, and leadership style. Everybody’s watching – or at least, assume they are. One of the biggest threats to company culture is rapid scaling. I have seen this myself. As new team members join, it is easy for the original vision and ethos to become diluted. This makes it crucial to have structured onboarding processes, mentorship programmes, and regular check-ins to reinforce company values. Employee engagement initiatives, open communication channels such as Slack or WhatsApp, and fostering a sense of belonging all contribute to a strong culture. When employees feel connected to the company’s mission and values, they are more motivated, productive, and committed to its success. Side note: this is harder with remote teams, so being intentional here is even more vital.

The Continuous Evolution of Leadership for an Entrepreneur

Transitioning from entrepreneur to leader is not a one-time shift; it is an ongoing process of growth and adaptation. I know, as I begin to build my next business, that I need to be intentional in this. It is going to require me to continue to learn to trust others, step back from day-to-day operations, think strategically, embrace challenges with resilience, and foster a strong, purpose-driven company culture. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I made too much of a mess of it when I was building my last business, but this time, having learnt what I have, along the way, I can focus on ensuring that leadership mindset is there, from day one. Remember that the best leaders are those who remain open to learning, seek mentorship, and continuously refine their approach. They understand that leadership is not about having all the answers but about empowering those around them to collectively achieve success. As I embark on my next venture, these lessons remain at the core of my approach to leadership. For any entrepreneur looking to make the transition, the key is to embrace change, invest in people, and never stop evolving.

Ed Johnson

Ed Johnson, named as Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur in 2022, founded global-leading mentoring platform PushFar, which scaled to 1.5M + mentoring hours before its acquisition in 2023. Ed is now developing his new startup, uRoutine – a social accountability routine tracking platform. He mentors startups and speaks on entrepreneurship across Europe.

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Leadership Transition 101: Essential Guide to Transition New Leaders

In this blog, we’ll explore the nuances of leadership transition, why it matters, and how HR and L&D leaders take a proactive role in navigating this change. We’ll include actionable strategies, real-world examples, and tips to create a leadership transition plan that will set up a smooth transition for all.

Leadership Transition 101: Essential Guide to Transition New Leaders

Leadership transitions are defining moments for any organization. These shifts can significantly impact the organization’s trajectory, whether it’s a planned succession, restructuring, or a sudden change. As an HR or L&D professional, you need to ensure smooth onboarding for the new leader as well as support the entire organization through the change. In this blog, we’ll explore the nuances of leadership transition, why it matters, and how HR and L&D leaders take a proactive role in navigating this change. We’ll include actionable strategies, real-world examples, and tips to create a leadership transition plan that will set up a smooth transition for all.

Table of Contents

Leadership Transition 101: Essential Guide to Transition New Leaders

What is Leadership Transition?

The process of transferring authority, responsibilities, and relationships from one leader to another is called Leadership Transition. A well-planned leadership transition maintains stability, boosts morale, and leads to leadership development. On the other hand, a poorly managed transition leads to confusion, reduced productivity, and even a decline in trust. As HR and L&D professionals, you’re at the center of this process. Your role is to smoothen the onboarding for the new leader and to ensure the organization successfully transitions the change.

Causes of Leadership Transition

There are various reasons for leadership transitions. Knowing why a change is happening lets you prepare better and provide the right support. Some of the common causes are:

Retirement: When long-serving leaders step down, it opens the door for fresh talent to take their place.
Promotion: Leaders moving up the organizational ladder leave leadership gaps that need filling.
Resignation: Leaders may voluntarily leave for new opportunities, requiring the organization to find a replacement quickly.
Termination: Sometimes, leaders are asked to leave due to performance or alignment issues.
Expansion: Organizational growth creates new leadership roles that need to be filled by capable individuals.
Mergers and Acquisitions: Structural changes during these processes often lead to shifts in leadership to align with new goals.
Succession Planning: Thoughtful, planned transitions designed to groom and prepare future leaders.

Understanding these causes prepares you for the unique challenges of each scenario, be it ensuring a smooth succession or helping the organization adapt during a merger, your role is crucial.

What are the Phases of a Successful Leadership Transition?

Jay McDonald, a member of the Forbes Council, shared his experience of transitioning from the board of directors to the CEO position stating “the most important principles of successful leadership transition”. He believes that simply being placed in a leadership role doesn’t automatically make someone a true leader. However, when you’re brought on board to drive change, that’s when a leader is needed, not just a manager. He wrote these four phases of successfully transitioning into a leadership role:

1. Learn

Start by understanding the landscape of your organization. Have an open conversation with the previous leader, if possible, to learn what worked well and what didn’t. Extend this learning by talking to your team and clients at all levels to get their perspectives. This will give you a clear picture of what’s already in place and what might need to change.

2. Assess

Don’t rush in with immediate solutions—unless the situation demands urgent action. Take time to evaluate your team’s skills. Do you have the right talent to achieve your goals? If not, are there other employees who can step up into leadership roles? Also, analyze what changes might be needed in key areas like structure, technology, customer experience, or employee culture.

