Manager as coach, in my view, is a very difficult conversation to have for both parties.
Coaching needs to offer the opportunity for complete openness and honesty, and to provide a trusted safe space. Often this isn't possible if the coach is the Line Manager.
For example; if you're a new to role colleague and you are having issues relating to your new role, your new colleagues, the culture or your Line Manager. Your Line Manager or equally someone else in the organisation, may not be best placed to coach you.
However Line Managers can be taught to ask better coaching questions and here's a few which may help to grow colleagues and teams...
- What's your opinion on how to handle this?
- What do you think?
- What do you recommend?
- What's the most important thing for you to focus on right now?
- What are your ideal outcomes and what would you need to do to make those happen?
- What areas of your work would you like more or less direction from me?
Coaching is a highly impactful method to help all colleagues to be the best versions of themselves and achieve great results. However if as an organisation you can't afford to coach your Managers, then helping them to ask better questions will help achieve better engagement and productivity.
At Liberté we focus on delivering results through affordable, accessible and scalable coaching and our pricing is open and transparent.
www.libertecoachingltd.com
