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THE MANAGER AS COACH

An Introduction to Coaching

by

RICHARD FOX

Preface

Coaching and being coached are essential activities for 21^st century business leaders and managers.  In an environment of uncertainty, intense competition and globalisation of markets, innovation, creativity and improved performance are vital to business success.

“People, not capital, are businesses’ most vital asset.  An organisation must innovate more and more often to meet the accelerated pace of change and its people must develop the learning skills that serve as the basis for innovation.” from Olalla & Echeverria ‘Management by Coaching,’ in HR Focus V73 N1.

Fostering a learning environment in a hierarchic, control-based management framework is difficult if not impossible.  Leaders must come out of their offices, clearly declare where they want the business to go; assert strongly the values by which the business will be done; encourage, develop and inspire the work force; help people be the best they can be; involve them in the decision making process and create an environment of learning, improvement and development.

A prime tool for you as a leader or manager is coaching. It is through coaching that your people will be enabled to reach their true potential for the good of the business and themselves.  Coaching provides a blend of thinking for oneself and learning through the experience of others.  Coaching leads naturally to greater awareness in your people, and to greater responsibility being taken for their own actions, and a visibly higher level of commitment in the work force; just the environment required for survival and success for businesses today and in the future.

This booklet has been arranged in the following sections:

1.  Introduction

2.  What is coaching?

3.  How does coaching differ from other forms of support?

4.  What does coaching cover?

5.  What are the benefits of coaching?

6.  How long does coaching take?

7.  How do I set up a coaching contract?

8.  What is the coach’s role during the coaching sessions?

9.  Some coaching models and processes

10.  What are the key attributes and skills of a coach?

11.  How do I select an external coach?

12.  Where can I get further information?

1.  Introduction

An increasing number of managers are benefitting from coaching.  Its popularity is due to one or more of the following:

(a)         Recognising that many able leaders, in all walks of life, who wish to increase their effectiveness in these fast changing times get themselves a coach.

(b)         The desire of many people to improve their personal, team working and leadership skills.

(c)         An opportunity to talk things over with someone who does not have an axe to grind and to use this independent person as a sounding board for bouncing ideas.

At present anyone can call themselves a coach or a mentor.  The term ‘coach’ is often used interchangeably with ‘mentor’ – part of the reason for this is an effective mentor uses a coach approach and coaching skills.

I hope this booklet will encourage you to adopt more of a coach approach when working with colleagues, customers and suppliers.  Why?  Because there is statistical evidence that a coaching style (supportive/asking questions) is generally more effective than a traditional (directive/telling them what to do) approach.

Rather than keep repeating the term ‘manager as coach’ most of the time I will just use the words ‘coach’ or ‘you’.

This booklet will give you an idea of what coaching is, how you can incorporate a coach approach and coaching skills in your day to day leadership and management and what to look for if you want to select an external coach.

2.  What is coaching?

Let’s start off with two of many definitions of coaching and look at some of the key words used.

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance.  It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”

Timothy Gallwey, Author ‘The Inner Game of Work’

You will notice that:

(a) The emphasis is on the other person (the ‘coachee’); and on their performance and potential.

(b) Coachees often significantly undervalue their own potential and may also be blissfully unaware of their 2-to-4 unique talents and strengths.

(c) The focus is on learning, not teaching.  This requires you as coach to be aware of the different range of learning and thinking preferences.

“Coaching is an ongoing partnership that will help you produce fulfilling results in your vocation and personal life.  Through the process of coaching you will deepen your performance and enhance the quality of your life.”

Richard Fox, Partner The Learning Corporation LLP

I have used the word ‘partnership’ as there are two people involved each with different roles.  The coachee is primarily responsible for the content of the conversations and for taking any action.  You are responsible for creating the optimum environment for thinking and learning and for using relevant processes.