3. Communicate

People often feel nervous about change when they don’t know what’s going on. As you start to get a clearer picture, focus on effective communication. Be transparent about the organization’s current state and how it affects them. Use team meetings, emails, or even one-on-one discussions to keep everyone informed. A simple tool, like a card listing key priorities, will help everyone stay focused.

4. Act

When it’s time to make changes, be decisive and fair. If layoffs are needed, handle them respectfully and provide support to those affected. Try to bring your team back together after the layoff, if possible. For employees whose jobs are no longer relevant, try to find them new roles within the organization. Make sure everyone, including yourself, is held accountable for moving forward.

What Are Common Leadership Transition Challenges and Their Solutions?

Leadership changes are tough for any organization. If you don’t manage them well, they hurt morale, lower productivity, and slow down progress. However, with the right approach, these challenges turn into opportunities for growth, creating a culture of resilience that makes future transitions smoother.

Common Challenges During Leadership Transitions

Resistance to Change
- People often fear the unknown. Concerns about job security or lack of control leads to pushback.
- This resistance creates roadblocks, slowing the transition process.
Misalignment with Organizational Culture
- A new leader’s vision may not match the current values and practices of the organization.
- Rapid or forceful changes disrupt morale and lead to confusion.
Loss of Continuity
- Long-term leaders leave behind legacies that may be hard to follow.
- Employees may struggle to adapt to new leadership styles, creating a sense of instability.

Solutions for a Smooth Leadership Transition

Address Resistance with Clear Communication
- Be transparent about the reasons for the leadership change and its impact.
- Listen to your team’s concerns, acknowledge their feelings, and provide clarity on how the transition benefits them and the organization.
Align the New Leader with Organizational Culture
- Help the incoming leader understand the company’s values and history.
- Facilitate open discussions to build shared goals and connect the new vision with the existing culture.
Maintain Continuity and Celebrate the Past
- Recognize and honor the outgoing leader’s contributions to create a sense of closure.
- Involve employees in the transition process to foster a feeling of inclusion and trust.
Develop a Clear Transition Plan
- Create a roadmap outlining major tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.
- Ensure the new leader receives thorough onboarding and support to hit the ground running.
Foster Open Communication and Collaboration
- Encourage constructive feedback and open dialogue at all levels of the organization.
- Create opportunities for your team members to voice their concerns and provide input, reducing resistance and promoting teamwork.

By addressing these issues directly and putting strategic solutions in place, you ensure that leadership transitions not only go smoothly but also benefit the organization as a whole.

Developing a Leadership Transition Plan Template

A leadership transition plan serves as a roadmap, guiding you through the critical process of leadership change. It breaks down essential steps, tasks, and timelines to ensure a smooth transition. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The template should be flexible, allowing you to customize it based on the needs and circumstances of your team as well as organization. This adaptability ensures a seamless and successful transition.

Essential Elements of an Effective Transition Plan

A well-designed leadership transition plan ensures clarity and alignment among everyone involved. These are the essential elements you need to incorporate:

Clear Timeline
- Outline key milestones and deadlines to keep the process organized and on track.
Defined Roles and Responsibilities
- Clearly specify the duties of the outgoing leader, incoming leader, and key stakeholders to eliminate confusion and encourage accountability.
Communication Strategy
- Identify who needs to be informed, the best channels for communication, and the core messages to share. This ensures transparency and keeps everyone updated.
Feedback and Adjustment Mechanism
- Regularly gather feedback and assess the plan’s effectiveness. Be ready to make adjustments to keep everything aligned with the organization’s goals.

Tailoring Your Plan to Fit Organizational Needs

Every leadership transition is distinct, and an effective plan should take into account the organization’s specific needs. Start by assessing the scale of the transition. A CEO change that impacts the entire organization requires a more comprehensive plan than a departmental leadership change. Organizational culture also plays an important role. In a hierarchical setup, a formal and structured approach works best, while a collaborative culture benefits from open discussions and team input. Engaging your team at all levels ensures the plan addresses their concerns and builds support for the changes ahead. Customizing your plan to fit these unique needs creates a smoother path to successful leadership transition.

Examples of Successful Leadership Transitions

Real-world examples of successful leadership transitions provide helpful information on how organizations manage this important time. These leadership change examples teach useful lessons, including effective leadership development strategies, possible mistakes, and the need to adapt to changing situations. When you look at cases where leadership changes worked well, you get to learn best practices and implement them effectively.

Case Studies: Leadership Change Management

Company	Transition	Key Success Factors
Microsoft	Steve Ballmer to Satya Nadella (2014)	Nadella’s clear vision for a cloud-focused future, along with his focus on cultural change and empowering employees, helped Microsoft thrive.
General Motors	Rick Wagoner to Mary Barra (2014)	Barra’s strong leadership during a tough time for the automotive industry, along with her focus on innovation and customer needs, led GM to renewed growth and success.

These cases illustrate the profound impact of strong leadership during transitions. Assertive communication, a compelling vision, and a commitment to core values were the consistent themes in these successful leadership transition projects. By prioritizing these factors, you significantly increase your organization’s likelihood of navigating leadership changes efficiently and effectively.

