“Are you a manager who just gives answers or are you there to make people think?”
How to Be An Effective Coach
There are thousands of professionals all across the world who call themselves “leaders.” In reality, the vast majority are leaders in title alone. While they have direct reports and authority over others because of seniority or prior performance, they aren’t actually leading; they’re managing.
One of the ways a leader separates themselves from being a manager is by coaching their people. A coach, by definition, is one who trains and instructs. The word coach comes from “carriage,” which means to take someone from where they are today to where they want to go. The late great John Whitmore took the formal definition even further saying:
“Coaching is unlocking people’s potential and helping them learn rather than teaching them.”
Leaders who coach others have never been more critical than they are today. A strong, dedicated leader plays an integral role in elevating people to new heights of development, exactly how John Whitmore envisioned it.
In the latest episode of the Follow My Lead Podcast Dr. Marcia Reynolds, author of the Coach the Person, Not the Problem, joined the show to discuss best practices around coaching.
If you are looking to be a better coach to your people, here are a few key steps:
- Focus on Your Presence
- Find Out What They Want
- Identify What’s Stopping Them From Getting There
While being an effective coach isn’t easy, it will not only pay off in the short term, but those you are coaching will thank you forever. If you ever find yourself veering away from coaching your people ask yourself this simple question. “What is the value I can give this person in front of me right now that’s meaningful to them?”
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Leading Remote Teams Microlearning Course: If you find yourself responsible for a remote team, get access to John’s Leading Remote Teams Course here.
About the Author: John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft, a leadership development company making virtual training easy and effective. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Management & Workplace. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success and host of the “Follow My Lead” Podcast, a show that transfers stories and best practices from today’s leaders to the leaders of tomorrow. You follow him on Instagram @johngeades.
