This is a question I often ask the managers and supervisors I work alongside.  I’m really trying to discover whether they use a coaching style when managing their direct reports. 

Coaching is a conversation aimed at developing the thinking, competence, and autonomy of the person being coached.

The concept of coaching as a technique has been around for almost 50 years, but I am constantly surprised that many managers with direct reports aren’t using this important tool to their advantage.  

Sir John Whitmore introduced the concept of coaching in organisations to improve performance. Whitmore began working with Formula 1 racing crews to improve individual performance and improve overall speed and efficiency. His GROW model is the most popular coaching tool in the world. (Just Google it and you’’ll find a wealth of information about the GROW model). 

I first came across coaching at a previous organisation, where they delivered a ‘manager as coach’ programme. As part of the programme, we not only learned coaching skills, but also received coaching. The company was undergoing a restructure at the time, and it became apparent that I could be looking for a new role. So I made the decision to begin my own business, which deepened my interest in being coached.  

Over the next few months, the discoveries I made through coaching helped me to:

• own my career decisions

• take the actions I wanted to take with my business

• control what steps I took and in what order. 

I had complete ownership in the process. I made myself accountable to my coach, and checked in with her each month to evaluate my progress in the actions I had agreed to. Throughout the process I learned that my beliefs about being self-employed were slightly naïve – but that was my own reality, and that was absolutely fine! 

As I look back now to that time, nearly 12 years ago, I can see that even as the goals moved, developed, and changed (or were discarded altogether), coaching set me on the path to where I am now. Coaching encouraged me to set goals and take action. Those initial goals seem minor now, but they helped create a habit that has seen me continue to set regular goals each year and new short-term goals each quarter. Having achieved some of my goals, my brain connected accomplishing goals with feelings of satisfaction and success.  

So over the next week with your direct reports; have a think about whether you are using a coaching style and make it a goal to ask questions, rather than just give suggestions.