As coaching conversations are about specific work related issues, the reference in the above quotation to ‘quality of life’ may seem a bit strange.  However, when a coachee enjoys an improvement in their work situation this tends to have a positive knock-on effect on the rest of the coachee’s life.  The example that springs readily to my mind is a coachee who has achieved a stretching sales target.

3.  How does coaching differ from other forms of support?

This section outlines the main difference between coaching/mentoring and counselling/therapy.  Let me try and illustrate this with an actual example.  About 12 years ago a business associate contacted me.  She said she had a friend who wanted to set up her own business and was looking for a coach and asked if I could meet her.  I had an introductory session with this person and fairly early on in the meeting she said she was in the process of going through a difficult divorce, at which point she became very upset.  We both agreed that her priority was to get over the trauma of her divorce.  I suggested she worked with a qualified counsellor or therapist, then when she was more able to plan her future we could, if she wished, meet again to be coached or mentored on her new business venture.

Coaching and mentoring function on the basis that the coachee’s current situation is OK and that the coachee is resourceful and able to engage with a reflective process and move forward.

Even if you are a trained counsellor or therapist, topics like dealing with trauma, addictions to chemical substances, being abused as a child are outside the scope of coaching or mentoring.  If these surface during a conversation then you should signpost the coachee to a qualified therapist or counsellor.  In practice this rarely happens mainly because the other person knows the type of specialist they should be talking to.

The distinctions between coaching and mentoring are less pronounced and, as mentioned earlier, the terms are often used interchangeably in the UK.

Generally speaking, a mentor is chosen because they have more experience in the area in which the mentee wishes to develop.  For example:

(a) If an employee wants to understand a new technical process they might want to pick the brains of an experienced person and this could be referred to as a mentoring relationship.  The same employee might also want to ask you or another manager to coach them on other work related areas e.g. improving self confidence or networking skills.

(b) In large organisations an employee is often coached by his/her line manager on short term performance topics and mentored by a manager from another department on longer term career opportunities or on the transfer of specific technical knowledge

So with mentoring prior experience of the issue under discussion is more important than with coaching.  The mentor does not have to be older than the mentee.  For example, when I have problems with my laptop or with my BlackBerry or iPod I turn to a 27 year old for support – no 8 year olds being readily available!

The following chart is an attempt to illustrate where the use of counselling, therapy, coaching or mentoring is the most appropriate form of support.

The most productive relationships come where you build on the coachee’s knowledge and experience.  ‘If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day.  If you help him learn how to fish he will feed himself for life’.

4.  What does coaching cover?

To give you an idea of the range of topics covered in coaching conversations, here are some of the topics raised by my coachees in the last six months.  How to:

• Use time more effectively.
• Delegate.
• Create a team.
• Prepare a vision and plan.
• Agree the organisation’s key values.
• Unearth my talents and strengths.
• Handle a difficult situation.
• Improve my presentation skills.
• Become more self confident or resilient.
• Prepare for a promotion/new position.
• Chair meetings more effectively.
• Get the best out of sub contractors.
• Set up working groups to tackle specific opportunities/challenges.
• Find a personal assistant.
• Improve work-life balance.
• Understand my own identity.

5.  What are the benefits of coaching?

The benefits to the coachee:

• Chance to learn and grow in specific area(s) and in a safe, confidential environment.
• Gain different perspectives on an issue/opportunity.
• Opportunity to think aloud.
• Support in thinking through problems/opportunities.
• Chance to identify and unlock potential.
• Increase level of personal responsibility/ownership.
• Readiness to take on more responsibility.
• Greater clarity regarding a task or role.
• Increased self-awareness.
• ‘Just in time’ support on a topic coachee wants to develop.
• Increase certainty/reduce doubt.
• Be stretched and readily agree to goals that are higher than coachee would have set her/himself.
• The ‘real’ problem has been unearthed.
• Knowledge transfer from the coach.

