Manager turned coach
YOU CANNOT BE A GREAT MANAGER
WITHOUT BEING A GOOD COACH
If you're in the market for
one tidbit of leadership acumen, you should know that helping your team evolve
meaningfully at work is one of the most important things you can do as a
manager. To do this successfully, you need to know what drives every team
member, so that you can build strong links between a person's work and the
strategic objectives of an organisation. Regular communication and collaborative
discussions are the keys to unlocking the potential of team members, so having
coaching conversations with them is an essential part of being an adept leader.
In fact, coaching is perhaps the most effective managerial capability that
separates a great manager from an average run-of-themill one.
For anyone to succeed at
the workplace, they must possess a healthy balance of skills, knowledge and
attitude. Even one missing factor can compromise a person's effectiveness in
the corporate world. A manager needs to rotate between the roles of a mentor,
counsellor and coach whenever it is required for the team. The manager has to
lead by example, and coaching a team to upgrade their skills is perhaps the
best gift any manager could bestow on his team. Coaching is necessary for all
kinds of teams and functionalities within an organisation whether it is to
enhance the sales and marketing function, improve customer relationships,
optimise the production line and supply chain or streamline finance and
accounting.When your staff has expressed the willingness to learn new skills, a
manager must step into the shoe of a smart coach to empower the team with the
right skills and to lead by example.
A leader who coaches his
team through self-experience is likely to command better respect and will be
able to create a winning team. These managers usually come from the same work
background and have become leaders because they have exhibited the desired
managerial skills and an aptitude for their work function. But managers who
move laterally within an organisation may not always have the right coaching
skills, due to sheer lack of experience. Can you possibly teach resultfocused
managers to coach their employees? It's most certainly advisable, because
training is expected to propel performance upwards in both directions
managers turn into coaches and are able to equip their juniors with enhanced
skills for success.
Strangely enough, too many
employers don't recognise the need for coaching. Coaching isn't part of the manager's
job description. Though coaching is essential for learning and career
development of employees, managers don't see this as part of their role within
an organisation they feel that there isn't time for these conversations or
they lack the basic skill needed to teach team members how to function better.
But it is extremely important for any manager to note that over 70 per cent of
any employee education takes place through acquiring specific on-the-job skills
and not through formal programmes. So, if managers aren't involved actively in
the process of teaching employees, they will not grow effectively within an
organisation.
A successful manager isn't
just someone who gets the work done. He is someone who takes the time to
understand the needs of his team and works hard to help them hone in on their
skills. Not only does he train his juniors with new skills, but he also gains
their respect a factor that is important to the organisation's long-term
success.Employees who respect their bosses are likelier to be happy and will
stay within an organisation for longer reducing the attrition rate and
improving the bottom line.
Becoming a coach is a
powerful experience for any manager, because it forms a deep connection with
team members to help them with achievements they care about within the
strategic goals of the organisation. It's important for every manager to be a
good coach, because coaching is a special art form that encourages ordinary
people to achieve extraordinary things.
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Sachin Adhikari
|
The author is chief mentor,
Viztar International
ET22DEC15
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