The Coaching Mindset: 5 Steps for Becoming a Highly Effective Manager

The Coaching MindsetThe most critical function of your company’s management team is to help employees and staff strategically navigate the workload – systematically completing tasks and achieving goals.  That means that your organization’s success is largely dependent on each manager’s ability to maximize the productivity of their subordinates.

By teaching supervisors about the difference between a managing versus coaching methodology and embracing a “coaching mindset” throughout your organization, you’ll find that you’re not only building a team of highly effective managers, but also a more successful business overall.

5 Steps for Employing a Coaching Mindset

A coaching mindset focuses on unleashing the potential of each team member – improving their ability to learn, perform and achieve goals by encouraging individuals to analyze situations, explore options and generate strategies.  These five steps are designed to help managers start the process of transitioning their leadership style towards a coaching methodology.

Step 1 – Identify the Goal

Empowering your team to think proactively and take an innovative approach to their work means ensuring they understand the big picture and ultimate goals.  While this is essential for the employees, it’s arguably even more important for the manager because this clarity is essential for delegating tasks effectively, setting realistic timelines and guiding the project forward.

Step 2 – Assess the Present Situation

Creating a strategy to achieve a goal or complete a complex task requires you to analyze your current situation.  It’s necessary for fully understanding what needs to be accomplished as you move forward.  That said, assessing the present situation shouldn’t be an exercise in reexamining past mistakes.  Briefly and simply discuss where you are, and then focus on setting the path forward.

Step 3 – Assist in Plotting a Course (and Get Buy-In)

Employing a coaching mindset means you’re helping your employees bridge the gap between where they are and where they need to be.  Together, you should discuss the options, the feasibility of those options, the priorities and any potential obstacles – providing guidance as they craft a strategy for moving forward and establishing a mutual commitment to the plan (unless a course correction is necessary – see step 5).

Step 4 – Provide Positive Reinforcement

Coaching also means providing reassurance and recognition along the way.  This can be formal (with scheduled check-ins and progress reports) or informal (with passing discussions and drop-ins) – or a combination of the two.  By focusing on positive reinforcement and feedback, you’ll create a more supportive company culture and satisfied workforce, and you’ll find it easier to provide constructive criticism when it’s really needed.

Step 5 – Correct Course (as needed)

Helping employees stay on track is a key function for effective managers.  With a coaching mindset, managers embrace flexibility because they understand that unexpected circumstances or outcomes are common and should be tackled head-on.  Instead of leaving employees afraid of ‘failure,’ the coaching mindset focuses on readjusting the strategy to address the new lessons that are continually being learned.

Expand Your Mangers’ Leadership Skills with Navigational Conversations

At FocalPoint Canada, we help business owners and executives build stronger teams through customizable training workshops – including Navigational Conversations: Strategic Coaching Skills for Today’s Business Leaders.

As certified business coaches, we guide our clients in overcoming challenges and leveraging opportunities with proven processes and methodologies that have been used by thousands of successful businesses over the past two decades.  Our FocalPoint business coaches use their expertise to teach our time-tested methods through individual coaching, group sessions, or trainings and workshops.

It all starts with a conversation.  Call us at 866-761-1616 or email infocanada@focalpointcoaching.com

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