While many companies have elaborate training options, the focus on the coaching framework can certainly be better.
When it comes to coaching, many companies have tie-ups with external coaches and offer this to senior executives either as a privilege or as a developmental intervention.
So, most times it’s up to the manager to manage their team but also coach them.
What’s the difference between managing and coaching?
Let’s take the analogy of sports. Most sports have a captain and a coach who play different roles.
The captain is responsible for results and is expected to get things done and in that process must get the best out of people, and the better captains do learn to motivate and encourage team members. But the captain, like the manager, has many other responsibilities like strategy, implementation of plans, tracking things, etc. Which is why in sports, most athletes have coaches who focus purely ON THEM. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their attitude, their mindset, their emotional states, their ability to handle pressure, etc.
The point here is – managers don’t know the difference between coaching and managing. They haven’t been taught how to coach. They don’t always have the right skills to coach effectively and lastly most of the time they are just too caught up to give team members the personalized and individualized attention that is really needed for their team members to reach their peak performance and potential.
Result – we are not able to tap into the peak potential of team members and we end up getting ‘just enough’ results.
What also ends up happening is that some managers are slightly better at coaching while most can get much better at it. Managers are also at a huge disadvantage because most of them start as individual contributors, do well as individuals, and get promoted. And suddenly, they have to get work done through others which is not a skill that got them to this role. It is in fact a skill which is quite the opposite of an individual contributor where you competed with your peers and now you are expected to make people come together and deliver.
How do we deal with this reality?
From the world of sports, we clearly understand that for peak performance – individual and personalized coaching is critical. So how can companies offer this to all individuals?
Set up a broad-based coaching framework that offers everyone something
Ideally, the coaching framework needs to have internal and external components wherein you leverage internal abilities and use external resources for specific value adds.
For Senior Leaders – Life Wisdom Coaching (External)
You must focus on holistic coaching ideally like Life Wisdom Coaching wherein work and life elements are addressed. External coaches are best suited for this.
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For Leaders and Senior Managers – Executive Coaching (External)
You can opt for an Executive Coaching model which is an Individual coaching model focused on work-related aspects and again external coaches are best suited for this.
For Leaders and Managers – Mentoring (Internal)
You need to have mentors outside their reporting line to help employees learn from others – this must be an internal model and mentors also need some basic training.
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For Individual contributors – Group Coaching (Internal or External)
Group Coaching is ideally suited for mid to junior levels where you teach them concepts and have a follow-through model to help them implement the concepts. This can be done for subjects like Personal Productivity. This can be done through external or internal coaches.
For Individual contributors – Manager as a Coach (Internal but certified managers)
Make sure managers understand the difference between coaching and performance conversations. Train managers and leaders to be better coaches. Get managers certified as internal coaches.
For Individuals who need short-term guidance – Mo-Mentoring (External)
One-off conversation to help employees with their work issues like how to deal with something specific or how to fix their attention etc. Ideally done by an external coach who can show people quick wins around their immediate issues.
For individuals – Help them Live Fuller Lives – Live Well Conversations
Unlike conversations with counselors which carry a taboo and are meant for serious issues, this is more for directing people to set up proper personal goals, get clear on their priorities, and get better at managing the basics of work and life through personalized strategies.
To bridge the gap between managing and coaching, organizations need to establish a comprehensive coaching framework that caters to the needs of individuals at various levels within the company. This creates an environment where everyone can thrive and reach their peak performance, both personally and professionally.
Are we empowering our employees with such a framework?
Are we able to truly unlock their full potential?
These are the questions we must ask ourselves to drive sustainable and meaningful change for a productive workforce.