Benefits to the coach:

• Satisfaction of seeing someone else develop as a team player and leader.
• Learn from the coachee’s different perspectives.
• Develop own skills as a leader (see above and also section 6).
• Can lead to a recognised coaching qualification.
• The following benefits apply when the person is using a coaching style with his/her own team:

–  Alignment of roles and goals.

–  Increased delegation.

–  Increased retention of people.

–  Opportunity to get feedback as a leader.

Benefits to the organisation:

• Increased effectiveness and performance of people.
• More open culture.
• Easier to recruit people if coaching is offerred to all newcomers.
• More people able to deal with queries.
• Increased staff retention
• It’s portable and offers a good return on the investment of time.

Leading on from the last point, a further benefit of coaching is that it can be done ‘any time, any place, anywhere’.  Coaching might occur in a 4 minute conversation in a coffee break, or whilst going for a walk during the lunchtime, or during a longer pre-planned meeting, or in a phone conversation.

6.  How long does coaching take?

Coaching is usually 1 to 1 and face to face.  It is also possible to coach individuals successfully over the phone.  For example, in September and October 2010 I coached executives who are based in Chile, China, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, India, Holland (3 people) and Italy.  With 3 of these 8 people we used Skype and webcams so were able to see each other as well as have cost-free phone calls.

The timing and frequency of coaching sessions varies considerably depending on the needs of the coachee.  Those who have a single performance issue might attend 1-4 one hour sessions over a period of 2-3 months.  Others might like to meet 2-4 times a year.  The majority of my coaching clients have three or four areas that they want to work on.  They opt for up to 6 sessions each of 1 to 1.5 hours, meeting every 4-6 weeks.  There is a clear understanding on both sides that we will stop or change the programme if the coachee has achieved what they came for, or if the personal chemistry is not right.  So, for example, one very able person came to me to be coached on changing her career.  She did an enormous amount of research between our sessions and after session 3 we both had a clear plan of her next steps and we ended the coaching programme.

7.  How do I set up a coaching contract?

When I am engaged by an organisation to coach one or more of their employees I normally like to meet the potential coachee together with his/her sponsor or line manager so that the three of us can reach a shared understanding of (a) what we mean by ‘coaching’; (b) the areas the coachee wants to work on; (c) the confidential nature of the conversations between the coachee and me; and (d) the format of any review meeting between the sponsor and the coachee at the end of the programme.

During the first 1 to 1 coaching session we carry out some ‘contracting’.  We agree how we want to work together and we reaffirm the confidential nature of our discussions.  We then clarify where we want to meet and the 2-4 areas that the coachee wants to work on.  It is helpful if these topics are as discrete/separate from each other as possible.  We then set clear goals and well-formed outcomes for each topic.  During sessions 2-5 inclusive we make progress on each of the goals.  One of the maxims coaches use is “The problem presented is not the problem”.  So it is not unusual to rethink a goal.

During the final session the coachee is asked to summarise the learnings gained from the programme and their plan to sustain and enhance the new behaviours.

8.  What is the coach’s role during the coaching sessions?

Before each coaching conversation takes place you should create an optimum environment for thinking and learning.  One coaching school refers to ‘Clearing the Space’.  This involves tidying up the room, clearing away distracting papers, diverting incoming phone calls etc.  Equally important, it includes clearing your head so that you can become totally present with the coachee.

When the coachee arrives time should be set aside to (re)build rapport, put the coachee at ease, check that s/he is OK to start the coaching conversation and is unlikely to be interrupted.

So your role as a coach is to create the right environment for the coachee, to ask questions and ensure that the coachee has conversations of value.  By providing coachees time and space to think through issues you are also giving them a greater opportunity to learn and grow and to find solutions that will work for them.  A rookie (novice) coach needs to avoid trying to fix the coachee’s problems.  It is helpful to remember that ‘The coachee has access to all the resources needed to deal with this particular issue’.  Strange as it may seem, most of these resources are already present within the coachee, waiting to be teased out.