Analyzing Leadership Change Announcement Examples

How you announce a change in leadership affects how people feel about it. Announcements that focus on being open, understanding, and having clear goals for the future tend to create trust and reduce problems. Looking at good instances of announcements shows us important ways to do this: Apple‘s way of announcing the change from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook is a great example. They announced it early, before Jobs passed away. This created a smooth transfer of power and showed that Cook was ready and capable. This clear and open communication made stakeholders feel safe and helped the transition go well. Similarly, when Mary Barra became the leader at General Motors, her announcement showed her long-time experience in the company. It highlighted her strong knowledge of the industry and GM’s operations. This announcement also shared Barra’s vision for the company’s future, focusing on new ideas and making customers happy. This built confidence among stakeholders and raised their hopes for her leadership. These real-world examples show how important a smooth leadership transition is for your organization to keep working effectively and without disruptions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, moving into a new leadership role needs careful planning and good communication. Success comes from welcoming change, learning from what has happened before, and creating a culture where everyone is open. By knowing the steps in a transition, tackling problems early, and making a special plan for the change, you help your organization work smoothly. Leadership changes bring chances for growth and new ideas. So, take on the journey with trust and strength.

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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How Evidence-Based Coaching and Its Models Empower Leaders?

In this blog, we dive deep into what evidence-based coaching is, its core models and their implementation in an organization.

How Evidence-Based Coaching Models Empower Leaders?

Imagine going on a coaching journey where every decision, every insight, and each strategy had at its core some research. That is the very essence of evidence-based coaching, where rigorous studies in the areas of human behavior and organizational dynamics come together with practical applications in the real world. As a manager or L&D leader, you will appreciate how effective coaching can make a difference, but what if you took it one level up? If the guidance you gave wasn’t just instinctive but scientifically validated? Evidence-based coaching prepares you to make effective decisions that will actually drive outcomes in this changing landscape. It bridges the gap between theory and practice by plotting a roadmap to meaningful, lasting change within your organization. Seeking to raise team performance, foster a culture of continuous learning, or develop future leaders, evidence-based coaching empowers you with the tools and insights that guarantee success. Come with us as we explore the essence of evidence-based coaching, the models that bring it alive, and how this can unlock success for you and your organization.

Table of Contents

How Evidence-Based Coaching Models Empower Leaders?

What is Evidence-Based Coaching?

An evidence-based approach to coaching links scientific research, empirical evidence, and tested and assured coaching models to guide the coaching process. This would involve data, psychological theories, and best practices validated through research in designing strategies and their implementation in the achievement of the coaching goals. The result will then be effective coaching interventions that ensure measurable improvement for the team regarding performance, development, and well-being. Leaders who engage in evidence-based coaching practice are typically involved in lifelong learning, updating themselves with the latest research and applying the most efficacious methods in their coaching practice. This approach usually follows the standards of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) guidelines. Some of the key elements which define evidence-based coaching are:

Scientific Foundation: Coaching practices are based on well-established psychological theories and research.
Data-Driven Decisions: Leaders use data and feedback to individualize coaching interventions to the needs of the individual members of their teams.
Continuous Improvement: Keep improving the coaching process cyclically by evaluating with new evidence and outcomes.
Accountability: Focus on measurable outcomes to make sure coaching has produced tangible results.

In short, Evidence-based coaching is about using the best possible available evidence for effective, ethical, and impactful coaching.

The Essence of Evidence-Based Coaching in Leadership

Evidence-based coaching in leadership represents a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical use. This is a mix of research and proven methods. As a consequence, coaching practices are going to be based on factual evidence and best practices. Leaders will benefit from a structured way of using data and research to help create sustainable change and positive results. This makes your coaching efforts more precise and impactful, ensuring that the outcomes are measurable and aligned with your goals. It also sets a high standard for professional development, reinforcing the key elements of effective leadership.

Distinguishing Between Traditional and Evidence-Based Coaching

Traditional coaching methods are based on personal experiences, instances, and gut feelings. Whereas, in evidence-based coaching known theories and fundamental research are applied.

When you compare traditional coaching to evidence-based coaching, the differences become quite clear. Traditional coaching often relies on a coach’s personal experience, intuition, and general best practices. While this can be effective, it sometimes lacks the rigorous approach needed to tackle complex leadership challenges. In contrast, evidence-based coaching takes a more structured approach. Instead of relying on intuition, it uses research-backed methods and data-driven insights to inform your coaching strategies. This means that the techniques you employ are grounded in proven theories and supported by solid evidence, providing a more reliable foundation for addressing leadership issues. While traditional coaching would have simply asked you for what others had worked with when facing similar circumstances, evidence-based coaching adapts its approach within your unique context to the broader base of scientific research. This ensures that any coaching provided is going to be most relevant and most effective in measurable results. You distinguish yourself as a leader committed to continuous improvement and excellence when you choose evidence-based coaching. You embrace a methodology focused on results, accountability, and the highest standards of coaching practice.

How Can Evidence-Based Coaching Impact Your Organization’s Growth?

