Know thyself: Coaching for leadership using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Abstract

This article discusses the role of professional coaches who apply Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory as a means of enhancing their client’s leadership capabilities. The authors posit that Kolb’s four learning modes and styles provide a guiding structure for professional coaches to individualise their approach to coaching leaders to overcome the leader’s overreliance on their dominant learning style and appropriately access more effective behaviours in handling the myriad of responsibilities they face. It is equally important for coaches to know their own learning styles to be more effective in their coaching role. A coach’s ability to access all four modes and learning styles in themselves can foster more effective coaching practices so that they may more effectively coach others whose learning styles are different from their own. The authors conclude that Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory provides a sound theoretical framework to help professional coaches in the development of the organisation’s leadership capacity.