Managers Who Coach: Think About Your Best Teacher

OK, so I'm trying every way possible to convince managers that coaching will help their own performance (nothing better than learning by teaching), their careers, their group's productivity, and their own sense of satisfaction.

Today's unabashed approach: Channel Your Best Teacher

Note: If it was Shirley MacLaine, you can stop reading this now and go here where Shirley would love to hear stories about your UFO sightings as well as Fur People. 

What Did Those Darned Good Teachers Do?

I'll bet that each of your best teachers somehow found a way to connect with your needs and interests. And they weren't all alike, with different styles and idiosyncrasies.

But they all had one big thing in common:

The ability to reach you. And we all want to be reached.

What did they really do? The best teachers helped you discover, then celebrate it with you. That's a lot different than telling people to sit still, listen, take notes, memorize, then regurgitate it all on a test.

Your best teachers were coaches.

What's the Secret?

By its very nature, coaching is personal and tailored to the uniqueness of each student (employee); a prescription, if you will, for  healthy growth.

Coaches are teachers (managers) who know their material well and their employees even better. How do they do that? They understand an employee's grasp of a task or issue because they've watched, asked questions, and listened.

And employees will actually make it easy for you.

How do I know?

Two reasons:

1. I coach a lot. It's about diagnosis, clarity of goals, asking the probing questions and listening in order to understand. Once you finally understand something, that kind of clarity produces possibilities that seem to jump up and down yelling, "Choose me, choose me!"

2. Research. The folks at Blessing-White did an in-depth, global study on coaching that showed:

• When managers think about coaching they worry about "having all the answers".

• When employees think about being coached, they don't want advice. They want to be stretched and want help sorting through problems. Their most important criterion? It's simply a trusting, supporting relationship.

Every recent study of job-seekers shows that candidates and new hires want to learn and expect to be developed. If you want to make your organization or team a better, more desirable, more positive, and more productive place to work, start by becoming the teacher (coach) who helped you be where you are today.

Your management legacy will be the result of your coaching commitment.

Comments

[Randy Hall]

Steve,

Great thoughts and you are so right about real listening producing clarity that leads to solutions. Thanks for sharing this.

Randy

[Steve Roesler]

Glad it struck a note, Randy.

[GL HOFFMAN]

Great post, Steve. I love hiring ex coaches as sales people don't you. Some time back I wrote a post 10 Reasons Why Coaching Little League is Great Management Training.
http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2008/07/18/why-coaching-little-league-is-great-management-training/

keepup the good work,

gl

[MIke Rogers]

Thanks for the post Steve. I love the statement "The best teachers helped you discover, then celebrate it with you. That's a lot different than telling people to sit still, listen, take notes, memorize, then regurgitate it all on a test."

Great teachers are facilitators, they don't spray at you and the pray you will retain it. They work with you, they care. And most of all they care enough to let you do the discovering. Because it is in the discovering that it will stick. And in the case of manager and employee relationships it is in the discovering that creates buy-in/commitment and a better understanding of how to apply it.

[Steve Roesler]

GL,

Actually, some of the best role models were coaches I had in Little League; still tell stories about them.

Yeah, why wouldn't a company take advantage of people who have proven they have the ability to be observant, patient, and then helpful? Sounds like a winning formula to me.

Readers: Go to GL's URL for the post.

[Steve Roesler]

Hi, Mike,

I read your comment three times because something kept jumping out but I couldn't put my finger on it (well, I didn't actually do that at all; it always smears the monitor and I hate when that happens).

You really highlighted the importance of "discovery". Discovery takes time; learning from discovery takes time; which means that "commitment" will take some time.

In a world of sound-bite leadership and the demand for immediate results, it might be a good idea to ponder your comment and ask: "Are we getting lousy/really slow/no results because we don't do the right thing when it comes to genuine commitment?

Thank, Mike.

[Wally Bock]

Wonderful post, Steve. I think the best teachers and managers help you discover. You covered that will. But they also understand that most human growth is a process of punctuated equilibrium. People don't grow at a steady pace. They don't seem to be doing anything and, then, suddenly, there's an explosion of growth and development. Or, the first learning explodes and then we hit a tough patch. The best bosses understand that process and help explain it to their people.

[Steve Roesler]

Wally,

You've described yet another problem with the traditional "hockey stick curve" that is the standard expectation of all things business. Your term "punctuated equilibrium" is one that is so sticky and descriptive that it's already imbedded in my mind.

Your point would serve companies well who, with good intentions, put people on a "developmental plan" that has a timeline attached. It's important to recognize the punctuated equilibrium and roller coaster curve that we all take in our development. The phrase "learning is a process, not an event" isn't a cliche. It's truth.

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[Calvin]

Wonderful post, Steve. I think the best teachers and managers help you discover. You covered that will. But they also understand that most human growth is a process of punctuated equilibrium. People don't grow at a steady pace. They don't seem to be doing anything and, then, suddenly, there's an explosion of growth and development. Or, the first learning explodes and then we hit a tough patch. The best bosses understand that process and help explain it to their people.

[Steve Roesler]

Calvin

You reminded us of a very important fact about learning. Indeed, it's not a straight-line proposition. Once we become aware of something new, all of us take some period of time simply to decide whether or not we want to learn about it or whether or not it doesn't seem like the time and effort. If we answer in the affirmative, the process is a two-steps forward one step back sort of process. This is why employees benefit from direction, encouragement, feedback and coaching from their boss.

Appreciate you taking time to jump in!