Manager as Coach provides support and guidance, rather than instruction.
The traditional manager is notorious for taking a top-down approach to leadership, with little wiggle room for employee suggestions or initiative. A coaching leadership style, however, is less about giving orders and more about allowing staff to develop their skills in a psychologically safe work environment.A Manager as Coach achieves this outcome in three main ways:
- Encouraging open and honest communication – by creating safe spaces to voice one’s thoughts and opinions, employees are able to notice areas that aren’t working and suggest areas of improvement.
- Discouraging fear of judgment – by allowing staff to make errors and express themselves without a fear of getting punished, it allows mistakes to be perceived as learning opportunities.
- Encouraging teamwork and collaboration – removing the traditional hierarchical structure allows cooperation between multiple teams and levels of staff, helping create new ideas and efficiency within the workplace.
Studies show a coaching style of leadership produces high-performing teams and happier staff.
Research suggests that a manager as coach approach sees a positive knock-on effect in both performance and staff engagement. A case in point was found in Betterworks’ 2023 State of Performance Study, demonstrating employees with a manager as coach were 40% more engaged and 20% more likely to stay at their organisations, compared to staff with traditional leaders [1]. Another case study saw tech company Time Etc switch their entire management style and embrace the manager as coach approach. As a result, this organisation recorded a consistent ranking for employee engagement and productivity in the top 1% of companies worldwide, as well as saw a significant drop in employee turnover [2].Various development models will help you transition your existing managers into a coaching role.
Whilst many methods exist, one of the primary frameworks used to assist managers on their journey towards a coaching style of leadership is the GROW model. Created by Sir John Whitmore in the 1980s, the GROW model involves four action steps to develop non-directive coaching skills in leaders [3].These are:
Goal – Establish an objective with your staff – what do you want to achieve right now? Reality – Ground the goal in the real world – ask what, when, where and who? Options – Explore the options of how to reach your objective – What are the options and obstacles to getting this goal achieved? Will – Create an action plan – what will you now do to achieve the goal?
Whilst adopting a coaching style of leadership is a process, evidence suggests it is ultimately beneficial for both staff, team and the workplace as a whole.
For more information on encouraging a coaching leadership style amongst your managers, check out our Leadership Essentials workshop. [1] Gouldsberry, M. (2023).” Manager as Coach: The Power of Coaching for Business Impact ”, Betterworks, [2] Lashbrooke, B. (2023). “ A company replaced all of its managers with coaches. Employees became 20% more productive–and much happier ”, Fortune, https://fortune.com/2023/06/05/company-replaced-managers-coaches-employee-productivity-much-happier-work-careers/ [3] Scoular, I. & Scoular, A. (2019). “ The Leader as Coach ”, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-leader-as-coach Categories: EAP Articles /
