Today’s Essential Management Skill
Managing is more than processes and procedures; it’s people. Successful managers bring out the best in others.
“Management and leadership are about
coaching around performance.” John Baldoni
My conversation with author, speaker, and executive coach, John Baldoni, covered everything from what’s wrong with leadership to the good side of office politics. John has an amazing breadth of experience and expertise.
Manager as coach:
Coaching rises to the top of leadership skills in organizations that value participation rather than command and control.
“Coaching is about long-term relationships.” John Baldoni
John suggests manager-coaches begin with three questions:
- What does my employee want? Uncover motivation. Do they want development, promotion, opportunity? All employees strive for recognition.
- What is stopping my employee from achieving her objectives? Everyone has blind spots and behaviors that hold them back.
- What can I do to help my employee become more successful? Sometimes you’ll challenge. Other times, you’ll be a cheerleader.
Coaching Tips for managers:
- Coaches don’t do the work for others.
- Schedule regular sessions.
- Stay performance focused.
- Deal with one challenge at a time.
- Keep the tone positive and conversational.
- Assess the process. How are you doing as a coach? How is the person doing?
- Demonstrate belief in employees.
- Evaluate.
“Leaders who coach are those who treat their employees as individuals and regard them as contributors” John Baldoni
What makes managers successful coaches?
What is challenging about coaching?
This post is a combination of my conversation with John and his new book, The Leader’s Pocket Guide.
Thanks for sharing such practical and easily applicable principles.
Thank you, Dan!
Great list but personally…. Must remember point 1!! (Bet this post applies perfectly to the small ones at home, too)
Kind regards,
Catie
Reblogged this on Jots & Thoughts and commented:
A by-product of good managers?Employees who trust them. Employees who are motivated and inspired to work hard and become better people.
Dear Dan,
I agree that management should find out what stops employee to grow. I also agree that every individual has blind spots and behavior that influence their development. But, there are cultural dynamics that play major role in affecting employee growth. And I believe management can great stake in creating such dynamics. It is natural tendency of employee to get motivation by opportunity, but management should ensure the smoothing the path to opportunity. Management should connect with employee in finding their ambition.
The core challenging about coaching is about connecting. It is about connecting with mission, connecting with people and finally connecting people with mission. Management role is to ensure that employees are well engaged, involved and committed to achieve goal of the organization. I also believe that essential management skill is to create culture of transparency and ownership among employees.
This sounds like good advice for parents with their kids also.
Perhaps it is implied in some of the other elements, however, I would endorse being more overt-celebrate and recognize learnings and successes to date. Reflect on them to see if there are more nuggets to mine. Most folks are not comfortable tooting their own horn, as a coach/manager, you need to do that for them–in a way that they value….so in the prep work, ask!
The other piece that might be worth being overt with is the evaluate tip—model it and again ask-double benefit. If you ask your mentee if your coaching is helpful, asking how is it helpful, asking how it will be applied, you get feedback on how much of your message went through. And you also are being open in seeking/modeling to continuously improve your own skill sets. Being that open can display a higher level of trust and positive regard which can be a positive spiral.
Hi Dan
I often read you & thank for wise short advises & opinions you share.
It’s since long I think on one matter I would like you to think on : women in business. Their relationship with men. Trust & friendship built between them. Professional interaction. How to scrap & bypass non-professional thougts that come up in a relationship with a woman / man – things that ruin a professional relationship ?
Thank you
Raisa Cazacu
Great coaches are hard to find. Not to be negative – some have other good qualities but a lot of people a stingy and operate out of fear. Great coaches are rare because they are willing to let others shine.
Very good. I agree.