Why You Should Frame Your Managers as Coaches

Recently I read an interview with Garry Ridge, the CEO of WD-40, who stated, “We have coaches, not managers” (perhaps you saw it too?). It was so refreshing to hear a CEO say this and emphasise the importance of building an organisation based on people, purpose and values, and continual learning. They are all sentiments that we share at Synaptic Potential , and this kind of people-oriented thinking underpins everything we do with organisations.?

But it also got me thinking. Because when you are talking about managers and coaches like this, so much starts with having the right mind frame. You frame your managers, not as managers who “manage” but as coaches who “coach”. Or you find the middle ground, like we often do, which is managers who coach—the best of both worlds.??

It’s similar to the framing that people like Alison Gopnik have applied to parenting, where you can think about a parent as being a “carpenter” who shapes or a “gardener” who tends. Sometimes as a parent, you are more of a gardener, and other times, a carpenter.??

But whether you are talking about managers, coaches, “carpenters”, or?“gardeners”, you’re talking about helping someone progress from A to B but take different approaches and strategies to achieve that goal.?

Back to Basics?

If you look at the definition of “manage” in the Cambridge dictionary then, it states “to be responsible for controlling or organising someone or something, especially a business or employees”, while a coach is defined as “someone whose job is to teach people to improve at a sport, skill, or school subject” or in our world “someone who facilitates self-directed neuroplasticity.??

And while there are many varieties of these definitions out there, what’s clear is that it’s not enough these days for a manager to manage. If you want to get the most out of your team, then managers also need to be good coaches.??

The problem is that many organisations still weigh too heavily on the managing side of things and less on the coaching side. They don’t focus on equipping their manager with the coaching skills that effectively develop potential and improve performance.??

And while core manager capabilities will get you part of the way to becoming a coach, it takes a bit of time and practice to get good at having those coaching conversations with your team that help them develop themselves and achieve their full potential. You have to know the best kinds of questions to ask and how to ask them. You have to know when to listen and when you give feedback. You have to understand how your body language matters. You have to be clear on the goals you are trying to achieve with each coaching conversation. And you have to know when it’s the right time to be wearing your coaching hat and when you need to be wearing your manager hat. It’s not easy to get right (ask an executive coach!), and managers shouldn’t be expected to go it alone.??

Having just finished helping a group of managers develop their coaching skills over a series of 10 highly practice focused sessions, we know just how revolutionary it is for teams and people’s families when people can properly coach the people around them.??

So if you are someone who has people responsibilities, next time you’re talking to one of your team, think about your mind frame…do you view yourself as a manager, a coach (or even a “carpenter” or a “gardener”) in that situation? And, perhaps just as importantly, how do they view you??

If you are a manager who wants to become a better coach, then you might be interested in our Coach Savvy Manager Programme which gives managers the opportunity to actively practice their coaching skills and receive meaningful, in the moment, feedback. You can find out more about it here.?

Thanks for reading this edition of the BrainUP newsletter; I hope you enjoyed the topic this week. Here are some ways to learn about insights and applications of neuroscience in business and your life:?

1. Visit our Learning Lab:

→?Get more resources ?to learn more about how brains work and how they are critical to organisational development.?

2. Join me for Live events - leave with practical applications of the sciences:?

→?Follow me on LinkedIn , where I post live event details and more on neuroscience and work. Live Events are always free to join.

3. Subscribe to receive more newsletters full of tips on how to level up your brain:?

• → Join the almost 6000 subscribers,?subscribe ?to receive weekly BrainUP newsletters.