9.  Some coaching models and processes

Coaches are trained in how to use one or more models/processes.  A model/process is useful in that it provides a structure and can help ensure that the coaching conversation has real value.  It also helps ensure that no essential steps are omitted.  For example, I have a natural preference to spend time on helping the coachee create compelling goals and generate choices.  I’m less inclined to focus on detailed actions and timetables because, being a well organised activist, this comes as second nature to me.  So a model or process helps both the coach and coachee manage their preferred styles and ensure that all key aspects are covered.

As a coach you need to guard against the model becoming a straitjacket and/or trying to complete the whole process during a single coaching conversation.

The most famous coaching model, which was developed by Sir John Whitmore, is the GROW model to which I have added two further steps to create GROWER.

The GROWER model, like other coaching models, comprises a series of questions under each of the letters G R O W E and R.  There are countless questions you could ask under each letter.  For brevity’s sake some key questions are:

10.  What are the key attributes and skills of a coach?

Here are some key attributes and skills of a coach and which any manager or leader might also wish to enhance:

(a)    The ability to build rapport, trust and credibility.

In coaching it is credibility as a coach, not as an industry or subject matter expert, that is important.

(b)    The ability to be totally present and connected with the coachee throughout the whole session.

(c)    Listening skills.

On our coach training courses we use the term ‘listening beyond the words’.  By this we mean:

1. Noticing the varying pitch and tone in the coachee’s voice, the energy (or lack of it) behind certain statements.
2. Reading body language including eye movements, facial colouring, breathing, symetrical or asymetrical hand movements.
3. Language preferences, e.g. Is the coachee using visual imagery to think through the topic?  If so, match the coachee’s language preference to get onto the same wavelength as the coachee.  Does the coachee have a preference for thinking conceptually or are they more inclined to think in logical, step by steps?  Again, initially match this and then complement the coachee’s strong preferences by covering points they might otherwise overlook.
4. It helps to know what level (‘Logical Level of Experience’- Robert Dilts) the coachee is operating from.  For example, is the coachee saying that they cannot do something because:

–      It conflicts with their sense of who they are (Identity), or

–      They do not believe it is possible (Beliefs), or

–      They haven’t the skills to do it (Capabilities), or

–      There is no budget (Environmental)?

1. ‘Hold the space’.  Be comfortable with silence.  You have asked the coachee a question.  It may be about a topic they have struggled with for years or a question they have never asked themselves.  Give the coachee the time and space to process the question.  Keep out of the way.  After all, the word ‘listen’ is an anagram of ‘silent’.
2. Being able to keep the coachee on track, to summarise and reflect back, to help the coachee focus on the nub of the issue e.g. to ask ‘In one word, what is the issue?’

(d) Being able to ask a range of appropriate questions.  Some of the traps a novice coach, manager or leader is likely to fall into are:

1. Asking too many closed questions.  A closed question is one that results in an either/or answer such as ‘Will you start tomorrow?’  So when going through each step in the G R O W E R sequence it is useful to start by using open questions in order to generate a discussion and to use closed questions when summarising or concluding each step.
2. Thinking of the next question whilst the coachee is talking instead of being totally present with the coachee.  Relax.  The coachee’s comments provide the next question.
3. Asking leading questions which steer the coachee towards the coach’s line of thinking.  Instead practice using ‘clean language’ ¹(David Grove) and learn to work with any metaphors the coachee might use.
4. Asking a multiple question, i.e. 2-3 questions wrapped into one long sentence.  Practice asking a single question in a sentence of less than 10 words.
5. Overusing a question beginning with the word ‘why’ e.g. ‘Why did you do that?’  The coachee could feel that the you are being judgemental.  Rudyard Kipling had five other marching men so vary the questions by starting with what, how, when, who, where…………………………..?.

(e)  Manage your own body language as well as your words.  Your raised eyebrow speaks volumes!

