MANAGER as COACH: The story behind its origin
Neha Mandhani
Executive Coach for "People First" Leaders | Leadership Development Consultant | Workshop Facilitator | Speaker
MANAGER as COACH is now open for registration. And I couldn't be more excited to be doing this with Lea Ann Hutter.
I wanted to share a bit more context for this body of work.
I had once pulled an all-nighter in the office. Yep, stayed in the office all night working on a client deliverable. I didn't sleep & showed up in the same pair of jeans and blouse the next day. While most of my peers were empathetic, most managers weren't. I was told this is part of the job.
This didn’t feel right.
While I understood the demands of our clients and I wasn't expecting to get an award for working hard one night, I was disappointed with the lack of humanity, gratitude, and care from many people in formal authority & power.
I wanted to be seen. I wanted to be acknowledged.
This was one of many such incidents where I wasn’t inspired by the leadership around me and as a result, started killing my own ambitions to be a manager. Self-doubt crept in, I played small & kept dimming my light.
There were some bright moments when certain leaders knew how to bring out the best in me but those were few and far in between.
And then a few years later, things were different in a new job. There were more people embodying the values and behaviors that inspired me. And there were two specific managers who knew how to bring out the best in me.
They knew –
?? When to ask good questions so I could stretch my thinking & take ownership
?? How to create psychological safety so I could take risks as they had my back?
?? How to provide feedback in a way that brought out my strengths
?? When to push me and when to ask me to slow down
?? How to listen deeply for what was not being said
领英推荐
?? When to step back & let me take charge
And here’s what shifted for me. I no longer played small. I felt brave to lead with my full presence. I became a better human and most importantly my organization got the best version of me.
Were things always perfect? A big no. I was (and am!) a human growing in this process. So, were these leaders but there was enough trust in the relationship that repair was possible.
This is what good leaders do. They lead with care. They humanize their people. They seek to understand. They listen. They reflect. They take accountability.
More people deserve to be managed this way.
And here’s what I see in my coaching practice. More managers want to lead with humanity. They understand the responsibility that comes with being a manager and want to learn new tools, practices, and behaviors but don't always know how. They are time-starved but intention-rich. This program is our humble attempt to equip managers to lead with care and deliver powerful business results. If you are a people manager, I hope you’ll consider giving yourself and your people this powerful gift of more human, compassionate, and thoughtful leadership. Come join us!
Pic Credit: Photo taken at Me in 2023 with The Roam Collaborative.? Photo credit:? Paige Green Photography?who graciously donated all Me in 2023 photo profits to the Ukraine Crisis Children's Relief Fund.