Why the Best Leaders Talk Less and Coach More

In today’s workplace, leaders are facing more complexity than ever. Employees want development, not just direction. Organizations need innovation, not just execution. And leaders are expected to do more than manage tasks, outcomes and deliverables. They must inspire, engage, and develop their teams in a way that fosters long-term success.

One of the most effective ways to meet these evolving leadership demands is through coaching. But coaching isn’t just for executive coaches or HR professionals, it’s a skill that every leader can and should master.

Why Coaching is the Future of Leadership

For decades, traditional management has focused on top-down decision-making, giving instructions, and monitoring performance. While these skills are important, they often don’t unlock the full potential of a team.

Leaders who integrate coaching techniques into their approach don’t just drive results—they transform how people think, collaborate, and perform. And the research supports this shift:

• 30% increase in engagement for organizations where managers use a coaching approach ( Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report)
• 25% faster decision-making when coaching becomes part of leadership culture (ICF Building a Coaching Culture for Increased Employee Engagement)
• 20% improvement in team productivity when coaching methods are applied (MIT SloanThe New Elements of Digital Transformation)

But what exactly does it mean to lead with coaching?

The Mindset Shift: From Managing to Coaching

Many leaders assume they’re already coaching their employees, but in reality, they may still be stuck in a directive leadership style where they are explaining or training. Many leaders truly believe they are coaching and often they are doing more mentoring, sharing best practices or "what they would do" in the situation rather than tap into the talent and creativity of their teams. Coaching requires a shift in both mindset and behavior. It also means TALKING LESS. In a true coaching interaction, the manager is only speaking about 25-30% of the time.

Here are three fundamental differences between traditional management and coaching-based leadership:

1. From Giving Answers → To Asking Powerful Questions. Traditional managers focus on quick solutions. Leaders who coach ask questions that encourage independent problem-solving. Instead of saying, “Here’s what you should do,” a coaching leader might ask:

• “What options have you considered?”
• “What would success look like in this situation?”
• “What support do you need to move forward?”

2. From Controlling Outcomes → To Developing Capability. Micromanagement creates dependency, while coaching builds confidence. Leaders who coach invest in their team’s ability to think, act, and make decisions effectively. This creates a culture of ownership and accountability, rather than one where employees wait for permission.

This of course takes TIME and TRUST. Building trust with team members isn't an overnight act. People may not do things exactly as you would, and thats ok. They might have a different (or dare I say...even better) idea or approach.

3. From Performance Management → To Growth-Oriented Development. Traditional feedback often focuses only on what’s wrong; correcting mistakes, meeting quotas, and tracking output. Coaching-based leaders shift the focus to learning, growth, and potential. This doesn’t mean avoiding accountability; it means helping employees improve through guided self-discovery.

For example, if an employee makes a mistake, its temping to ask: "What happened here? Why did you do x or y?" Instead get CURIOUS instead "Help me understand your approach and thinking here? Walk me through what occurred." Before jumping to conclusions, seek understanding first. You may just learn something!

Bringing Coaching Into Your Leadership Today

If you’re looking to integrate coaching into your leadership style, start with these three simple actions:

1. Practice Active Listening – Give employees your full attention and listen with the intent to understand, not just respond. This means saying things like: "What I hear you saying is...."
2. Ask More Than You Tell – Encourage team members to think through challenges instead of providing immediate answers. Steer away from yes/no questions as well. Think more like: "If you were to get the promotion you are striving for, what would that make possible?"
3. Foster a Growth Mindset – Reframe mistakes as learning opportunities and encourage reflection and self-improvement. See #3 in the above section for this one!

When coaching becomes a habit, it changes the way teams function. Employees feel more empowered, engaged, and invested in their work, leading to stronger performance, greater retention, and a healthier workplace culture.

Ready to Lead Like a Coach?

Great leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about asking the right questions. If you're ready to develop coaching skills that drive engagement, performance, and retention, check out the live-virtual program I designed, Coaching Skills for Leaders Certification which I'll be facilitating through Purpose and Performance Group starting April 3, 2025.

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