Leaders’ identities are often based on what they are doing well — their performance and success. They are typically driven to succeed and have been promoted into leadership roles due to their individual successes. Before they became leaders, their success and identity were based solely on what they controlled: themselves. This changes immediately when they become leaders. Now, their success and identity are impacted by the performance of others as well. Unfortunately, leaders often tend to try and control their employees, too.

According to Gallup, “managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement”. Ever increasingly, employees today are looking to find purpose and meaning in work. Hence, individuals’ identities are often shaped by their ability to impact their organization. At this intersection, when employees begin to believe they are just pawns in the leader’s or company’s success, it’s simply a matter of time before they disengage or quit. As a result, for teams to thrive today, it’s imperative that leaders take the approach of psychological safety, rather than “command-and-control.” Google’s Project Aristotle confirmed this.

Psychological safety is a group culture that Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmonson defines as a “shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking,” and a “sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish someone for speaking up.” She goes on to say that “it describes a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves.”

Transformational leaders must understand their need to grow personally before they can help others grow personally. Their role is being present for their employees — building psychological safety — so that their employees are completely comfortable being themselves. They also understand that their role is to support the individual employee’s needs to produce their best work and a positive identity. Transformational leaders find their identity in other’s success. And, when employees believe they are truly being supported and cared for, they take ownership of their goals and objectives: they become engaged.

Effective leadership coaching is a high-touch, in-person effort that requires these same elements. Coaching is not a one-size-fits-all methodology to be imposed. It requires being present alongside employees to understand the context in which they are operating, and the beliefs and behaviors that are preventing them from developing psychological safety within their team. It focuses on developing leaders’ soft skills — listening, coaching, transparent communication, emotional intelligence — as well as holding themselves and staff accountable. It’s about being present with employees to help them become the best version of themselves, thereby producing what should be their best work: engaged, not driven employees.