When to be a Coaching Leader – and When Not

I recently shared a series of posts detailing 20 principles of being a coaching leader. Whilst sharing those, I realized I may not have emphasized that a coaching style is not always the most effective leadership style you can adopt.

Whilst a coaching style is effective in some situations – it can be counterproductive in others.

A coaching style is especially effective in knowledge-driven organizations, where employees specialize and gain expertise, and where data is abundant. In organizations where it is impossible for one person to be a 360° expert.

A coaching style requires a high degree of emotional intelligence – because it requires:

-??The capability to suspend your own ‘knowing’

-??Tune into what is going on for the employee and ask questions that will bring them insight

-??Compassionately challenge them and inspire their confidence and motivation to take action

-??Connect the colleague (coachee) to their sense of purpose

Used in the right circumstances, it’s a highly effective way to inspire ownership and accountability. But it’s not always the most appropriate style to use with your team members or colleagues.

When a Coaching Style Works Well

Here are situations when a coaching style works well:

1.????? Skill Development to Realize Potential

As a leader, this is a core role requirement. Flexing your coaching capabilities supports growth by inviting employees to question, talk through ‘what if’ scenarios, problem-solve, think critically, and in so doing, develop confidence.

Some of the question you might pose include:

-?? What does success look like here?

-???How are you feeling about learning on the job? What is that feeling signaling to you?

-???What resources do you need to be successful?

-???What blockers do you envision? What are some ideas you have to prevent and overcome them?

2.????? Motivation and Empowerment

Everyone experiences dips in performance. An employee might be lacking motivation or feel unempowered. Taking time to engage and explore how they might reignite their typical fire can help a person take accountability and build intrinsic motivation.

-? ‘What are some of the factors are combining to create this ‘dip’ in your motivation levels?’

-? ‘When you consider this project, what emerges for you (thoughts, feelings)?’…. ‘What is this telling you?’

-???‘Recalling projects when you were super motivated, what was in place there that is missing here?’ …..‘What are some ways in which you can begin to bridge that gap?’

3.????? Inspiring Innovation ?

Greenfield projects that require creative thinking, are a perfect playground for you to support innovation: to envision novel outcomes, explore possibilities, and brainstorm ideas. You can support your team member’s thinking regarding the vision, strategy and process, boosting their confidence in identifying opportunities on their own.

-?? 'What excites you when imagining possibilities around this project?’

-?? ‘How do you want this project to set a new level of innovation/impact?’

-???‘What seems impossible now?’….. ‘What if your CEO said they believed it was possible – what would they be seeing that you aren’t?’

4.????? Building Long-Term Performance

A coaching conversation typically requires a greater investment of energy and time. You need to create the space, listen closely and ask powerful questions.

That’s an investment that builds long-term returns.

If you’re short on time and wondering whether to cut to the chase or invest in a coaching style, perhaps ask yourself: How many people remember being told to do something, versus being coached to craft their own solution?

What techniques are you going to use to remind yourself to use the situation as a coaching opportunity?

5.????? Improving Employee Engagement and Retention

Extending the earlier point, when you invest time in the growth and development of an employee, does that extend their commitment to you - and possibly your organization?

Employees who feel heard and trusted typically have higher engagement.

Similarly, if an employee seems disengaged, using a coaching style can open up space for honest dialogue about how they can improve their work experience.

-? ‘I’m noticing you appear less motivated recently, what’s your awareness around your motivation levels?’

6.????? Encouraging Adaptability

After investing in a few coaching conversations, observe whether your employees develop greater confidence in analyzing and resolving challenges independently – without the need for your direction. You can offer observations on their progress.

-??‘I’m observing you working hard to seek input from your peers in review meetings. What are you noticing about your efforts here?’

When a Coaching Style May Not Work Well

There are times when a coaching style is not appropriate and may impact the team member’s and the organization’s performance. In these situations, you, your team and the organization would benefit from you taking a different approach.

1.????? Crisis Situations

If there is a system crash, a product failure or your office is in danger of flooding, you probably don’t have time to devote to a coaching conversation. That’s the time to don your director’s hat and allocate clear accountabilities.

2.????? A Lack of Wherewithal

In a new environment, it’s unlikely a team member will know their way around the organization, its people, processes and structures. You need to tell them what they need to know to be effective before you start a coaching conversation.

3.????? Compliance is Essential

Where strict protocols and procedures are in place and regulated safety standards and compliance rules exist, you may want to avoid engaging in a coaching conversation.

It’s clear what needs to happen. There is no room for creativity or ambiguity. Having a coaching style conversation may end up muddying the previously clear waters, creating uncertainty.

4.????? Situations of Longer-Term Underperformance

A coaching style is effective when your employee has a constructive attitude and is keen to grow and are open to exploring different approaches and outcomes. But when your employee is underperforming or displaying borderline unethical behaviour, a coaching style can appear vague and lenient. In those situations, the time to coach has passed.

5.????? For Short-Term or Immediate Results

Coaching takes preparation, time and energy. If there is a pressing deadline or an immediate result is needed, a coaching approach might take too long.

These are situations when you can simply state, ‘We need to move fast here. This is what I need you to do.’

6.????? Some Employees Who Prefer Clear Guidance

Some people seek clarity, especially when new to a role or when perfection is required.

Adopting a coaching approach may not serve them well. They may even feel frustrated by the open questions – when all they want to be told what you expect, and they’ll deliver. These are possibly not the employees who will be your successors or necessarily grow in the organization – but if that approach delivers results, you may want to stick with it.

Knowing when to be a Coaching Leader and when not is essential to being an effective leader with a high-performing team. A coaching leadership style is one of several styles you can adopt to influence and inspire team members and stakeholders to perform well and realize their potential.

Coaching Style - Situational Leadership

One caveat, when I mention a coaching style, I’m talking about a coaching style based on executive coaching principles.

This is different to the Coaching style highlighted in Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey’s Situational Leadership framework, which is a very useful framework for supporting team members and colleagues at different stages of maturity.

Situational Leadership identified 4 styles based on how much direction the colleague needs and how much support.

Moving from high directive and low supportive styles to low directive and high supportive, the styles are: Directing, Coaching, Supporting, Delegating.

Tenets of a Professional Coaching Style

A coaching style that adheres to professional coaching standards, is based on a few core tenets – namely, that the leader:

- Creates a comfortable, ‘safe’ space for the discussion

-? Listens – to the pitch, pause, emotion, speed, choice of words, as well as to what isn’t said

- Asks questions that provoke insightful thought

-? Is curious and doesn’t judge (always easier said than done)

-? Maintains confidentiality

-? Holds the employee accountable for the actions they commit to.

Andrea Stone is an Executive Coach and Educator, working with leaders and their teams to create greater success, based on a foundation of emotionally intelligent leadership.

? Andrea Stone, Stone Leadership