Page 102 - Appreciative Leadership

The Art of Illumination 75

• Frequently ask the person you are coaching if what you are saying
makes sense or if he has any questions. Allow him to respond.
• Validate and affi rm his comments.
• Close by asking him to summarize what he learned in the session.

Appreciative coaching takes time. When combined with daily
practices of appreciative check-ins and strengths spotting, it is a valu-
able process for deep conversation and “performance evolution” on a
regular basis.

The Benefits of Appreciative Coaching

As part of our consulting practice, we use appreciative coaching to
support executives, leaders, and managers. Over the years, some have
used it to chart their course for the “First 100 Days” in a new position.
Others have used it to strengthen their own Appreciative Leadership
capacities. And still others have engaged in appreciative coaching to
redefine career goals and support personal transformation. In each

case, the power of illumination has made a positive diff erence—for
the leaders, their teams, and their organizations.
The many benefits of appreciative coaching, as they have been

described to us, include:
• It helped me connect the dots of my strengths and my work in
new ways.
• It showed me how to apply my strengths to the long-term goals I set.

• It gave me language for things I knew but never articulated about
myself.

• I got powerful new words to describe myself and my strengths.
• It made me curious about other peoples’ strengths.
• It gave me permission to feel and be as I am.
• It showed me how I process things, how I work at my best.
• I found words to communicate my leadership expectations to
people.