Welcome, fabulous leaders, to our weekly exploration of leadership principles.
Today, we dive into the second "M" of the 6 M Framework: Managing Others as a Coach. This aspect of leadership is foundational in cultivating strong relationships, empowering team members, and driving collective success. Let's unpack what it means to manage others as a coach and how you can excel.
Understanding Managing Others as a Coach
As leaders, we wear many hats – motivator, change agent, ambassador, visionary and coach. Managing others as a coach involves more than just giving instructions; it's about empowering individuals to realize their full potential, fostering growth, and nurturing talent within your team.
1. Coaching Basics for Leaders: Empowering Growth
Coaching is a powerful tool for leadership to use to develop their teams. It involves asking open ended questions, providing feedback, when appropriate and offering support to help individuals overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Secondly it will open the door for individuals to experience breakthroughs and have insights about themselves and their lives. By breakthroughs, I mean being able to see something about themselves that they have never seen before, or were completely unaware of. As a leader, honing your questioning skills allows you to guide individuals towards their own breakthroughs, thereby empowering your team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and drive performance excellence.
So lean into learning more about the different types of questions you can utilise, such as open ended questions, objective questions, subjective questions, closed questions, probing, reflective, leading and stacked questions. Each type has pros and cons and can be used at different points for different reasons such as opening up thinking, reflecting on behaviour for self awareness, digging further into a topic to gather more information and so on. This is how you get your team members to open up and share, to have insights and breakthroughs.
Secondly, there are some basic coaching frameworks you want to learn about, so that you can utilise any one of them, as a process to follow with team members, as you coach them. Use questioning techniques to unpack what an individuals goals are, where they are right now in relationship to those goals, what they have tried, not tried, what they know, what they don't know and then further unpack what they want to focus on achieving right now and how they will stay accountable. Make sure to work with them to make their goals SMART.
Below are the three key frameworks that are most well known. Pick one and learn that as a process to use with your team:
GROW Model:
- Goal: The coach and coachee establish clear and specific goals that the coachee wants to achieve.
- Reality: The coach helps the coachee explore their current reality and identify any obstacles or challenges they may face in reaching their goals.
- Options: The coach and coachee brainstorm and explore various options and strategies to overcome obstacles and achieve the desired outcomes.
- Will: The coachee commits to taking action and creates a plan of action with specific steps to achieve their goals. The coach provides support and accountability as the coachee implements their plan.
OSKAR Coaching Model:
- Outcome: The coach helps the coachee define a clear and compelling outcome or goal that they want to achieve.
- Scaling: The coach uses scaling questions to help the coachee assess their current progress and identify steps they can take to move closer to their desired outcome.
- Know-how and Resources: The coach assists the coachee in identifying the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to achieve their goals.
- Affirm and Action: The coach encourages the coachee to affirm their commitment to taking action and supports them in creating a plan with specific steps to reach their desired outcome.
CLEAR Coaching Model:
- Contract: The coach and coachee establish a coaching contract, outlining the goals, expectations, and boundaries of the coaching relationship.
- Listen: The coach actively listens to the coachee, asking powerful questions and providing reflective feedback to deepen understanding and awareness.
- Explore: The coach helps the coachee explore their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives, uncovering insights and identifying opportunities for growth and development.
- Action: The coachee commits to taking action and creating a plan of action with specific steps to achieve their goals. The coach provides support, encouragement, and accountability as the coachee implements their plan.
- Review: The coach and coachee review progress, celebrate successes, and identify any challenges or adjustments needed to stay on track toward achieving the desired outcomes.
Embracing the Coach Within
To excel in managing others as a coach, consider the following strategies:
- Active Listening: Listen with intent and empathy, seeking to understand the perspectives and needs of your team members.
- Asking Powerful Questions: Challenge assumptions, interpretations and limiting beliefs, spark creativity, and encourage critical thinking by asking open-ended questions that prompt reflection and insight.
- Providing Constructive Feedback: Offer feedback in a constructive, direct and supportive manner, focusing on specific behaviors and actions that can be improved upon.
- Empowering Ownership: Foster a sense of ownership and accountability among team members by empowering them to take ownership of their projects and decisions.
Unlocking Potential: The Impact of Coaching Leadership
By embracing the role of coach, leaders can unlock the full potential of their teams and drive exceptional results. Coaching fosters a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement, empowering individuals to thrive and contribute their best to the organization's success, or to your business.
Closing Thoughts: Lead with Empathy and Empowerment
In conclusion, managing others as a coach is a cornerstone of effective leadership. By embracing the principles of coaching – empowerment, support, and growth – leaders can create an environment where individuals flourish, teams thrive, and organizational goals are achieved.
Join me next week as we explore another aspect of leadership excellence. Until then, lead with empathy, empower with purpose, and coach with compassion. Wishing you a week filled with impactful coaching moments!
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