The ultimate goal of any coach is to help their clients achieve their highest potential. And once they reach that goal, most coaches to transition to “maintenance” mode where they connect with their clients once a month (or perhaps, a quarter) while moving on to pursue other assignments. Essentially, they work themselves out of their jobs!
Leaders, on the other hand, work with several people, and it is their responsibility to develop them. Which means, taking a chance on them, pushing them out of their comfort zone, continually encouraging them while putting them into positions they might fail!
Highly effective leaders understand that the fastest way to make progress is by rolling up the sleeves and getting to work. But they also understand the need to establish a safe environment for developing leaders to experience setbacks and failures, so they can learn, develop, and rise further, faster.
Development doesn’t happen overnight but over time. And great leaders acknowledge that. They know that doing more than everyone else isn’t as effective as empowering everyone to not only do more but give their best.
The only qualification required for becoming an effective leader is the courage, discipline, and humility to accept that you might not have all the answers. Because you only need to know the right questions to ask.