by Paddy Barr, Managing Partner, Barr Performance Coaching and IMI associate
The need to attract and retain high calibre individuals on to our teams and into our organisations is omnipresent and probably the most important determinant of the long term success of the company. The research tells us people don’t leave companies rather they leave bad managers or leaders. It is critical therefore that managers are equipped to motivate end inspire employees to deliver their best work. The manager enables the success of their employees by ensuring that the ecosystem within which their team works is conducive to sustaining high performance impactful work. One of the key factors that influences the environment and culture that is created within the office is the manager’s style. The old “command and control” style of management, where the manager may have done a lot of “telling”, has rapidly been replaced by a more constructive style where the manager focuses on enabling the employees on the team to deliver more than the sum of the parts. his style is often referred to as a Coaching Style of management.
Coaching is a discipline focused on working with individuals in a thought provoking way that inspires them to take ownership and action for their personal/professional development so that they can deliver impactful outcomes. The key factor is that the coaching is centred on the individual and their actions to achieve their aspirations. In traditional manager/employee discussions the focus was probably all centred on the company’s needs and wants. A coaching style of management seeks to align the employee’s growth potential and ability to deliver impactful results with the company’s needs. The coaching style recognises that there is a symbiotic relationship between the employee and the company which needs to be nourished, nurtured and developed over time, as the needs of the individual and the company change. Coaching is always focused on the achievement of impactful goals and outcomes for both the individual and the company – it is supportive and challenging in equal measure. Organisations that embrace a coaching style tend to deliver very significant business results and sustain high performance for much longer than other companies.
It requires courage for a manager to adopt a coaching style as it is heavily reliant on empowering individuals and the team to come out of their comfort zones and explore new ways of thinking and acting. A coaching style of management requires the manager to adopt a variety of coaching skills and approaches in their day to day engagement with employees. The characteristics associated with a coaching style of management include the following;
- Displaying high quality active listening skills
- Poses thought provoking questions to open new ways of thinking
- Solicits dialogue, discussion and productive challenge
- Inspires others to create and execute their own solutions
- Seeks to uncover the true motivation & potential of team members
- Maintains a growth mindset for themselves and their teams
- Motivates their teams to be better and do better
None of the items in the list above are on the face of it particularly difficult to master but many managers find it difficult to consistently sustain the display of the coaching competencies over time. Remember it is not having the competency that matters but how you display the competency to deliver an meaningful business impact that is important. Thus it is important that one is mindful and thoughtful in ones approach do displaying the competencies and that one solicits regular feedback.
Active listening means being able to “hear” not just the words but the underlying emotion and anxiety that may be contained within the message. If you are displaying strong active listening you will be able to empathise with the individual and play back not only what the individual said but also summarise how they feel and what is enabling or hindering them in their work.
Thought provoking questions are ones that help the individual “see” the challenge from another perspective or “see” opportunities in a different light. The purpose of the question is to enable them to discover a new possible outcome or a new path to achieving their goal.
Soliciting dialogue and productive challenges involves inviting the individual to challenge you and your perspectives but also to challenge themselves and their views. The purpose of the productive challenge is to open up new ways of collaborative thinking so that you end up with the best of both perspectives, i.e. you build upon each other’s ideas to come to a better solution than either of your independent thinking would.
A solution that is mandated by a third party rarely inspires and is often forgotten, so the skilled coach will work with a client to create and execute their own solutions. An individual is far more likely to successfully implement a course of action if they have a sense of ownership in the determination of the process and the outcome. Thus in taking a coaching approach you will work with the individual to help them discover the solution and the path to achieving their goal.
It is important to work with employees to help them find what will truly fulfil them in life and what motivates or drives them to be their best selves. In the spirit of the path to failure is littered with good intentions we each must understand what will compel us to take action and to set a challenging high bar for us to achieve so that we can look back and be proud of our legacy. The coach will work with their client to unlock that potential and identify their true sense of purpose.
Our mindset is a combination of our beliefs and feelings that determine our view or attitude to life. Our general wellbeing is heavily influenced by the choices we make, especially the choices we make relating to our attitude. This attitude to life underpins our demeanour, colours our thinking and determines our approach to life’s opportunities and challenges. Attitude also impacts how others engage with us, and can be the determining factor affecting a positive or negative dialogue. When individuals are dealing with a very difficult and stressful situation, that stress can be reduced if those involved bring a positive attitude to the table. Thus people are more likely to gravitate towards individuals with a positive attitude. We must be prepared to open our minds to learning opportunities we must move from the scale of “correct” and “wrong” and focus on what is possible rather than allowing ourselves to be consumed by the current situation.
Finally a manager who is displaying a coaching style will have taken the time to understand what motivates their teams to be better and do better. High performing teams know that they can do better and are usually motivated by raising the bar and striving for even more audacious goals.
About the author
Patrick is the owner & Managing Partner of Barr Performance Coaching a boutique coaching and leadership development company focusing on enabling clients maximise their potential and achieve exceptional personal and professional results. Patrick’s commitment is to collaborate with clients to design, develop and implement high quality business, career & personal development strategies using challenging innovative processes and creative, insightful thought leadership.
