How Coaching Leaders Build Problem-Solving Teams
I have declared June “coaching month”.
In a 4-part series, I’m here to help you develop and focus on your coaching skills this month.
Do you need to catch up on this series? No problem. Below are the links to weeks 1 and 2.
Effective Coaching Skill 1: Listening
Effective Coaching Skill 2: Asking Powerful Questions
Today, let’s discuss the next skill: collaborative problem-solving.
Do you pride yourself on being an effective problem solver?
Many leaders do!
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: your problem-solving might actually be stunting your team’s growth and weakening your succession pipeline.
The Problem with Being the Problem-Solver
I recently worked with a brilliant COO who was exhausted from constantly putting out fires.
When I asked her what typically happens when team members bring her problems, she admitted, “I usually tell them how to fix it. It’s faster that way.”
But when YOU constantly solve problems for your team, you create the following issues:
- You create a bottleneck where progress depends on your availability
- You miss opportunities to assess their problem-solving capabilities
- You are not able to transfer strategic knowledge to your high-potential talent
The Brainstorming Approach to Coaching
So, what can you do instead?
Use collaborative team problem-solving.
This will develop their capabilities while transferring your knowledge.
So good…right!!!
This week, when someone brings you a problem:
- Resist solving it for them
- Ask for a few potential solutions
- Have them evaluate these options against strategic criteria
- Support their implementation of the solution that they selected
Pay attention to who thrives with this approach.
They’re likely candidates for your succession pipeline.
When you combine deep listening, powerful questioning, and collaborative problem-solving, you create a coaching approach that doesn’t just address today’s challenges, it also develops your leaders for tomorrow.
