In an interesting new case study published in the International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Mentoring researcher Sally Bonneywell explores precisely how coaching supports the development of female leaders in particular, within a global organization. Bonneywell shines a light on coaching and demystifies what can sometimes seem like mysterious work. The research reveals how one-to-one coaching and group coaching was experienced by the clients. In this piece, we’ll look at the results of the one-to-one coaching for leaders, and in a follow-up article, we’ll explore the outcome of group coaching for female leaders.
Coaching directly impacted how the leaders thought about their leadership behaviors. The quality of this relationship appeared to impact the “micro-climate” of the female leaders and influenced their perceived career outcomes. Many of the female leaders within this study found their relationship to conflict interesting and coaching enabled them to explore the topic. Some leaders were comfortable with conflict and others felt that it was an area of concern and one they needed more learning in.
The coaching space offered leaders the chance to explore and reflect on their work/life balance and their responsibilities, particularly regarding family. Coaching supported some leaders in making links within work to parts of their life outside of work adding a seemingly helpful holistic aspect to the work. Of course, not everyone’s experience of coaching will be the same, however, this illuminating research shows how coaching can be valuable to female leaders in particular.
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