(f)  Manage your own personal preferences.  Ideally, you should be aware of your personal preferences regarding learning styles[1] (Honey and Mumford);  multiple learning intelligences[2] (Howard Gardner), or at least representational systems[3] (Robert Dilts and others); basic drivers/motivations[4] (David McLelland); communication styles[5] (DiSC); team role preferences[6] (Meredith Belbin); managing change (Richard Fox and others).

On our Manager as Coach training course we introduce a very useful diagnostic which was designed specifically for coaches.  It is called a ‘Personal Coaching Styles Inventory’ and is sold by Corporate Coach U.  It highlights the user’s strong and weak coaching style preferences over four categories:Director, Mediator, Presenter, and Strategist/Analyst.

(g) Have a light touch.  If you are not careful, some coaching discussions can become a bit too serious and heavy and you hear a lot of ‘I should’, ‘I must’ type statements.  Life is complicated for some folk.  Attempt to keep a light touch on the tiller.  More likely than not the coachee will see the funny side of the situation and you both end up laughing.  ‘A smile is a curved line that puts things straight’.

(h) Tease out the learning.  Coaches sometimes talk about two simultaneous journeys, the ‘outer journey’ and the ‘inner journey’.  An example of the outer journey is a coachee who becomes more effective at delegating.  However, the coach will also be keen to tease out what else the coachee has learned during this outer journey.  For example the coachee may say something along the following lines:

“Although I wanted your support in resolving a difficult relationship in my department, I realise that I have a history of not facing up to difficult situations.

I have been a softie.  I did not deal with this earlier because I did not want to upset anyone.  I let people take advantage of me.  I need to be personally courageous as well as considerate to others.  That’s the ‘ah ha’ I have had about being a leader”.

(i)  Avoid dependency.  The purpose of your coaching relationship is to help the coachee work through some specific goals and to tease out the learnings of their inner journey.  It is also about supporting the coachee in building up greater personal responsibility and effectiveness.

During a coaching programme a strong friendship can emerge.  However, the final session is an occasion for the coachee to summarise what they have got out of the programme and, if relevant, the support system they will use in future.  As a coach avoid persuading the coachee to book up a for a further n sessions and hold the coachee to attend the whole programme.  When the work is done, end the programme.

Coachees have only come back to me for a second or third programme as a result of a significant change in their role.

11.  How do I select an external coach?

Probably the most effective way to find an external coach is by personal recommendation, from someone who has had a good experience of coaching or by speaking to your HR director or HR manager.

An alternative and less reliable route is to look at lists of coaches on websites such as:

(a)  International Coach Federation – UK,   www.coachfederation.org.uk

(b)  Association for Coaching,   www.associationforcoaching.com

It is important to meet, or at least phone, the potential coach(es) to find out more about them e.g. years as a coach, coach qualifications, experience of working with business managers, and their style of coaching.  Then ask about the length, frequency and format of typical coaching sessions, the characteristics of an excellent coaching relationship, their fee and the names and phone numbers of people who could provide references.

After this conversation ask yourself ‘How confident am I that we can build rapport with this person?  Will this coach be sufficiently challenging?  Will s/he be able to understand my issues/opportunities?’

12.  Where can I get further information?

For an introductory book on coaching I recommend ‘Coaching for Performance’ by John Whitmore, published by Nicholas Brealey.  For information about coaching generally have a look at

www.coachfederation.org

and for useful articles and models, one of our own websites:

www.coachingknowhow.com

To read the core competencies of coaching please refer to

http://www.coachfederation.org/icfcredentials

[1] www.peterhoney.com

[2] www.howardgardner.com

[3] www.robertdilts.com – encyclopedia – representational systems

[4] www.wikipedia.org – David McClelland – achievement, power and affiliation

[5] www.thediscpersonalitytest.com

[6] www.belbin.com

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I often get asked about how to build a coaching culture in an organization. Lots of work is one answer, and it starts with getting clear about what you want to see at the end, (doesn’t everything!). The map below is a session design for coaches, or those sponsoring coaching, to follow in order to get more clarity about the end result and getting the motivational juices flowing.

