Today’s Successful Leaders Blend Coaching and Managing. Here’s How You Can Make that Shift
Only one in five employees strongly agrees that they are managed in a way that motivates them. - Gallup
The roles of leaders, coaches, and managers are often-times used interchangeably. I would agree they each have things in common, but they are different. In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world, components of each of these are necessary to be successful. The most effective leaders are the ones that can blend the skills of managers to get things done, the people-centric pieces of coaching to empower and enable the team and marry them together to get long-term results as a leader.In today’s article, I want to build from an excellent article from Gallup - It's Time to Train Your Managers Into Coaches. There are a few key passages in the piece about the importance of coaching. However, it is also essential to understand how coaching, leading, and managing must work in harmony to effectively build a future for your team or organization.
When you left a meeting with them, you felt like you had what you needed to solve your own problems. You felt understood, but most importantly, you felt inspired and motivated to work harder than you ever had before, because you had the support you needed, and you were eager to grow.
All three skills come into play when meeting with your team, both individually and as a group. Managing comes from the planning and organization it takes to properly set the meeting up and communicating what will be covered ahead of time. Leading happens as you read the room or individual team members for what they need from that time. Or, determine whether they are grasping the concepts that are being discussed. Leading also blends the longer term vision into the tactical components on the agenda. Finally, the coaching aspect happens after the meeting. Are you following up to help everyone play the role they need to play? Are you asking questions to determine their levels of understanding and pointing them in the direction they need to go to fill in any gaps?
According to Gallup’s recent State of the American Workplace report, employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. They want to develop and grow. That means managers now play an even more essential role in helping employees reach their personal goals as part of reaching organizational expectations.
No one wants to remain stagnant. Even underperforming individuals do not want to stay in the same place for too long. Part of leading is to understand why someone that says or demonstrates that they do not want to grow is making those statements. Once we have a good understanding of each individual’s motivations, we can provide the coaching to help develop the skills they need to fulfill those drivers of success. The best coaches, through inquiry, will help employees find these motivators for themselves. I believe leaders will inspire teams through their vision. The coach in them will inspire others by showing them paths to new learning and exploring new opportunities that match their passions.
Managers must increasingly take on the role of coach for their team members. In the past, a manager who was a coach was a rare breed, and only some lucky souls experienced it. In today’s knowledge-driven economy, a coach is a necessity to engage and retain the workforce. This change may be a major shift in mindset for many managers used to traditional ways of thinking.
Sharing information is easy. Any of us can find books, videos, or articles to pass along to our team or those around us. It is what we do after we share that will set a coach and effective leader apart. It is about investing the time to ask questions about what they learned, how they are applying it, and what they will continue to work on.
Archetypal managers tell people what to do; coaches ask questions that help their people move forward. Managers focus on past performance and mistakes that cannot be fixed; coaches focus on the future and opportunities to improve. Managers set expectations first and then inform their team; coaches include individual feedback so that goals are mutually agreed on upfront. Managers focus on accountability; coaches are invested in the success and growth of their teams.
Leaders bring those pieces together. If I frame this up in Simon Sinek’s work on Start With Why, leading provides the why, coaches team the how, and managers speak to the what of any project or movement. This excerpt is a good example of how looking at each role (of manager, coach, and leader) viewed independently will leave gaps in the employee’s world. Goals and expectations need to be set (manager), but there should be individual contribution and feedback considered (coaches). Putting those pieces together is critical for the success of each individual and the business as a whole (leader).The Gallup article is a quick, yet excellent read. It also contains links to several additional resources from Gallup. I would encourage you to take a few minutes to read it. Then set aside time to reflect on how you can blend the skills of leadership, management, and coaching into a single role of being an Effective Leader in our current retail and business environment.What will you do to hone your coaching skills to blend it with leading more effectively? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments section.Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.