vol. XVII no. 2

				Page 2 And according to Lauren Strish, editor with AOL/Time Warner and another former student of Butler's, as a result of taking the course she now pays more attention to how she comes across to her colleagues. "Now, I try to create relationships that feel more like a team instead of a chain of command. I try to tailor my demeanor to ensure that what I'm saying is received the way I intended." Butler says that through their experiences of being coached and coaching one another, students are learning how to be better managers. "What we're doing is really drilling down to the micro level of management," explains Butler. "Learning how to give feedback and how to develop someone else is really the essence of knowing how to not only be a good manager but how to be a good leader." According to Butler, an effective leader must be able to communicate Ð and in order to communicate you must learn how to listen. "A big part of what this course teaches is how to focus on listening and observing," Butler says. "It's impossible to give proper feedback and help someone develop if you're not really keyed in to what they're saying." And it's not just listening, says Butler, it's listening effectively. "Before I took the class, I was always thinking about what I wanted to say next," remarks Brian Baker, director of business development for Ingenious Med, a software solutions company for the health care industry. "Now, I focus much more on listening to what the other person is saying." Bachmann says that through her experiences in the class she not only learned how to listen effectively but also how to put someone else in center stage, which isn't always easy. But being a good manager or leader isn't about taking the easy way out. "It's hard to develop leadership in others," says Butler. "Hopefully, after taking this class students will gain a sense of self-awareness that they in turn can use to help others develop their personal and professional goals." One thing is for sure - the students who complete Butler's "Coaching for Leadership" class learn what the great athletes of our time know: Behind every successful person, there is someone who encouraged, supported and coached him or her every step of the way. Previous Page | Top

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