Coaching for Success: The New Manager's Guide To Team Development
Today, organizations are in a state of constant flux. These changes can range anywhere from staffing being rearranged to the introduction of new methods of work, the implementation of different systems, or moving into new geographic/product markets.
What’s even more challenging is transitioning from being an individual contributor and stepping into the role of a manager while being in the midst of constant change. This can feel unsteady and uncertain, as if you’re stepping into new, uncharted terrain.. Suddenly, you have to let go of the comfort zone of solo tasks and deadlines because you’ve been thrusted into the responsibility of guiding and nurturing the talents of your team. While the pressure might be high, it's also an exciting opportunity to watch your team flourish under your leadership. And one of the most powerful tools at your disposal that will set you apart as a leader? The art of coaching.
This is the time to shift out of the arena of micromanagement and directive commands. Coaching is about unlocking potential, fueling self-discovery, and empowering your team to own their success. With it, you can further develop your skills by asking honest, thought-provoking questions, from dictating solutions to facilitating growth.
So, how can new managers wield this art form to nurture their team's development? Keep reading to find out actionable tips that will support you to step into the role of a growth-nurturing coach.
Coaching is Now a Necessity
In an article by Forbes, they state that “when leaders are coaches, they’re focused on helping their team gain both short-term and long-term wins. Coaching leaders are focused on continuous momentum, helping people gain traction by gaining short-term wins while working toward long-term goals.”
Coaching is a powerful approach and tool to unlock the potential of their teams and drive outstanding results because it reduces and prevents narrow-minded thinking in managers and keeps the focus on the most important aspect: the workforce. Leaders who have invested time and energy into coaching are better set up to be receptive to different perspectives and opinions of their people, and provide an understanding of how those align with business goals.
Businesses that have reached their goals through coaching have found that it starts with listening, curiosity, and powerful questions, and ends withsuccessfully helping others find the answers that already exist inside of themselves. Leaders wear multiple hats and one of the most important is that of a coach — someone who invests intentionally in the development of another or their peers. An experienced leader and coach knows that the fast track of that development is not found in imparting information but in masterfully creating meaningful conversations that encourage self-reflection and self-discovery.
Coaching and Guiding, Not Dictating
The Economic Times states that in the ever-evolving landscape of leadership and management, one concept remains timeless and invaluable: mentoring and coaching. Coaching serves as a guiding light for aspiring leaders, helping them navigate the complexities of the modern business world to create sustainable successes. Here are a few perks of employing a leadership coaching style:
- Empowers your people
- Scales your leadership
- Builds mutual trust
Managers are great at giving advice. It’s tempting to want to jump in and tell others what to do, especially when a team member might be struggling.
Advising others limits their development, giving us only short-term results. “Coaching” them to find their own solution helps them grow their capabilities while providing us and them with longer-term results because of the focus on guidance, not dictation..
Leaders who employ a leadership coaching style focus on helping their team gain both short-term and long-term wins. Coaching leaders are focused on continuous momentum, helping people gain traction by gaining short-term wins while working toward long-term goals. Focusing on both will help mentees and team members feel the fulfillment of short-term wins while building the skill sets needed to gain traction on long-term goals personally and professionally.
Coaching in Action
Coaching cultivates commitment and uncovers the values most important to our people. Below are a few guiding principles to get you started on your path to becoming a coach for your team:
- When talking with your team members, pay close attention to the values they are expressing through their words and stories. Read between the lines.
- Learning about some of their personal values and how can you leverage these values when exploring project assignments, giving feedback and areas of development?
- Great coaches and managers pay attention and ask: What gives my people energy AND is it also something they’re naturally good at doing?
- Be curious and tap into “What” questions to continue digging deeper into their responses. For example, if someone says they love organizing projects, ask: What within project organization brings you energy?
- A strong coach builds the confidence of the players on the team. “Challenging” them is actually a supportive coaching skill that demonstrates you see and believe more in them, as well as serving to engage team members.
Furthermore, in your role as a new manager and beyond, when making decisions, you will need to take into account how the pandemic has changed the work culture forever. Organizations and those in leadership positions know that the urgent focus is now on building an employee-centric work model as well as culture. This will be the critical differentiator in attracting and retaining the best talent. This leads to the fact that there is now an emphasis on creating an ideal culture that can successfully support a hybrid work environment.
To successfully lead remote teams (and some of these can also apply to those on-site):
- Lead Through Empathy, Vulnerability, Authenticity & Transparency
- Create Accountability
- Try to find opportunities to pull together people regularly. You can find creative ways that you and your team resonate with.
- When employees are being onboarded into a remote environment, be aware of the ones that have never met not only their peers, but have never met their boss in person! How do you establish loyalty and trust?
The Time for Coaching is Now
Every business thrives when it is invested in growing and developing its leaders. If they can be taught, they can lead, and good leadership creates an all-encompassing ripple effect.
The big issue that remains isn’t understanding the need for coaching, but determining what kind of solution will best equip your team to lead successfully today and into the future.The corporate learning industry is filled with different L&D offerings, but now is the time to learn what really sets them apart.
New Level Work practices Directed Coaching, where our coaches and facilitators bring their real-world business and people management experience, professional coaching expertise, and wisdom into every 1:1 engagement. Unlike traditional approaches to coaching, where the focus is primarily on asking powerful questions to enable individuals to find their own answers, New Level Work coaches act as true thought partners, brainstorming ideas and offering guidance when asked.
Contact us for a no-obligation conversation about how we can support your organization and embed growth readiness into your business. Reach out to us by clicking here.
Author Bio: Wendy Hanson, M.Ed, CPCC is Co-Founder and Chief of Culture and Community for NewLevelWork.com
RESOURCES
- Top 10 Lessons from Julie Zhou’s, The Making of a Manager”
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey, Stephen.
Related Posts
Latests insights and trends discussed with Thought Leaders from the Learning & Development space
