The Role of “Coach” in Leadership for Managers

Have you ever been in a situation where you need to find a way to get something you want? I know I have, and likely you have too. Since very young, our minds jump into “problem-solving mode” and learn to quickly find patterns to get what we want. As managers, we follow a similar approach every time we feel that the answer to the problems of our employees is inside our own heads. Don’t get me wrong, managers with strong experience and knowledge should, in many instances, be able to provide an answer to the problem. But, "giving a man a fish" doesn't prepare someone as much as "teaching a man to fish".  And even better than that is to help them find their own tools to solve their own problems.

 Why is the latter option so much more powerful? Because, when our “thought process” is challenged in a way that helps us to discover new information or formulate new insights, we are much closer to figuring out what is actually happening in the situation and what we can do about it, such that we feel more committed to implement with action. In addition, from the manager-employee relationship perspective, this process increases the individual employee’s empowerment and self-confidence to be open to discover new and different ways to solve problems and, more importantly, to get closer toward achieving a mutually beneficial goal for both the employee and the manager (and the organization).

A great leader is, and needs to be, by definition, an effective coach. A great leader knows how to embody different roles in order to bring out the best in their employees. This means having the skills and ability to ask powerful questions at the right time, as well as being able to provide advice or performance feedback in a timely manner. But, before moving forward with coaching tools and a framework for managers to utilize in order to increase performance in employees, we need to make a practical distinction between managers using a “coaching approach” contrasted with the work of a certified coach. The second usually does not work in the same organization, and most likely completed a specific extensive and intensive training program that matches an area of expertise with the particular needs of a client, or coachee, who wants to improve or change something through a coaching engagement.

There are different schools of thought and certification journeys to become a professional coach; but, the focus of this path will be to increase awareness and knowledge of coaching tools and skills for the workplace where coaching is so important for those looking to become great managers and leaders.