Coaching Women to Lead: Essential Coaching Skills and Knowledge

Citation

Stoddart, D. (2012), "Coaching Women to Lead: Essential Coaching Skills and Knowledge", European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 36 No. 7, pp. 764-765. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591211255584

Book synopsis

The main purpose of this book is to expand the reader's understanding of the need that exists for female leaders. It examines the issues that surround the dissimilarity that continues to exist in the quantity of women filling leadership roles, compared to the number of men. The book makes the case that women not only benefit from a precise coaching approach, but this approach is required to support them all through their career.

The book begins with a concise breakdown of the two broad areas when looking at the role of women in the corporate world. The first is the American way, which typically ignores gender issues and focuses on equality and fair play; and the European way, which encourages women to recognise their unique skills and use them to build on their differences, which oftentimes results in the exploitation of men's stereotypical views of working women (p. 1).

The authors build the contents of the book on current research practices, for example the way it discredits the ideology of separate gender leadership styles and presents new and insightful ways of doing things. The authors elucidate areas where women oftentimes benefit from coaching or mentoring to construct or enhance confidence, sense of worth, vision and malleability. This is usually when women doubt their ability to master a particular profession or leadership role.

The authors technically give details over the ten chapters of how to construct a dynamic business case for coaching women. These details include, but are not limited to, the diverse areas of coaching that are most useful at different career stages, the inclusion of a scholastic survey used to determine what women need to succeed, and comprehensive interviews with female role models. Also detailed, are the specific apparatus and techniques to construct and roll out a woman‐focused coaching program. There is also the use of case studies and findings from the authors' research, and proposed distinct areas for coaching women. This is in addition to recommended constructive guidance for coaches who aspire to add to the expansion of exceptional women leaders.

The book is written in a very practical and reader‐friendly manner and is relevant for the purpose it serves. The authors mention that because the issue of women leadership is so immense and difficult to fissure, the old concept of the glass ceiling has been replaced by the glass labyrinth; which is an appropriate metaphor for the composition of this book. The chapters provide procedural details for women to ultimately benefit from coaching which will in turn enhance the ability to effectively lead, or coach women leaders. At the end of most chapters, summaries are included outlining the implications for coaching. The links between career stages and the need for coaching are also well articulated.

Evaluation

As affirmed by Handscomb (2011), research findings over many years have indicated that organisations with strong female leadership demonstrate a clear correlation with best performance based on productivity measures such as profitability and net value added. Women are natural nurturers. Therefore, with the right balance of coaching in the areas of family and career balance, adequate knowledge of the corporate culture, systematic investment in career development, confidence, knowledge of own strengths, networking, knowing how to choose excellent role models and effective career planning, strong female leadership can only take a company or organisation from good to great (Leimon et al., 2011).

The book highlights common challenges faced by women and chronicles the needs that women have to succeed. It includes case histories and interviews with a number of successful women, and offers practical advice for coaches and gurus who wish to contribute to the development of female leaders. For way too long women's leadership abilities have been placed on the backburner, especially those women who are equally, or even better qualified than their male counterparts.

An outstanding strength of the book is the simplified manner in which the authors explicate the different aspects of coaching women requires assisting women in fulfilling their leadership roles. The book debunks the saying that true leaders are born, and not made. As decisively determined by Johns and Saks (2005), leadership is defined as “the influence that particular individuals exert on the goal achievement of others in an organisational context” (p. 274).

However, instead of just elevating women leaders, the text tempered an overtone of negative gender comparisons, leaching from a feminist tongue. The following is one such example. “There is a perception among men that women leaders are risk‐averse […] [Women] are merely risk aware and tend to make smaller losses and gains than their testosterone‐influenced colleagues” (p. 159). Observations like this will only serve as fuel to the fire of gender inequality in leadership. Although the feministic intimation has the potential to emasculate male leaders, nonetheless it may help women to realise leadership potentials within them. Also, Freire (1970) warns that the oppressed should be mindful of not becoming the oppressor when emancipated from their oppression. This book is definitely a recommended text.

In the author's own words

“Most successful women are well aware of their capabilities. However, in a male‐dominated environment, in which women continuously have to prove their worth, this knowledge of their strengths can be a useful source of perseverance. The belief in one's capabilities to successfully complete a task has been linked to success at work and is also important for women who want to move up the corporate ladder. Furthermore, feedback on performances is just as important for achieving promotion, because it provides women with a better knowledge of their strengths. Learning what these are or how other people see them, can help women to use them to their full potential to further their careers” (p. 54).