Is the Manager Always the Coach?
Sometimes
In our fast-paced environment businesses world, middle managers often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities. From ensuring operational efficiency to maintaining team morale, the role can be demanding. Unfortunately, one of that tasks that often gets neglected is coaching.
Keep 2 things in mind:
The beauty of this is that you don't have to be an expert to be an effective coach. Anyone, with the right mindset and approach, can foster growth and development in their team members.
You don’t have to be everyone’s coach - although you should be coaching someone.
Last week, I talked about the power of coaching and explained why it is critical. This week, I want to talk about who should be a coach and who you should want coaching you.
The Myth of the Expert Coach
One common misconception is that to be a coach, you need to be an expert in every aspect of your team's work. This is simply not true. Effective coaching is less about having all the answers and more about asking the right questions, listening actively, and providing support. Here’s why anyone can be a coach:
Focus on Development: The primary goal of coaching is to help others grow. This can be achieved through guidance, feedback, and encouragement, rather than technical expertise.
Empathy and Understanding: Effective coaches are empathetic and understand the challenges their employees face. This emotional intelligence is more critical than technical know-how.
Facilitating Self-Discovery: Great coaches help employees discover solutions themselves, fostering independence and confidence.
The 10-Point Scale of Expertise
If anyone can be a coach, how do you - or anyone for that matter - determine who will be a good coach. I’ve always appreciated the ideas presented in the book Get a Coach, Be a Coach. The concept is simple:
Determine what skill you want to improve. For example, I may want to build better videos for LinkedIn that generate more leads.
Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (10 being expert). I would rate myself a 6 based on what I am doing.
Find someone who I think is 1-2 ratings above me (in my case, a 7-8). When I look at one of my contacts I think her videos are more fun and appealing than mine.
Ask that person to coach you.
The goal isn’t to find an expert. I wouldn’t want to find a 10 at making videos. First, that person would probably be someone I would have to pay and it could be expensive. Second, they may be an expert at doing videos, but not an expert at teaching them. Third, they may have a hard time understanding where I am in my skill development, particularly if they have been doing videos a long time.
By focusing on my friend who is just a little better, she can give me tips and suggestions based on what she does. She is more likely to help because we know each other and she is probably flattered that I think she is good enough to be a coach.
I can then set a goal for myself that I will implement 1 or 2 of her suggestions and if I do that I will rate my skill as a 7.
Being a Coach
When you think about being a coach, the process works in reverse. If I am a 6 at LinkedIn videos, then anyone who is a 4 or 5 would be someone who I could coach.
If you are thinking this through, what it means is you can be a coach at almost anything, provided you are just a little bit better than the person you are coaching. I’m not great at TikTok as a social media platform, but I’m way better than my friend who has never even been on the site and wants to try it.
Key Takeaways
You can coach anyone on any skill you have, provided they aren’t better than you.
Anyone can be your coach on a skill, provided they are better than you.
A coach doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment. If raising me to the level I want to get at takes an hour, then 1 hour of coaching it is. If it takes 6 months, then 6 months it is.
You can (and should) have multiple coaches for different skills. One coach for LinkedIn, one for ChatGPT, one for juggling, etc.
The manager doesn’t have to be your coach. Just like the manager may actually be coached by someone on their team. It all depends on the skill.
You need to set the expectation that your team should have a coach and should be a coach - first by telling them, second by modeling the behavior.
Conclusion
Being a coach as a middle manager is about creating an environment where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential. Remember, you don’t need to be an expert to be an effective coach. Focus on listening, asking insightful questions, providing feedback, and fostering a culture of continuous development. By embracing the coach within, you can drive your team to new heights of success.