Evidence-based coaching can bring about remarkable development within your organization when done correctly. Using tested and tried research, as well as methodologies, you will end up with impressive results in developing your leaders. It allows introducing lasting change and resonating it in the company. As a leader who values evidence-based coaching, you can now help your team to build this culture of high standard and continual professional improvement. The embracement of this ideal gives rise to an environment where learning and improvement are just part of the ethos. You will be able to improve performance at all levels, from the top of the managerial pyramid down to the very bottom. Leaders well supported by evidence-based coaching will better be able to inspire their teams, drive strategic initiatives, and contribute to overall growth. Indeed, this holistic approach not only makes your people more capable but also strengthens your competitive edge and long-term success as an organization. For instance, one leader who had trouble with their team learned from a structured coaching process. This helped them improve teamwork and get better results. In another case, a manager worked on emotional intelligence through coaching. This led to higher employee engagement. These examples show how evidence-based coaching can create positive results. They can also bring about sustainable change in organizations. This shows the good use of theoretical knowledge in coaching practice.

Core Models of Evidence-Based Coaching

Evidence-based coaching not only involve scientific research and empirical evidence but also, assured coaching models. The chief models used in evidence-based coaching are the GROW, CLEAR, OSCAR and Situational Leadership Models.

All these models are designed to improve leadership skills. They do this by using clear frameworks that promote sustainable change and positive results in coaching.

The GROW Model and Its Application in Leadership

The GROW Model is one of the most widely used coaching models, known for its simplicity and effectiveness. Developed by Sir John Whitmore, it provides a structured framework for goal setting, problem-solving, and action planning. It helps the team members gain clarity, identify barriers, explore options, and develop a plan of action to achieve their goals. The GROW model is critical in the coaching process. It is beneficial to leaders.

First, a leader develops clear Goals.
Then, the current Reality is checked.
A leader then checks the Options that can be utilized.
Finally, they develop the Will to act.

This approach, firmly rooted in best practices and solid research, supports your development as a leader and in decision making, thus ensuring that the effectiveness and informativeness of your strategies are proper. By design, the GROW model is user-friendly and seamlessly integrates into your practices to engender a dependable framework that fosters continuous improvement and excellence while sustaining the success and sustainability of your organization. Aligning accurately with the objectives of evidence-based coaching, this model is largely used by various leaders.

Utilizing the CLEAR Model for Effective Decision Making

The CLEAR Model, a unique and process-oriented coaching model, is the brainchild of Peter Hawkins. It stands out for its emphasis on building rapport, understanding the team member’s perspective, exploring possibilities, taking action, and reviewing progress. What sets it apart is its focus on creating a safe and trusting environment for the coaching relationship to thrive. The CLEAR Model involves five key steps:

Contract to define the coaching relationship’s goals and expectations
Listen to understand the team’s concerns and aspirations through active listening and open-ended questions
Explore different perspectives and options to gain insights and identify solutions
Action to create a concrete plan with specific steps and timelines
Review to regularly assess progress and adjust the plan as needed.

CLEAR model is an excellent fit for your evidence-based coaching practice. This structured framework brings clarity, effective communication, and action into the process of coaching. What makes it special in your evidence-based coaching in particular is its emphasis on the construction of a safe environment at its core, which is core to delivering meaningful results based on research. Using the CLEAR Model, guide your team with confidence that your coaching is evidence-based and focused on lasting impact.

Integrating the OSCAR Model into Leadership Practices

The OSCAR Model, a collaborative and solution-focused coaching model, is designed to achieve outcomes and foster positive change. Developed by Paul Z. Jackson and Mark McKergow, the OSCAR Model places a strong emphasis on the team’s active participation. It encourages team members to define desired outcomes, explore their current situation, generate choices and actions, and review progress for continuous improvement. The OSCAR Model begins with:

Defining the Outcome, where you help your team clarify their goals and desired results.
Next, Situation involves exploring their current state and challenges to understand barriers.
During Choices, you facilitate brainstorming to generate and evaluate options for achieving the outcome.
In the Actions step, you assist in developing a concrete action plan with specific steps and deadlines.
Finally, Review involves regularly assessing progress, discussing outcomes, making adjustments, and celebrating achievements to ensure continuous improvement.

The OSCAR Model is the perfect fit to align with your approach to evidence-based coaching. Its collaborative, solution-based nature aligns with evidence-based principles, which are all about measurable outcomes and informed decision-making. Its continuous review process supports your team’s ongoing improvement, making this model a powerful tool for leaders, like you, who are committed to achieving lasting, evidence-based results.

The Situational Leadership Model

The Situational Leadership Model, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, focuses on adapting leadership styles to the readiness level of your team members. It comprises four stages: directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating.

In the Directing phase, you provide clear instructions.
Coaching involves more two-way communication and support to develop skills.
Supporting is about encouragement and assistance as needed.
Finally, Delegating means entrusting tasks to individuals once they are competent.

The Situational Leadership Model aligns well with evidence-based coaching by emphasizing the need to adapt your leadership style based on the readiness level of your team members. This model’s structured approach mirrors evidence-based coaching by tailoring strategies to meet specific needs and capabilities of your team. Learn more about the models of evidence-based coaching: 4 Leadership Coaching Models You Need to Know

How to Implement Evidence-Based Coaching in Your Organization?

