Performance for Growth

I often get this question because once line managers get a grasp of what coaching is really about they see the benefits but also begin to see what they think are potential conflicts with their role as a line manager.
So what is coaching really about and why should line managers consider becoming better coaches. 
Put simply it is about helping people find their own solutions to problems or ideas for a way forward. The end result of this approach is that people gain increased awareness and self responsibility. The outcomes of these are higher performance, improved resilience against adversity, more determination to succeed. The longer term outcome is real development and life long learning. All of which most managers would agree are what they would desire from their staff.
The idea that seems to take most line managers by surprise is that when coaching, the coach does not give any solutions or guidance, even if they are an expert in the subject. Things you might hear are “How can this be right, I got where I am by being the expert and having all the right answers”?
Well that is probably true and in many situations you will still need to rely on that knowledge, but when coaching line managers must suppress that desire to help by giving the answer and become really great listeners and experts in asking powerful open questions. When managers can change their mindset and master the skills amazing changes can happen.
I have seen many managers go into practice sessions with very sceptical views and come out with significant shifts in mindset. The two most common experiences are, wow, when I was being coached it felt very productive, I have got some excellent new ideas of how to solve this problem, but my coach did not offer any suggestions, yet it felt very supportive.
When I tried to coach without giving suggestions it felt unnatural, I can see that this will take a bit of practice to get right, but I now know it is worth trying.
Apart from learning the approach and skills, the real key for managers is to create the right relationships with their people so that coaching is not only accepted but sort after. When trust and respect are present in the relationship the manager will still be able to discipline and give direction when required but also coach and develop when required, hence creating a very powerful high performance culture.

Find out more about Coaching Skills for Line Managers from Performance for Growth.

Case Study

Coaching is sometimes perceived to be a soft option or even a perk, nothing could be further from the truth but coaches often face the challenges that these perceptions present. The following case gives some insight, all the references have been changed for reasons of confidentiality.
Stephen was a VP in his organisation and was being lined up for a larger role but had been given feedback about some areas he still needed to work on. His CEO had engaged a coach personally before with great success and was confident Stephen could benefit in the same way so had arranged for Stephen to be coached.
Stephen was not convinced but agreed to attend to keep the CEO happy. Stephen had heard about coaching and considered it to be a soft option, a bit of a cosy chat and felt his time would be better spent with an expert who could help him quickly overcome the feedback by telling him what he needed to do differently, after all he was a fast learner and wanted to sort this quickly so that he could progress into the role.
The first meeting was the key to how  this coaching relationship would continue, (or not, as all good coaches will help the coachee find another coach if they think the chemistry is not right).
Stephen’s approach was to put up barriers and try to get the coach to tell him what he needed to do. The coach resisted the temptation to buckle under Stephen’s assertive behaviour but steadily built the relationship to the point where he was able to provide a significant challenge to Stephen through questions. This could have destroyed the relationship there and then, but the rapport was strong enough for the challenge to land effectively and after a long a difficult silence, (which the coach purposely allowed Stephen to fill with his own thoughts), Stephen opened up and revealed the real reason why he was struggling, (in the areas where he had received feedback).
There were some deep rooted confidence issues that Stephen had never shared with anyone. He couldn’t share them at work because he knew this would be seen as an even bigger weakness, and, for someone in his position to admit would be career suicide, yet here he was talking about them for the first time.
After the first session Stephen could not wait for the next and felt very motivated to work on the things his coach had helped him identify.
The final result after five sessions was that Stephen successfully addressed the feedback areas and went on to get the larger role.
He is now an advocate of coaching and says that he has never been challenged so much, but in a way that felt supportive at the same time. He no longer sees coaching as a “soft option”

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