I have used this approach several times, as a half day session with groups, and even as a 90 minute telephone session with coaches studying ‘leadership coaching’; it works well. The insights that people get are extraordinary – and we have to use a very focussed, question based ‘coach approach.’ The big breakthroughs come when we discuss the outcomes that will accrue in the business as a result of adopting a ‘coach approach.’

Some may argue that it’s not very ‘academic’ – true I guess, something to do with spending the last 15 odd years ‘in the field’ working with groups every week, using the coach approach and supporting discovery – it is amazing what happens!  Research and the data it provides is absolutely essential, and at the same time I am constantly surprised at what workshop delegates ‘know to be true’ and want to influence postively in their activities at work.  The concept and postive outcomes of a collaborative environment is, in my experience, well understood, acknowledged and wanted in the workplace – and it seems to be difficult to achieve!  Adopting a coaching culture is a real enabler to collaboration.  It seems that once the principles are embraced there is little opportunity to go back.  Hierarchies based on power, control and ego seem to disappear as people get more and more engaged with positive outcomes in the business.

Some of the outputs that I’ve heard about a coaching culture are as follows:

* Coaching is needed in an environment where there is so much info. – people are paralysed, in overload

* Coaching can help see a way through

* Retention increases, staff turnover reduces

* People will feel valued

* Frees up people in Leadership positions – (to do the more strategic work)

* Greater employee engagement

* Greater quality of employee performance

* Emphasis on experiementation

* People feel safe to discuss performance

* Noticeable absence of a culture of fear

* There is ‘unlearning’ to do!!

* Must let go (as a leader) of ‘my way is the right way’ and ‘it’d my job to give the answers’

* Must be willing to shift from Proclamation to Conversation!

* ‘Noisy’ organisation, talking, collaboration, positive energy

* Absence of back-biting, jealousy, unnecesaary competitive behaviour

* Managers feel free

I have the session as a pdf too. If you want it let me know – or I’ll figure out how to get it posted here!

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Often I hear of frustration and disappointment that managers and leaders  who have been on a coaching skills workshop do very little with it on their return to the workplace.  It seems, from my experience, that the introducing managers to the skills and models applicable in coaching is a realtively easy task, they are bright people and intellectually the content is not that challenging.  What appears to be much more of a challenge is implementing the ‘coach  approach’ in their everyday  business life.  The approach and effective conversations of a  ‘leader / coach’ are often very different to what they learned in the past, not least because it demands a shift from the problem solving behaviours that so many managers have found successful, and have been rewarded for in their organisations.  The legacy role of ‘manager as problem solver’ can be deep routed in corporate / professional cultures.

Training has an important role in introducing new constructs, behaviours and propositions for future business success, it’s in implementation that the challenges arise.  So how can we go about sustaining the momentum in building a coach apporach to leadership?

I would recommend a structured approach over time.  Following an inital say 2 day workshop bring the managers back together regulary in ‘practice and build’ sessions where they co-coach each other on real business issues and/or their challenges / experiences of integrating a coaching style into their leadership.  This way they get to experience first hand on how coaching can be used in e.g. issue / problem resolution, and are encouraged to use this approach with their people.  These sessions also give the opportunity for us to give more input to them, according to the challenges they are facing, e.g. coach approach to development, or coach approach to performance management, or coach approach to delegation.  If you can’t get them back together face to face every time, run some 90 min telecalls where they come and share what’s working / not working and encourage them to coach each other so others can listen, give feedback etc.  I’ve learned the hard way over some 15 years of bringing coaching skills to business leaders – Always contract follow up sessions, Never leave them with just a (for example), 2 day coaching skills workshop, This will rarely be successful, Stay with them over a 6 to 9 month period, keep the dialogue going on how coaching is helping the business, get them to publish success, encourage their managers and support each other.

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Training leaders to use the coach approach is the next step for organizations embracing this concept.

