Line managers are increasingly expected to coach staff and can have a powerful influence on their teams and the organization when they adopt a coaching style of management.

As a way of managing people, coaching differs from the traditional corporate ‘command and control’ approach in the following ways:

• Collaborating instead of controlling
• Delegating more responsibility
• Talking less, listening more
• Giving fewer orders, asking more questions
• Giving specific feedback instead of making judgements

This is not simply a case of ‘being nicer’ to people – delegated responsibility brings pressure to perform, and coaching Managers maintain a rigorous focus on goals and results.

Simply put, coaching means asking questions, not simply to gather facts but to elicit solutions, feelings, ideas, and new thoughts from the person being coached. If the objective is to develop employees, asking them questions challenges them to think harder and more broadly about issues, thereby enlarging their perspective and improving their reasoning skills. When the need is to make decisions, the same coaching skills can generate better solutions. The skill of coaching is in being able to ask questions that help people open up and bring into play a wider circle of ideas and expertise.

A lot of people argue that it is impossible for a manager to act as a coach, given his/her position of authority over her team. While authority is an important issue, it need not be an insurmountable obstacle – if there is genuine trust and respect in the working relationship. It is also a fact that coaching frequently takes place between peers and even upward on occasion, with some enlightened bosses happy to be coached by their team members.

Managers have many responsibilities and coaching is among the most important. Coaching does not simply correct today’s problem; it helps keep the problem from resurfacing. The employee not only understands the goal but can teach it to others. Coaching may take longer than correcting, which is a “quick fix,” but it is longer-lasting. It builds a body of understanding, and, if done well, helps build a workplace culture.

How does a manager shift from a directive approach to Manager as Coach?

1. Managers know their staff. They pay attention to their work and to themselves as human beings. They never make assumptions about the motives that drive the individual’s words or actions. They take time to learn the person’s hopes, fears, and history.
2. Managers check their egos at the door. They resist trying to impress staff with their knowledge. Their satisfaction comes not from hearing someone say “how do you know so much?” but from seeing the individual grow his or her skills. When coaching is done well, learners believe they personally have discovered ideas and answers, hence, they may never acknowledge the Managers’ contribution. And that should be just fine with the Manager.
3. Managers ask questions. What did you see out there? What did you like most about the assignment? What’s causing you concern? How would you like to approach the problem? Who else might we want to include? Is there another way to look at this? What would happen if we turned things upside down?
4. Managers listen completely. They resist the temptation to give instant advice or answers, even if they have them at the tip of their tongue. They give the individual time to get a point out fully, and only then work to develop a coaching conversation. They resist phone calls, door knocks, and the errant material lying on top of their desks. When coaching is underway, the most important gift a manager gives is complete attention.
5. Managers are overall, positive. They emphasize growth and goodness. They catch people doing things right and reward them with praise. Managers are not insincere or flattering; they are genuine and specific in their praise. They give the individual details about what is being praised and why. They do not shy away from honest feedback about things that need strengthening, but even critical feedback is framed in a non-threatening manner.
6. Managers look for “teaching moments.” They are always on the alert for opportunities to reinforce values and skills. These are teaching moments. They may happen in formal meetings or casual conversations; in bringing people together, in calling upon a person to share the “how I did it” of a success story with others, through department-wide memos or personal notes. But when it comes to teaching moments, Managers are careful: they praise in public and criticize in private.
7. Managers inspire. You may not think of yourself as an inspirational figure, and your humility is laudable. But even the humblest leaders are known for their values. People around them know what they stood for. What do you stand for? It can take courage to be inspirational and to overcome your own fears. People will watch what you do, more than what you say.
8. Managers are responsible risk-takers. They know the rules of the road so well that they do not fear an occasional detour. They celebrate creativity that respects values but tries things a different way. They reward innovation. While helping others grow, they are always challenging themselves to do the same. They do not fear change or challenge. They do not hesitate to say “I am sorry” when they make mistakes. And even the best do.

What’s in it for Managers?

It’s probably obvious that coaching benefits the people being coached but what about the Manager? If you are a busy Manager, can you afford the time and effort required, when you already have plenty of other demands to cope with?

Coaching is not a case of ‘giving up’ your time and energy to help others achieve their goals and solve their problems – it will also benefit you in the following ways:

A more committed team: empowerment is a powerful motivator. When you make a genuine effort to include people in setting their own goals, making decisions, and implementing their own ideas, they are likely to become more committed and focused at work.

Better team performance: because of its dual functions of managing performance and developing people, coaching leads to better individual and collective performance. The ongoing learning process means that the upward curve can get steeper over time.

Better working relationships: good coaching promotes trust and collaboration and leads to better working relationships. It doesn’t mean you become everyone’s best friend, but it does mean working relationships can get easier and more enjoyable (or in some cases at least less stressful) for all concerned.

Better ideas: when you get into the habit of asking questions to draw out people’s creativity, you may be pleasantly surprised at the quality of ideas your people start generating. After a while, you may not even need to ask every time – they will get into the habit of bringing you suggestions.

Better information: if you are genuinely coaching people in a collaborative, open spirit, people will feel more confident in coming to you with vital information – including telling you the ‘bad news’ while there is still time to do something about it.

Investing time to gain time: there is no doubt that in the short term, it’s often quicker to ‘take charge’ and give orders instead of coaching. That’s fine for ‘fire-fighting’, but in the long term, the more you direct, the more people will rely on you for directions, and the more of your time will be swallowed up by it. If you invest time in coaching however, over time your people will require less and less direction, and you will be confident in delegating more and more to them – freeing up your time for the tasks only you can accomplish.