Counseling-Leadership: It’s a thing
I encountered many nay-sayers as I began on my counseling as leadership journey. As I planned my project, I openly shared my research topic with anyone who would listen. Both counselors and non-counselors alike argued the two concepts have little to no relation. Even my academic advisors doubted any significant relationship exists…
Those who seemed accepting of a correlation referenced religious leaders who act as counselors. They would tell me how great leaders counsel their people and support them. But even this still separates the two skill sets (counseling is a separate skill from the active leadership of others).
Of course, I would just nod and listen. At no point did this feedback dissuade me from my agenda: I will prove that counseling and leadership skills are the same!
I’m not to the point I can “prove” this relationship, but I feel it necessary to explain my perspective.
Leadership
Leadership skills are the things someone uses within a relationship to motivate others to accomplish a goal. As this is an important feat, countless theorists, philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists researched what behaviors, mindsets, and skills are the most successful. And decades of research tell us that when leaders value their people, people tend to follow direction.
Despite all the interest, experts have yet to agree to a one “true” leadership. Many theories evolved, like Transactional, Servant, Strengths-Based, Adaptive, and Situational Leadership, and Transformational Leadership takes the lead as the most studied theory out there.
Transformational Leadership categorizes important skills into the four-I’s: Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, Idealized Influence, and Individualized Consideration. Since Transformational Leadership still reigns king, I will go into more detail to show the relation.
Transformational leaders develop relationships with their subordinates. This involves exhibiting behaviors to inspire the work of others. Transformational Leaders challenge others to create solutions, opposed to providing direct guidance. The leaders exhibit a charisma that evokes an admiration from others, all while providing individualized attention to each member of the team. This group of skills motivate followers to work hard while enjoying the process, building a dedicated and productive workforce.
Nice, right? When people feel valued by the leader, they tend to do great stuff. But the interpersonal skills used by leaders to instill this internal motivation for greatness sounds to me like the same thing helping professionals do.
Counseling
Let me explain. The American Counseling Association (ACA) defines counseling as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.” This basically means the head counseling people say that counselors are professional motivators. To accomplish this goal, counselors use specialized skills to help others.
Counselors master people-focused skills to empower clients to set and accomplish goals. Common skills include empathy (being able to feel what others feel), active listening (actually listening to the words, emotions, thoughts, and perceptions of the speaker), problem solving (counselors have to see multiple sides to help guide others to good outcomes), maintaining good professional boundaries (counselors are not your friend), and observational skills (Beck & Kulzer, 2018; Curtis & Sherlock, 2006; Fassinger & Good, 2017; and McCarthy, 2014). Basically, this cadre of people-understanding skills help the counselor develop necessary supportive relationships with others.
My Experience
Now the definitions are out of the way, let me frame my perspective. Before becoming a counselor, I was an Air Force Officer. Officers are leaders first and attend three or four “leadership schools” before ever attending technical training. So, before I knew anything about refueling jets or how to cargo load a C-17, I confidently lead a staff of 108 employees (with 60% of them older and way more experienced).
Then there was the Master’s in Management. Again, school focused on the various theories and methods to motivate others to accomplish goals. Academics discussed generational preferences, valuing individuality, and maintaining boundaries to lead by example. By the time I was 26 I had the education, training, and experience to motivate others to accomplish goals.
The Counseling Psychology Masters fell in line with my career interests. Counseling theorists provided more in-depth knowledge as to the inner workings of the individual and how various skills invoked different responses. Case studies and practicum sessions demonstrated the assessment skills needed for informed treatment planning, and interpersonal skills translated theory into practical application for the presented clients. Again, I witnessed others use the same skills I honed through various leadership endeavors.
Lost in Translation
Then the “real-world” barged in on my utopian dreams. I assumed that an entire field dedicated to mastering a skill set designed to empower others would inevitably develop world class leadership to lead the armies of professionals devoted to helping others. What I found fell short of my expectations.
Counselors with great leadership potential enjoyed their direct-care positions, rejecting opportunities for organizational growth. These counselors prospered developing their clients and helping countless others overcome hardships and live magnificent lives.
Then there were counselors occupying leadership positions whose behavior lacked the positive interpersonal skills. These leaders continued to demonstrate excellent counseling skills with their clients but were unable to master the same level of dedication and development for their subordinates.
Less commonly are the successful counseling leaders. These professionals provide support for their subordinates, empowering others to set and achieve goals. They educate others on requirements, providing the necessary skills to accomplish organizational goals. The successful counseling leaders maintain the professional boundaries with subordinates and clients while inspiring others into greatness.
Counseling as Leadership
What makes a great counselor leader?
1. Empathy. Throughout leadership and counseling literature alike, the ability to understand and feel the experiences of others is invaluable. Counselors use this skill to meet the client “where they are”, and leaders use it to better understand subordinates. This basis of understanding sets the foundation for how the counselor leader engages others, treating others as they need to be treated.
2. Boundaries. The counselor role is a position of power. The counselor balances this power to motivate clients to achieve goals. This same perspective of power translates to leadership positions. Leadership involves positions of power, but it is through respect and valuing others the leadership power is effective.
3. Belief in others. This may be an area for contention, but believing in others’ abilities to achieve success sets the path for success. Others will live up to expectations: it is the leader’s job to set high expectations, provide the environment for success, and believe others will exceed expectations. Counselors believe clients will change, providing the framework for counselors to dedicate their time and energy. This same belief when applied to subordinates guides others to their greatness.
Where to go from here
As I am nearing the end of my Counseling as Leadership research, I reflect on the feedback (and thank you to EVERYONE who has helped along this process). The statement “I didn’t know that was what I was doing” keeps ringing in my head. People become counselors to use their experiences and talents to help others set and achieve goals. This requires strength, personal boundaries, and a level of living by example. How is this not leadership?
I would love to get your feedback as to this topic, as it guides my research and professional orientation. So let me know what you think!
