Learn how to effectively manage your team

Last month, I launched a 3-month series called:

TAKE YOUR LEADERSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL: 

Learn the 3-pillars of leadership success.

In August, we explored pillar 1: Know Yourself. 

In September, we will explore pillar 2: Manage Your Team.

You’ll learn:

• How to coach for results 
• How to give effective feedback
• How to develop your people
• How to create a high-performing team

Today, we will start with coaching and answer the following two questions:

1. What is coaching? 
2. How can you become a really effective coach every single day? 

What is coaching?

What does it mean to be a coach in a workplace environment?

Well, coaching is essentially a series of conversations. 

When coaching, you are helping the people on your team to develop their skills and abilities, boost their performance (which can include their confidence), and deal with issues before they become major problems. 

How can you become a really effective coach every single day? 

Coaching is like a sport. You have to learn a few key skills and then practice these skills consistently over time.

 The three critical skills coaches need to learn are:    

1. Listening: Listening helps create a deeper understanding of an issue or problem. When you stop to really listen, you can “peel away the layers of the onion,” giving you a deeper understanding of an issue. Once you have taken the time to really listen, you will have a clearer sense of the problem. You will be able to resolve the issue in a more holistic and effective way.
2. Asking powerful questions: Once you develop the ability to listen, the next step is learning to ask powerful questions. These open-ended questions will help you to solicit more thoughtful responses. When coaching, try shifting from “information gathering questions” to “open-ended questions.” The latter will ensure that you move beyond answers like “I don’t know” to richer and more relevant responses.
3. Brainstorming solutions: Is your goal to have an engaged and accountable team? If so, refrain from telling people what to do all the time. Rather, coach them to come up with their own solutions to problems. You can start the process by asking, “What’s one way you can solve this problem?” Then ask them, “What else can you try?” Generate a list of 4-5 options. Once your brainstorming is complete, ask them to choose the option that works for them.

So, in a nutshell, your role as a coach is to…

… guide your people

… develop your people 

… help your people to think, problem solve and implement their own solutions 

Ready for some training or one-on-one coaching to develop strong and effective coaching skills? Reach out any time at vanessa@mosaicpd.com and learn how I help you to achieve that goal.

By the way, do you have any colleagues or team members that you think would enjoy this 3-month series?

If so, send them this article. They are welcome to register here.