An effective coach – particularly a coach that’s interested in transformation and leading through change – knows how to point employees towards innovation and new discoveries. But managers can become impatient with this sort of self-discovery approach – and when they are, micromanagement increases, collaboration deteriorates and employee engagement goes way down. Here are three ways to become a better coach to your team – and to yourself – so that you can more easily discover new insights, and change the behaviors that are holding you back.
1. Become a better listener
Employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work, according to this Salesforce survey featured in Forbes.
At least 50% of every conversation is listening…unless, of course, you’re a manager who’s passing out instructions. Listening is the often-forgotten skill that managers lack. According to the Chief Learning Officer, effective coaches understand how to listen at a deeper level.
What would happen if your team felt that you were really listening to them? Doesn’t mean you have to grant wishes, or let the inmates run the asylum. But hearing other viewpoints can shape your own, as well as impacting the effectiveness of the entire organization.
Instead of jumping in with solutions, try asking:
- “What have you already tried?”
- “What outcome are you hoping for?”
- “What’s one step you can take to move this forward?”
The more you listen, the more you’ll discover your team’s blind spots and creative potential. You’ll also begin to notice your own tendencies like, a habit of stepping in too quickly or over explaining.
The power of asking good questions isn’t just about helping others grow. It’s also a mirror for your own leadership habits.
2. Reject a Premise, Get a Promise
We all have a premise, if you will, that reflects how we see the world. That premise (also called a perspective, or point of view) is the reason we move forward, or stay stuck.
Coaches challenge the premise, with the words of Nelson Mandela: “It seems impossible, until it’s done”. There are many things in my life that look impossible: driving a car, getting married, tying my shoes…Yet, here we are.
An effective coach practices self-leadership, to recognize that we all have limiting beliefs. Luckily, when those beliefs are seen and understood objectively, a new viewpoint emerges.
👉🏼Can you help your team to leave a limiting premise behind?
👉🏼Will they commit and agree to new behavior?
Because if the commitment comes from them, you’re headed in the direction of new results.
3. Safety and the Biggest Promise You Can Keep
Can you listen to your employees without judgement, no matter what comes out of their mouths? That’s tricky!
The impulse to correct, fix and change is a strong one in effective managers. And I can relate! Luckily, my approach today is different – because of my experience as an Executive Coach.
Coaches realize what managers don’t: There’s no such thing as constructive criticism. The only thing that criticism constructs is defensiveness.
Maybe after you reflect on the criticism you can make something of it, but criticism doesn’t create an atmosphere of safety.
In other words, the sense that we can say and explore anything, without fear of retribution, criticism or correction. That kind of safety is vital to new ideas.
Can you offer that environment to your team?
If not, it’s understandable. But maybe some objectivity is what’s required – an objective outside resource to help coach you to new results. Because processing information without judgement is critical to helping people see things afresh.
The objectives for the coach and the manager can be exactly the same, but the approach is completely different.
When clients see new possibilities, new promises take shape. Masterful coaches create a safe environment for new ideas – and sometimes, that role can’t be filled by a manager.
The more you practice this kind of coaching, the more you’ll catch yourself before falling into old patterns, like micromanaging or making assumptions.
Want to go deeper? Join our upcoming FREE webinar: “Level Up Your Leadership Potential: Confidently Lead Your Team in 90 Days”
In this session, we’ll explore how you can lead confidently without fear. This isn’t your typical leadership workshop filled with theories and vague advice. We’re cutting through the fluff and getting to the heart of what it really takes to lead with confidence and clarity.
This webinar will provide you with actionable tools and insights that transform you from questioning your abilities to confidently leading with purpose, clarity, and authenticity.
