"Coaching focuses on future possibilities, not past mistakes” - Sir John Whitmore

If that isn’t a strong enough reason to coach your people, I don’t know what is. People leaders learn from other leaders and managers around them. It’s that simple. Focusing on the day-to- day experiences that get you interacting and engaging with your people is a must for all leaders. It’s not enough to just employ people based on their previous job experience and trust that they will know what to do in an organisation. Managers need to show how they would like their direct reports to manage their people by demonstrating the skills and tools themselves.

Managers today need to become better at working alongside – rather than instructing – their direct reports. The time has come to adapt or die. Millennials, Generation Z, and all the younger employees to come just won’t respond to a leader who dictates, tells, and controls all the time. Believe me! I am a parent of four children between 12–16 years, and I’m still learning to adjust my style as my children change from children to teenagers.

A quite experienced manager I worked with mentioned that in the 1990s he ran an operation with 115 staff. Today he has only five direct reports. Working with him, I could see that his style was to lead in a very directive way, to tell others what to do and how to do it. While this style of management may have been acceptable in the 1990s, it wasn’t suitable anymore. The manager’s style hadn’t adjusted and flexed. This way of relating to people is no longer received well by most direct reports, particularly the newer generations. You must be prepared as a manager to adapt your style and continually develop.

Coaching on the job is one of the ways we can encourage our people to solve their own problems in ways that are authentic to them, rather than insisting on your own way of doing it. It will also encourage you to re-evaluate and adapt your leadership style. Please note that I’m in no way suggesting we don’t follow the organisation’s guidelines, policies, and procedures. Rather, I am saying that looking at new and varied ways to tackle the daily obstacles we face encourages innovation and fresh thinking. Coaching gives both you as the manager, and your direct report the opportunity to do this.

Remember, the old saying that ‘we have two ears and one mouth, and we should use them in that proportion’ absolutely applies to coaching our people. We all have family members, friends, and colleagues who are great talkers but lack the skills or inclination to listen well. True listening requires focus and discipline. And always ask yourself when you are coaching or in a 1-on-1: Am I in the right state of mind to listen to this person now? If not postpone the session until you are.

Try using the GROW Coaching questions complied here in your next 1-on-1.