Focus – The Gift A Coach Gives A Leader
Leadership means keeping a lot of plates spinning. It’s easy to lose focus on the mission in the management of the urgent and day-to-day.  When you coach leaders, you have the opportunity to help them keep their focus on the mission. 

Written By Gary Reinecke

ICF Master Certified Coach, Resource Designer, Mission Strategist : InFocus

3 Ways Coaching Helps Leaders Focus

Clarifying the Vision. 

Leaders often have a general idea of what they are called to do. They can clearly see the results but can struggle to communicate how to get there. Vision needs to be clarified to include the how. Focusing on the how provides them with a strong foundation on which to build essential buy-in. By asking good questions, coaches help leaders clarify their vision until it can stand on its own.

Identifying the Starting Point.

All directions have a beginning and an end. Without a clear view of where you currently are, you are bound to take a long and winding road. Walking leaders through an honest survey of current realities allows leaders to plan the best possible route to their desired results.   

Empowering Forward Movement.

Even with clear vision and a solid plan, leaders can stall. They can’t find the time because they are weighed down by day-to-day realities. Just as they are about to pull the trigger, another emergency pops up. When this happens, coaching can help a leader refocus priorities. Coaching catalyzes forward movement helping leaders take their next best step toward seeing their vision become reality. 

maintain focus on the vision

Maintaining Focus

Once you have forward movement, it’s time to safeguard the leader’s focus through leadership development. Creating a coaching ministry frees leaders up to maintain focus on the mission. With a coaching ministry in place, lay leaders or staff pastors will help others discover their role in the mission and empower them to live into it.

I have been honored to train leaders who are making disciples and planting churches in under-served and under-reached regions of our world. The job was to train them how to coach other leaders and spark discipleship making movements (DMM).  My goal was to help them understand how coaching compliments their disciple making efforts, effectively allowing them to stay on mission.

I like to use the analogy of a train track.  Think of one rail representing the “strategic” (DMM in this instance) aspect and the other rail representing the “relational” (coaching) aspect.  Together, these two rails provide a path for leaders to travel – keeping the focus on fueling a movement of making more and better disciples.  

Coach Ministry Training

Effective strategy in conjunction with a comprehensive coaching process helps keep leaders focused on the mission. This was a key outcome when Bob Logan developed the Barnabas Ministry Training Kit. 

Barnabas was an encourager. The few bible verses that refer to him, show us that he was instrumental in developing key leaders in the early church. We see his process as similar to coaching. If you are looking for a simple but effective process to start a coaching ministry in your church, the Barnabas Ministry Training Kit is for you.

Maybe your context is more specific and you want to ensure your coaches are equipped to support your mission and your particular community. Contact us to learn more about how we can come alongside you so see your vision become a reality.

Photo by Matt Noble on Unsplash

Cover Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Year-end Giving: A Coach Approach

Have clients worried about not meeting their year-end goals? Let’s talk. 

We are Thankful for YOU

We see you. And we are incredibly grateful for you and the work that you do. Here’s why…

Creative Approaches to Casting Vision

Helping them have eyes to see is the aim of casting vision. It is an essential piece of any ministry—for without vision the ministry will inevitably decline.  

Working with Different Generations

Reaching and working with people from various generations needs to be intentional. Here are some strategies you can work through with your coaching clients.

A Coach Approach to Annual Planning

If leaders or their staff get a pit in their stomach when it comes time for annual planning, coaching can help turn it into a productive and team-building experience.

Fight Pastoral Fatigue with Forward Movement

Fall fatigue is common in pastors. But why? It’s a time of the year when the congregation is back in the building, Bible studies are in full swing… the church is busy. So why are pastors lagging? Fall fatigue in pastors can be an indicator of how well the church is staying on mission.

A Fresh Take on Holiday Planning

Your clients may need help getting getting in the holiday spirit this year. How to coach ministry leaders to see the holidays through fresh eyes.

Coaching for Succession Planning 

A change in Senior Pastor leadership is never easy. Whether the change is sudden or a planned retirement, knowing the stages of succession and how to manage each well lessens the sting and sets the church up for a healthy transition.

Proper Care and Feeding of Volunteers

There is plenty of work to be done. Opportunities to serve together abound. So what is at the root of churches struggling to keep their volunteers?

Healthy, Effective Teams

In the short term, an unhealthy team may be able to get things done. But there will be a time when they can no longer hold it together. When that happens, any progress made is lost. Here are 5 qualities of healthy, effective teams and how to coach your leader to build them.