To successfully use evidence-based coaching as part of your organization’s L&D strategy, it is important to prepare your team. Start with training your fellow L&D leaders and managers about evidence-based coaching. Make sure they know why monitoring and evaluating coaching outcomes is key for improving always. By building a culture that respects empirical research and high standards in coaching practice, you can create lasting change. Keeping an eye on the coaching process and following best practices will help you get positive results and grow your organization.

Preparing Your Organization for Evidence-Based Coaching

Moving into evidence-based coaching assumes your organization is ready. First, set up a culture that values continual learning and development. Make sure there are resources for coach training and best practices certification. Goal setting with performance measures is also necessary. All members of the organization are required to apply a coaching mindset in all they do. Focus on the value of feedback and reflection. With this enabling environment for evidence-based coaching, your organization will flourish positively and grow sustainably.

Training Leaders to Adopt Evidence-Based Coaching Practices

To properly prepare leaders with solid coaching skills, good coach training as well as adaptability to changes is very important. Leaders especially need those courses of learning that combine what they have learned in theory with real-life use. These courses should follow the best practices recommended by top coaching groups like the International Coaching Federation (ICF). With ideas such as emotional intelligence and the making of action plans, leaders could help their teams bear fruit. Learning evidence-based coaching through well-structured training helps make lasting change and strong leadership growth.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Coaching Outcomes

The coaching process will demand that the respective outcomes be closely monitored and evaluated to ensure that they work well. Organizations can utilize techniques such as action plans and feedback during the process of monitoring impact. Key performance indicators should be tracked, and progress should be checked against the preset goals. This, thus, ensures continuous improvement, demonstrates successful coaching, and ensures that coaching outcomes are consistent with organizational objectives. It helps to create a culture of accountability and, therefore, builds the future development of the organization.

Challenges and Solutions to Evidence-Based Coaching

You’ll find that evidence-based coaching can become very difficult for you if there’s resistance towards new methods that comes your way and a requirement to adapt to different leadership styles. This requires aligning coaching methods with what will most resonate with your team and, at the same time, meets organizational needs for effective and sustainable change.

Common Obstacles

You are going to meet, of course, some kind of resistance from those people who are really unwilling to step out of their square in coaching or do not understand the real benefits associated with evidence-based coaching practices. Attitudes to new methods and professional development need changing. Demonstrate how evidence-based coaching produces better outcomes and why it’s a change worth making.

Overcoming Resistance

If you encounter some resistance to new coaching techniques, highlight how evidence-based methods align with organizational goals and even demonstrate their effectiveness. Provide training and support to work through the transition and share case studies of success to gain confidence. Culturing a setting of continuous learning and improvement will be key to embracing new coaching approaches for you and your team.

Tailoring Coaching

Customize your coaching differently for each of the unique styles of leaders being coached. For example, with a directive leader, provide specific action plans; with a collaborative leader, use goal-setting techniques. Tailor your coaching in this regard to ensure growth and ultimately drive successful outcomes, which will help make your coaching efforts more effective.

Conclusion

In conclusion, evidence-based coaching is a helpful method that blends theory with real-world use. This makes coaching better. When organizations use best practices and follow professional coaching standards from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), they can create lasting change and good results. Keeping high standards in coach training and certification means that coaching is based on solid research and meets personal needs. By using evidence-based coaching methods, organizations can boost professional growth and achieve success.

Avantika Anand

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Top 6 Leadership Trends 2024 For You

6 Leadership Trends That Will Shape 2024 For You

As the year ends, it’s the perfect time to kickstart a review and plan with the leadership trends 2024. If you are a manager or a leader wondering how the next year will look, you are in the right spot. But before embarking on this journey, let’s remember that management, leadership, and workplaces are dynamic and ever-changing setups. While we can keep track of trends and prepare accordingly, there’s always some surprise that the world can throw at us. The key to success, thus, remains agility and adaptability. With that note, let’s head on to discover the state of leadership in 2024. Leadership trends are like the roots from where your plans originate. For individual managers and team leads, this is a great place to start envisioning professional development. Work on the skills and competencies the world is looking for in the coming years, and ensure that your team is not falling prey to the inefficiencies of the old ways. Yet, for people concerned with learning and development at organizational levels, these trends throw up the directions to set a roadmap. It is where your objectives need to direct the bunch of managers towards. Getting the leadership trends right and acting on them quickly can make all the difference!

Table of Contents

6 Leadership Trends That Will Shape 2024 For You

Leadership Update from 2023: What’s Going On?