If coaching in the workplace didn’t exist, we’d need to invent it. Think about that. Over the last decade, the way people interact with their work and their employers has altered greatly. Empowerment, continuous change, greater emphasis on leadership and teamwork, and the need for flexibility have all created a workplace where coaching is not only the smart way to manage people — it’s perhaps the only way that works.

Training leaders to use the coach approach is the next step for organizations embracing this concept.

If coaching in the workplace didn’t exist, we’d need to invent it. Think about that. Over the last decade, the way people interact with their work and their employers has altered greatly. Empowerment, continuous change, greater emphasis on leadership and teamwork, and the need for flexibility have all created a workplace where coaching is not only the smart way to manage people — it’s perhaps the only way that works.

It no longer makes sense to command and control people when they themselves are responsible for their results. Nor can job-specific training and rigid procedures help people cope with shifting career requirements. A coach approach to managing in the workplace prepares people to make the most of their skills and aptitudes, to recognize the opportunities that best suit their talents, and moves them from motivation to action.

Coaching is sometimes confused with consulting. A consultant provides skills and/or resources to help the client do what they do more effectively. Conversely, manager-coaches help their direct reports acquire these assets themselves so they become better equipped, more resilient, more “employ-able.” In a consulting relationship, the consultant does the work and takes responsibility for the result: in coaching, the coachee is responsible for their own outcomes.

International coach training company, Corporate Coach U, defines coaching as the process of equipping people with the tools, knowledge and opportunities they need to achieve effectiveness in their commitment to themselves, the organization and their work. As such, coaching fits perfectly into the modern manager’s toolkit.

The manager as coach

A prevailing myth is that workplace coaching requires a horde of external coaches or coach-consultants working alongside management. There may be situations in which this is necessary — rapid, tumultuous change, for example — but for most organizations, getting managers to incorporate coaching into their skill set is what works best. Coaching builds on traditional management skills, adding components that encourage personal growth and development, leading to breakthrough performance. It’s become a core management competency in the modern organization.

How do managers acquire these skills? They can learn directly from a coach-mentor or they can take a coach training workshop. Coaching is a comprehensive approach to managing people and it requires a complete re-think of workplace relationships. A hands-on clinic is usually the best way to learn and practice coaching skills.

A word of caution, while many managers think they engage in coaching already, their understanding often comes from the sports world. Although there are many concepts in common, it’s the differences that create confusion and form the distinction between the sports field and the workplace. For example, the sports coach is seen as the expert who likely played the game once and knows the ins and outs of how to play. Whereas the leader-coach is likely not an expert in every job position, rather knows what outcomes are needed from each player. Coaching in the workplace is not about knowing the answers, but about knowing what questions to ask to support team members to create their own game plans.

Over the years I have worked with leaders in many different countries who believed that coaching is really telling others what to do, how to do it and then sending them on their way with a pat on the back and a you-can-do-it positive attitude. This point of view quickly changes once we start to explore the foundational principles coaching is based on. The first principle I put forward is “coaching is based on the belief that people hold their own answers within.”

Embracing this principle then allows managers to make the paradigm shift needed to fully engage in coaching, vs. simply telling, or being the source of all solutions. Once we get to that place, then the work begins on the skills needed to be an effective organizational coach. Before fully embracing this principle, someone always asks the obvious question: “What if “they”[coachee] really don’t know?” Good question. How would you reply?

Think of coaching along a continuum where the focus shifts from you (the coach) to me (the coachee). In between the coach wears many hats, from manager, mentor, consultant, teacher or trainer. But always returns to the coachee for the commitment or action steps. For example, a manager may teach a direct report how to initiate a procedure or take responsibility for a project. And then return to a coaching question to support the individual to be successful in taking on the new responsibility.

Remembering the first principle of coaching allows the leader to change the nature of the conversation to one that promotes self discovery, solutions and commitments. An effective leader-coach needs to build a repertoire of powerful, open, discovery questions. When you let go of being the source of all solutions, it frees up the conversation to be exploratory and developmental. You could even call coaching the true meaning of empowerment in the workplace.

