Why and How Leaders Acting More Like Coaches can save Thousands of $$$$ - Lisa Askwith

Lisa Askwith - "Engaging Your People"

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Introduction
Most leaders are very comfortable in managing the day-to-day performance of their people.  Leaders within your organization were likely promoted from within and have demonstrated mastery in their technical area.  As your organization grows there is a need for your leaders to evolve from telling, or using a directive leadership approach to coaching which relies more on asking thought provoking questions.  Your managers and leaders no longer have to have all of the “right” answers but they need to know how to ask the “right” questions. 

Leaders would not be where they are if they did have the skill to manage the day-to-day activities of their teams.  Leaders often have to wear multiple hats that include both managing the performance of the team and taking a role in the development and growth of the team members. Leaders that Act more like coaches help to develop the growth of your team members as a way of supporting and meeting the overall objective of the organization and the team.  Performance still matters. Deadlines still matter.  Leaders as coaches learn help the team members become more aware of any issues or beliefs that may be holding back progress toward their goals. Plus they take the next step and they become respected authentic leaders that fully engage with your people. If they lead from a coaching perspective they are asking questions and supporting solutions. This not only creates massive value in any business, but leads to a fully engaged team that will excel and create more than the norm.

Show Objectives

 Leaders that act more like coaches help to build the problem-solving capacity within your organization.  This approach helps your employees become the best version of themselves which increases their level of productivity.  The objective of today’s show is to provide some context and next steps in helping your leaders expand beyond the concept of management of performance to include coaching for growth and development.  

Key Issues

1.  Participation - how present is the leader and in-touch with what is happening in their work group, 
2. Contribution –  are they focused on completing a series of work assignments or the work groups contribution to the company, are they listening to employees to eliminate barriers – it is a measure of focus, 
3. Character – how well do they model the company’s values, do they reinforce those values in others – it is a measure of the company’s culture and its operating values.

What You Need to Know - The What

1. Leaders have to be equipped with what they need to make the shift from managing their technical areas to effectively managing other people. Look at models such as GROW and then later COACH to start to develop your leadership teams ‘coaching muscles’.
2. There is a difference between managing for performance and coaching for growth and development.
3. Leaders have to model the behavior that they want.  

A Good Place to Start is recognising the Different Types of Coaching and encouraging and supporting a shift to Situational.

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What You Need to Do

1. Develop Coaching as an organizational capacity- Why?, Model Behavior, Remove Barriers
   
2. Understand the difference between managing and coaching and model that behavior with your leadership team
   
3. Help your leaders transition from management by telling to leading by asking, continually create buy in;
   
   1.  360 degree feedback- explain the value
      
   2.  Ask if the business has implemented any new ideas or change programs in the last few years, why not?
      
   3.   Demonstrate to leaders the types of business improvements that can occur when they stop telling and start asking……efficiencies, new ideas implemented, cost savings, time savings, new revenue etc
      
   4.  Remind them that nearly all of the best business leaders have coaches……there is a reason for this, it works!!!!
      

Shows
Previous: Episode P5.007 Taking the Pain out of Developing and Making Performance Appraisals Formal
Next: Episode P5.009 How to Hire the Best Talent 

Written by Lisa Askwith

Director of ApexBRS | ApexBRS, Regional Director of See Global Media, Chair of  EGN Singapore, and Associate Professor Cambridge Corporate University | At the Age of Change, providing the HR component of the Global Executive MBA.

You can connect with Lisa on any of her platforms

LinkedIn Lisa Askwith - Director - Apex BRS
https://www.apexbrs.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ApexBRS

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