Over the years, leadership has undergone a lot of changes. The pandemic called for a more dynamic and robust approach – to accommodate special needs and make space for workers who are not present physically. Yet, the call for a return to office has been served as a diktat at many workplaces over the past few months, shedding light on the gap between people who want to work from home and managers who want to manage in offices. The entry of Gen Z into the workforce has been another significant highlight of recent years. A generation that sets its terms and often breaks conventions that border on discomfort is now actively participating and changing things up. Surprisingly, several late millennials and early Gen Z express disenchantment with the manager’s title. This makes us wonder how they view this role and why it is no longer an exciting prospect. The pandemic and its rapid back and forth spotlighted another critical aspect of our lives: the balance between 9-5 and 5-9. Employee well-being, interpersonal relationships, and skills beyond functional to fulfilling have emerged as focus points for management professionals this year when employee engagement metrics continued to tank while stress rose. Add to that the advent of advanced technology like AI, which has rang alarm bells across the globe. As AI companies continue to run faster than others, no one’s job is secure (including Sam Altman). Management professionals, often deemed safe from a robotic takeover, have been marked with a red pen in the areas of routine cognitive tasks. In the middle of this chaos, L&D has again focused on bettering human ability in the areas that tech cannot touch. What are those secrets that hold you up through ups and downs? Let’s find out.

Leadership Trends 2024: Ideas Shaping the Future

Humans and Technology are Seated on a Table

How does your typical day start? Checking emails. Setting up meetings or a to-do list on your phone. These unheard-of acts have become ubiquitous for leaders over the last few decades, and similar changes are coming. A group of researchers at McKinsey have pointed towards the rise of combinational tech, which encompasses multiple areas to create solutions that solve for multiple areas. For managers, it could mean tools that take away some of their burdens by combining various skills. It can also mean taking away some jobs. On the other hand, AI and akin are surging. Increasingly, companies are handing over parts of their operations to AI and robots. E.g., e-commerce giant Amazon uses AI to predict demand and recommends product accordingly. Decentralized AI is empowering more such moves. The challenges for leadership develop manifold here. First, the leaders need to ensure that their teams know the harms and benefits of such tech and are equipped to utilize them effectively. Second, leaders need to prepare their workplaces to welcome tech that is becoming key to effectiveness and success. It could mean letting go of some people, prompting others to skill up to remove redundancies, and taking care of the consequent ethical and behavioral challenges. Leadership in 2024 is all about balancing the rise of tech with the human element of work.

Leading, Closely from Afar

Remote work and leadership led by pandemic restrictions ruled the discussions of leadership trends in the last couple of years. But we saw the button flip as more and more companies called back people to offices. Managers unhappy with remote workplaces emerged as the top reason for this callback, pointing to the lack of trust and habits of micromanagement across the globe. For such leaders, the to-do list for 2024 starts with building mutual trust and accountability. Nonetheless, more offices than ever are working in hybrid and remote setups that managers are often unprepared to lead. As a result, there is also an increased continuous emphasis on remote leadership in 2024. Additionally, remote team leaders must be mindful of diversity as the world becomes more interconnected. Great leaders focus on ensuring efficiency in virtual and hybrid setups by working on communication and trust. Technological know-how is also a factor in this equation, calling for a move beyond traditional communication tools toward something newer and easier: think of jam boards for collaboration and communities that help you interact with your users directly. Salil Panikkaveettil of AdNabu has pointed out another key ingredient in this system – emotional competence.

Under the Spotlight: Practical DEI

It’s the moment of DEI, and leaders have a lot to do about it. The last year added to DEI with increasing cognizance and understanding of the issue. While there’s still a long road ahead, numbers suggest some super slow movement. For instance, a McKinsey study found that gender diversity moved up just one percentage point—to 15 percent, from 14—in 2019 globally from 2017. Leaders are responsible for taking this movement forward with their inclusive approaches. Leadership 2024 is not just about slogans but also about setting and working towards practical DEI goals. Now, why does this matter? Because diverse teams are proven smarter. Those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above the industry mean, and those in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean, according to a 2015 McKinsey report on 366 public companies. And you want to lead smart and successful teams just like these. It also calls for making space for leaders from diverse backgrounds on the table and including them in the conversations that have been traditionally kept away. Becoming a DEI champion is a must-have for leaders in 2024.

Leading with a Cause and with Care

The leadership motto for 2024 stands as “purposive leadership style.” A purposive leadership style calls for a larger vision that extends the preconceived notions of profitability. Instead, the world seeks leaders who think beyond the number game. Account for the people and the places you work with, and think of sustainable and positively impacting ventures to ensure that your organization gives back to the system it exists in. A purpose-driven approach to leadership calls for building vision. Vivek Singh, supply chain and sustainability transformation services portfolio leader at Accenture, UK and Ireland, defines it as “one that is specific to the context and purpose it seeks to achieve.” he also points this out as a way to step out of the tendency to micromanage and focus on the bigger picture. When talking about the team, we cannot ignore some alarming stats that have come to light lately. Workplace stress continues to rise, and employee engagement continues to plummet amid broad beliefs that employers no longer care. Leaders need to act against these red flags in 2024 to get things on the right track for their teams by focusing on employee well-being. It includes being present and available when concerns arise and building support systems in the team to help employees through uncertain times. Life coaching, resource groups, growth opportunities, and openness can bring a lot of difference.

