Steal my method for coaching your team
Coaching isn’t just about solving your team’s problems.
It is about helping them learn how to overcome their challenges.
I often see leaders try to “coach” by getting too involved, trying to take the problem on themselves and find a solution. Many fall into the trap of micromanagement disguised as coaching.
The problem, though, is this isn’t actual coaching.
I’ve led and coached teams of hundreds of people over a decade. Let me show you my step-by-step process for effectively coaching your team without adding their problems to your list of to-dos. You might be surprised at just how simple and effective it can be.
Establish Trust
The most crucial foundation for coaching is establishing trust between you and your team. Here are five research-based actions you can take to make sure you build a strong base of trust for your coaching.
Practice Transparent Communication Transparency is a cornerstone of trust-building. A study by Rawlins (2008) found that leaders who communicate openly and honestly, sharing successes and challenges, are perceived as more trustworthy. This involves disseminating information, explaining the rationale behind decisions, and being forthright about uncertainties. Regular team meetings, open-door policies, and clear communication channels can facilitate this transparency.
Demonstrate Competence and Reliability Trust is built on a foundation of competence and reliability. Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman's (1995) model of organizational trust highlights the importance of ability in trust formation. You can establish trust by consistently delivering on promises, demonstrating expertise in your field, and committing to continuous learning. This might involve staying updated on industry trends, seeking feedback on your performance, and following through on commitments made to the team.
Show Vulnerability and Admit Mistakes Contrary to traditional notions of solid leadership, research by Nembhard and Edmondson (2006) suggests that leaders who show vulnerability and admit mistakes can increase team psychological safety and trust. By acknowledging errors, seeking help when needed, and showing humility, you create an environment where team members feel safe to take risks and be themselves. This approach fosters a culture of learning and innovation.
Promote Fairness and Consistency Organizational justice theory, as explored by Colquitt et al. (2001), emphasizes the importance of fairness in building trust. Leaders who consistently apply rules, make unbiased decisions, and treat team members equitably are more likely to be trusted. This involves creating clear performance metrics, providing equal opportunities for growth and recognition, and ensuring that rewards and consequences are administered relatively across the team.
Invest in Relationship-Building While professional competence is crucial, research by McAllister (1995) shows that affect-based trust, rooted in emotional bonds and genuine care, is equally important. You can build trust by taking time to know team members personally, showing empathy, and demonstrating genuine concern for their well-being and career growth. This might involve one-on-one meetings, team-building activities, or mentoring programs that go beyond just work-related discussions.
These five items are always on my mind as a leader. Your coaching will fall flat immediately if you don’t build a foundation of trust. If you feel your team has significant gaps around these items, start to shore them up before moving forward. As a leader, you have a massive impact on improving these areas.
Always Be Coaching
Next, start thinking of coaching as a mindset and not an activity. Too many leaders look to 1:1s as their only opportunity for coaching, or worse, wait for annual performance reviews to start coaching their team.
Coaching should be part of your daily interactions with your team.
I suggest constantly looking for ways to coach your team and doing a quick recap of any coaching opportunities at the end of each day.
If you find many days or even weeks passing without having done some coaching, then take some time to review your past calendar and see what opportunities you missed.
I promise that if you look for them, you will see daily opportunities to do small doses of coaching. In my experience, these small coaching sessions make an enormous difference for your team.
The Coaching Template
There are unlimited ways to be a great coach, but here is my favorite coaching template to help you always have an excellent baseline option.
You recognize something that you think could improve your team.
Initiate a conversation with, “I noticed {the problem}. What are your thoughts? I recognize I don’t have all the context, so I would love your help.”
I find this opening compelling because you start by asking for their help filling in any missing context. Often, as a leader, what you think is a problem can just be a lack of context.
Also, send this message or have this conversation with EVERYONE necessary. Avoid the trap of only talking to one of the key team members and starting a game of telephone.
You might get the context you need from here to feel like there isn’t a problem.
If not, this is where the coaching begins.
Note: you can also start this coaching template when someone reaches out to you directly with a problem.
After getting the context, follow up with “Thank you! That context was beneficial. What do you see as the main challenge here?”
This is the best question I have found to cut out a lot of noise right from the start. Framing it as a question lets you help them reflect on the root cause.
You can also help your team reflect even deeper, if necessary, by following the “5 whys” method of asking “why” until you truly get to the main challenge.
“What do you think we should do?”
Avoid trying to solve the problem for your team immediately. The goal of coaching is to teach them to overcome their problems.
Continue asking follow-up questions to help them formulate a plan for what should be done to address the problem.
“How can I help?”
Lastly, my favorite question. Ask them what you can do to help.
You will notice that this template includes all questions you pose to your team. I have found this incredibly powerful for helping the learning process.
This also does an excellent job of avoiding the feeling of being attacked by a leader who offers a bunch of random solutions that may or may not be good. It creates a feeling of collective success and reinforces trust.
Practice and Adapt
My final advice is that practice makes perfect. No leader is a great coach on day one, so expect some bumps. That is okay! Keep practicing and refining your approach. You will find ways unique to you to elevate your coaching even more as you go.
Just remember that coaching is about teaching.
Avoid micromanaging your team in the name of “coaching.” Instead, take the time to build trust and then guide your team to find solutions, grow, and win together.
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