|
How to be a Good Manager
and Coach
 If
you want to know how to be a good manager then you need to
learn to be a great mentor, coach, leader and role model.
But despite all their management training (or lack thereof)
one of the biggest complaints I hear from clients is that
their manager couldn't inspire a dog into action even if
they had a steak around their neck!
Harsh words! But unfortunately there's not a lot of love in
the office and a recent statistic indicates 60% of workers
hate their manager.
Employees want to be lead by a manager who is clear,
focused, results driven, inspirational and most of all team
driven. A great leader sees the value of up-skilling their
team and are advocates of on-going development.
Team members want to work for people they can learn from and
coaching is a great way to support and inspire.
Here are 5 tips on being a great coach.
1. Ask your team members what skills
they would like to develop.
I once asked a man in my department, "If there was one skill
you'd like to learn, what would it be?" I kid you not, his
eyes welled up as he said, "Nobody has ever cared enough to
ask that." Wow! Such a seemingly simple question had such a
huge impact.
In reality, you shouldn't need to ask this question as skill
development is usually part of your company's performance
appraisal program. Nonetheless, I've discovered, even when
it is, there is little activity or coaching to help
employees improve their skills toolbox.
2. Work on developing 1-3 skills over
a 3-6 month period.
The bigger the goal, the fewer goals you can work on at any
one time. If the goal is complex you don't want to overwhelm
or lead them to fail because there's not enough time to
invest in success. If the goals are simple, then you can
work on them concurrently.
3. Guide, don't give solutions.
Coaching is about helping people, help themselves. You can
use your expertise to ask people the right questions which
in turn leads them to them to the answers they're after.
Employees feel a great sense of accomplishment when they
realize their success was a result of their own initiative.
4. Uphold accountability.
Keep people on track and accountable. Establish tasks that
are due every 1-2 weeks and let your team member know they
are responsible for completing the tasks and reporting the
progress at your next coaching session.
5. Reward and recognize.
It's my personal belief that we need to celebrate life more
and a great way to do that is to acknowledge when milestones
and goals are met. Sometimes it is as simple as kind words,
because quite honestly, we hear so few in our day-to-day
lives. Click here to discover 5 ways you can acknowledge
your team without spending a cent.
Repeat.
Replicate the above 5 steps as you work through your teams'
goals and watch them flourish in their success.
Here's to you becoming a coaching sensation.
Click the
following link if you would like to jump-start your
management, team leader or supervisor career and uncover the
7 Super Success Secrets to Become a Manager
even if you have
no management experience.
BACK TO LIST OF
ARTICLES
|