Leadership Skills for 2024 That You Can’t Miss

Now that there’s so much emphasis on what the leaders do, we need to consider how they can do it. And this boils down to key management and leadership skills. Throughout the previous sections, the primary emphasis has been on integration. Integration between the human and tech side of things, a balance among remote, hybrid, and in-office teams, and creating diverse and harmonious teams are the goals of leaders of 2024. To get this right, the focus is on the following essential leadership skills of 2024:

Building Trust Across the Board

In a world that connects over Zoom screens more than anything else, building connections and trust without looking at each other’s faces is very important. Trust is essential to ensuring team cohesion, yet 1 of 3 workers have expressed a need for more, especially among managers and team members. Without this value, teams are heading toward more chaos and confusion – paving the way for micromanaging stricter regulatory tactics. Hence, leaders need to up their trust-building game to ensure that their teams are also winning on the second list in this skill.

Being Adaptable and Resilient

In an uncertain world, resilience and adaptability are your keys to winning. As we are navigating major shifts in the economy and the job market amid an attempt to recover from a global pandemic, these two are critical qualities for every leader to make the right decisions for their organization. Yet, research suggests that only 25% of leaders globally lead highly resilient organizations, even though a large majority (97%) recognize the importance – pointing out a large gap to be filled that will differentiate between success and failure in the years to come.

Navigating Negotiations and Tough Conversations

Many experts call the present the era of the great negotiation (or the great renegotiation). Primarily because the employees know what they want, the quiet quitters and Gen Z are not as unreasonable as the managers of yesteryear would like us to believe. For the leaders taking charge now, the challenge is to settle the expectations of this set of workers while maximizing the effectiveness of their business. Negotiation, communication, assertiveness, and persuasion are all skills that will come in handy as these conversations shape us as a major meeting agenda for you and many more leaders.

Emotional intelligence & Empathy

As per the Global Culture Report, 41% of employees felt their leader’s words were empty – missing the emotion that could fuel action, i.e., empathy. Empathy is the ability to set foot in someone else’s shoes. To feel things from their perspective, to do things from their view. Leadership in 2024 is about building upon this critical skill, an essential component of emotional competence. Emotional intelligence, to serve your and other’s emotions well, surfaces on this list, too, as the leadership trends of 2024 point toward an uncertain, changing, and evolving world.

Leadership Development Programs – Yay or Nay?

The conversation does not end with leadership skills for 2024. For professionals who want to create an impact, that’s just the starting point. Similar to leadership, learning and development opportunities for leaders are set to evolve in the future. Lately, there has been widespread recognition that cookie-cutter coaching and classes do not leave an impact behind. In the search for training that sticks, leadership development programs are taking a new shape with the help of human-tech integration. The ideal leadership development solutions for 2024 bring in the human touch of experts and scale the operations through technology. The best part is that being heavy on tech raises affordability and accessibility for many participants. Cutting down on traditional barriers to development opportunities and seeking new avenues that focus on you and your challenges is the key trend for leaders in 2024. Read more: Finding The Missing Pieces: What Makes Leadership Training Successful

Wrapping up

In conclusion, 2024 beckons leaders to embrace change, hone their skills, champion diversity, and lead with purpose. The dynamic nature of the workplace requires leaders to be not just managers but visionaries, fostering environments that empower and inspire their teams. As we delve into the future, the ability to balance technological advancement with human-centric leadership will define leaders’ success in the coming years. So, let us embark on this journey of discovery, ready to navigate the twists and turns that leadership in 2024 will undoubtedly bring.

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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Time Management Secrets Of 4 Top Leaders You Need To Know

It is the responsibility of the manager to get things done on time, so managers should know how to manage their time effective to get things done by themselves and the team members. But as we all know, it is very easy to lose track of time in today’s scenario when we have so many distractions in our surroundings. Are you a manager who has a lot on their plate and never has enough time to complete it? We understand your frustration. In this blog, we will discuss why time management is important and share examples the time management secrets of 4 top leaders worldwide who have mastered the art of time management. Be sure to read on to learn how you can apply these techniques to your career!

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Time Management Secrets Of 4 Top Leaders You Need To Know
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What is time management?

Time management is knowing how and where to spend your time effectively. Leaders can get things done quickly and generate quality work by planning and dividing the time. There are many benefits once managers learn to manage their time; it increases productivity and helps achieve goals. Mastering time management is a process that starts with understanding what and why it is crucial. Once there is clarity, managers should start planning their time, organizing tasks based on urgency and needs, learning to delegate tasks, setting deadlines, and taking action. By just following these simple steps, managers can manage their time, have a little less stress, and work will get done faster.

Why is time management important for managers?

Time management is the key to being a successful manager. It helps managers be efficient at their work, achieve goals, stay on track, and record progress. Efficient managers understand that time is a valuable resource and take steps to conserve it. Managers who practice time management have:

Less stress and anxiety about work.
Quality of work.
More opportunities.
Tend to grow faster in their careers.

