True Success - Adopting A Coaching Style Of Management

The mindset of the manager-coach is to create an environment that fosters learning, independent thinking and opportunities to contribute. The manager-coach does not want to be seen as a solution provider. They want to be seen as a facilitator, paving the way for team members to achieve their results. Adopting a coaching style of management creates a role model for others. They are excellent listeners and communicators, providing perspective and encouragement while setting high standards and expectations.

Coaching is a way of enhancing the skills that your employees already possess. When creativity and new ideas begin to flow coaching becomes important because it is the tool that assists us in getting the idea from inside our head to the outside world. In addition, coaching is a way for the coach to enhance the quality of his or her leadership and communication skills with everyone.
The basic concepts for being a good coach are as follows:
1. Stop thinking about employees as people that need to be controlled or managed and give them the latitude to take actions and make decisions. Trust is a vital component of this equation.

2. Listen, listen, listen! If there are unhappy or disgruntled people in your group, you can guarantee that at some point they have attempted to share with you their concerns. It is likely you were not listening (or did not want to listen), or perhaps your initial reaction made the person think twice about bringing the problem to you. Listening is one of the greatest skills to develop regardless of your role.

3. Focus on developing the strengths of each employee rather than managing merely for results. Identify each person’s development needs and commit to following through on them. When people are growing and improving, their enthusiasm and effectiveness is greater.

4. Endorse effort and growth instead of pointing out failure or errors. Instead of pointing out errors, the coach-manager accepts them as learning opportunities and uses them to develop their employees.

5. Stop providing solutions. Managers often achieve their managerial positions after having been teachers, and will have an opinion or view on how to "fix" everything. The mindset is that it is usually faster to tell someone what to do, or do it yourself, rather than give your employees an opportunity to figure it out. By always providing the answers, managers take away the learning opportunity for their employees to come up with alternative (and potentially better) ways of doing things.

6. As a manager, stop making all the decisions. You do not have all the answers all of the time. The more you can find opportunities for people to contribute to the decision-making process and encourage people to have their say, the more your employees will feel connected and satisfied with the school.

7. Be unconditionally constructive. Do not patronize or be critical of others and take complete responsibility for how you are heard. It is possible to phrase everything in constructive terms, even a negative sentiment.

8. Create an environment where people are encouraged to work with you, and feel valued and respected. Make it clear to your employees what they are responsible for and give them the latitude to go about it in their own way. In short, treat them the way you would want to be treated.

The true success of adopting a coaching style of management can be measured by the success of the people they work with. When managers adopt a coaching style the productivity, motivation and satisfaction of the employees increases, all of which filters through to bottom–line. All this makes for an engaged workforce who are committed to giving the school as much as it is giving them. And as an extra incentive, adopting a coaching style of management results in a much more enjoyable workplace for everyone.