Marilyn Duggan, director of human resources for Methanex Corporation, has been encouraging managers to develop coaching skills for years. “I think coaching is the key to getting the best from people,” she says. “Coaching helps overcome the disconnect that often happens between people.”

One of the benefits of the coach approach is that managers are better equipped to delegate. Delegation through coaching is about “getting things done through people,” says Duggan. “Not telling, but helping them discover. They feel better, and you can delegate confidently—confident that they’ll come back to seek support.”

Denny Lowes is human resources manager for Mainland Engineering Corporation, a road construction company. He has spent the past year using his coaching skills wherever possible, and encouraging Mainland managers to adopt a coaching approach, reflecting a company-wide commitment to help all staff build coaching skills.

“It’s been a very good experience for moving people forward, rather than giving them the answers,” he says. “Before, it was just a problem that I had to solve. Now I say keep the problem and I’ll give you the power to handle it. In the past it was more about me; I was happy that I’d solved their problem. Now the reward comes later, but it’s more gratifying that the person found their own solution.”

The City of Richmond’s vision is to be the most appealing, liveable and well-managed community in the country. They have introduced coaching as part of a strategy to develop leadership skills with their management team.

According to Human Resources Manager Rae Williamson, so far Richmond has trained more than 140 managers including the Fire Chief and his deputies, senior executives, managers and front line supervisors.

“We’ve seen a different culture emerging,” says Williamson, “one that is more collaborative, where employees step forward with ideas and contributions. Our people believe they are being heard.”

Libby Rush is with the B.C. Ministry of Finance’s human resource services branch. “My role involves working with managers to improve their performance,” says Rush. “I consider coaching to be a critical management skill. Coaching is helping managers move to a new level of competency.”

And why is this change necessary? “Roles are changing because we’re becoming more people focused, more team oriented,” says Rush. “Coaching supports collaboration — you and I working together to help you come up with the right answer. Managers are starting to realise the value of coaching.” Rush expects that over time, through adopting a simple step-by-step process, coaching will become automatic and become an unconscious competency.

“Coaching is such common sense,” says Rush. “I just think it’s about time”

Principles of Coaching

1. coaching is based on the belief that people hold their own answers within

2. coaching is a collaborative partnership – it is not something you ‘do’ to someone

3. coaching is a positive conversation – it is not used as a punishment

4. coaching is about moving forward, creating action – it is not focused on the past

5. coaching is transformational vs. transactional – it’s an ongoing developmental conversation

6. the coachee does ‘the work’, the coach creates the environment, asks powerful discovery questions, and provides support

7. the coaching conversation is roughly 80:20 with the coachee talking most

Getting Started:

Cheryl’s Theory of Knock Knock Coaching

The easiest way to begin to use the skill of coaching is to seize ‘coachable moments’. For example, when the knock comes to your door from a team member who asks “what do you want me to do about this?” try taming your auto-problem-solver muscle and try using your coaching muscle. Imagine you have a beach ball in your hand, and you immediately toss it to the coachee with a question: “What would you recommend?” “What have you thought of so far?” “What would you like to see happen?”  This gets into coaching mode immediately. Try and see if you don’t discover what others have found: it works and it’s easy (even easier than doing all the work yourself.)

Cheryl Smith, MA, MCC, is known as “The Coaches’ Coach”, she is an executive coach and founder of OurCoach, an international coaching and training organization; she has worked with and trained thousands of coaches and leaders on five continents, she’s the former Vice-President of the leading global coach training company, Corporate Coach U; an associate faculty member at Royal Roads University’s masters in leadership program; a co-founder of the Executive Coaching Certificate Program at Royal Roads; and a Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation. She is co author of the popular training program “Navigational Coaching: Strategic coaching skills for corporate leaders”. Contact: cheryl@ourcoach.com

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