4 Examples of Time management for managers

Effective time management is crucial for managers as it allows them to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and lead their teams efficiently. Here are a few examples of time management strategies for managers:

Prioritization: Managers should start their day by identifying the most critical tasks requiring attention. Using techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix (categorizing tasks into urgent/important, important/not urgent, etc.), they can focus on high-priority items first.
Delegation: Delegating tasks to team members is a crucial time management strategy. Managers should identify tasks that can be assigned to others based on team members’ skills and capabilities. This frees up time for more strategic responsibilities.
Use of technology: Leveraging time management tools and software can be beneficial. Managers can use project management software, calendar apps, and task management tools to streamline work, set reminders, and track progress.
Regular review and adjustments: Periodically, managers should review their time management practices to identify areas for improvement. They can assess how they’re spending their time, adjust their strategies, and adopt new techniques if necessary.

These time management practices help managers stay organized, make the most of their work hours, and lead their teams effectively.

Time management examples you need to avoid as a manager

They are not punctual.
They are constantly rushing.
They cannot set goals and achieve them.
They have a substandard quality of work.
They are unable to submit projects on stipulated deadlines.
They always have a lot of unfinished tasks at hand.
They have a team of confused and clueless members.
They are constantly under stress.
They are generally tired and burned out.
They are easily distracted.

Do you relate to the few examples mentioned above, or do you still need clarity about the effectiveness of your time management skills? You can find the answer just by attempting the free time management assessment.

Time management secrets of top leaders for managers

These days working overtime is glorified by influencers and career coaches. But is working round the clock as effective? Are employees being productive? In the majority of cases, the answer is no. Top leaders believe that a hustle culture reduces the productivity and creativity of an employee. Instead, successful leaders vouch for a work-life balance and managing their time effectively to accomplish their goals. So let’s have a look at the time management secrets of 4 top leaders of the world and identify time management examples that we can follow!

Bill Gates

Bill Gates is a renowned businessman and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Microsoft. Bill is a time management master. He knows how to balance work and life, which is why he is so successful. Here are two techniques he follows to manage time more effectively: Planning your week or days to know what and how you want to achieve your goals. Planning gives managers:

The clarity to set their goals in advance.
Limit time wasters and distractions.
It keeps them organized and focused.
It boosts productivity and keeps the workflow going.

Divide your time into different buckets: Bill divides his day into four buckets and spends 25% of his workday on each bucket. So each bucket is divided based on the various tasks he wants to attend to, and he adjusts the time spent on each bucket based on the requirements. Following this technique will help you optimize time, strategize for goals, identify the possible roadblocks and help you be more productive at work.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is the busiest man in the world. He is known for being one of the most influential and innovative minds in his domain, having developed several ground-breaking ideas. He uses the “Time Blocking” technique to manage his professional and personal life. Time Blocking Technique: This is an easy technique to preplan your day. This technique divides the whole day into blocks based on the required time assigned to each task. There should be some buffer time around each job to incorporate adjustments or unexpected activities. Benefits of Time Blocking Technique:

It makes decision-making easier.
It keeps you focused.
Keeps the motivation high to achieve the goals.
Keeps the priority list short and crisp.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur, investor, and commercial astronaut – is one of the best time management examples from which any manager can learn. He is the founder and former CEO of Amazon. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world. However, when it comes to time management, Jeff acts like a true savage! He has two fascinating time management secrets that he has shared: He does nothing: Strange. So, Bezos likes to start his day early but only plans professional meetings after10:00 am. Before that, he wants to take it easy and spend time with his family and loved ones. This technique allows to:

Rejuvenate and recharge for a long day at work.
It helps in decluttering his mind.
It helps in making more informed decisions.
It increases creativity.
It helps in creating healthy boundaries between personal and professional life.

The 2 pizza rule: This is quite a unique technique wherein Bezos limits the team members of an internal team based on if the group can be fed from two pizzas. It may sound like a strange way to decide how many members should be on the team. But it has many benefits :

It maximizes the effectiveness of the meetings.
Communication is carried out efficiently without misunderstanding.
Everybody on the team works to their best capabilities.
Increases productivity.
Faster decision-making.

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffet is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett’s time management secrets can be summed up in his statement – “time is the most valuable resource we have.” By learning from his strategy, you can improve your time management skills. The 5/25 Warren Buffett rule is interchangeably used to manage time and increase productivity. The 5/25 rule is a simple three-step process : Step 1: Start by noting 25 goals for your career. Step 2: Narrow those goals to the 5 most important ones you want to achieve. These goals can be long-term or short-term. Step 3: The last step is to get rid of those unimportant 20 goals. Plan, strategize and focus on the 5 most important goals you want to achieve. Benefits of using the 5/25 rule:

It gives you the top 5 goals to focus your energy and resources on.
It eliminates distractions.
It frees up time to have a work-life balance.
It helps get more tasks done in less time.

Are your time management strategies prepared to rival global leaders? Or is there something missing? Test now with Risely! Risely’s free time management self-assessment for managers thoroughly examines the time management habits of managers to draw an accurate picture of your strengths and weaknesses. Take the test now to save your team from the calamities of poor time management.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have reviewed the importance of time management and its techniques from the perspective of 4 top leaders. We have shared each of these leaders’ unique time management secrets and tips on how to effectively manage time and achieve the goals that you’ve set for yourself. By learning from the time management examples outlined in this blog, you can gain a better understanding of how to manage your time and achieve your goals. Make sure to bookmark this page and revisit it later to learn more about time management techniques!

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