Coaching as a manager by Epimetheus
Can a manager ever be a coach to someone they manage? This question is the subject of chapter 18 in ‘The Complete Handbook of Coaching’. And it is something I have been thinking about for a while now. Managers are encouraged to adopt a ‘coaching style’ and Civil Service Learning offer a programme of self-study with videos, reading material and a three-hour face-to-face workshop to do just that.
The ‘true coach’ and the ‘coaching manager’ do have a lot in common.
They are both working to help their client/managee (I’ll use ‘coachee’ as a neutral term from now on) to learn, grow and develop.
They do this with an attitude of helpfulness, not aiming to direct their coachee but help them to reach their own conclusions and solutions. This requires the coach and manager to have empathy and a belief that most people want to learn, and that they can play a part in that learning (the opposite of a ‘sink or swim’ mindset).
They are both good at listening and seeing with complete attention, analysing information and asking the right kinds of question with the aim of deepening their understanding to help their coachee come to their own conclusions.
But is using a coaching style the same as being a coach to someone? I think the answer is ‘No’. But the distinction between the two is very fine, and I’ll aim to give a flavour of this fine distinction in 3 key areas from my observations and experiences.
Accountability: The true coach has no formal accountability for the performance of their coachee whereas the coaching manager has that formal accountability. So the coaching manager must be able to switch between their coaching style and their directive management style as circumstances dictate. The Handbook says, “When managers become ‘coaching managers’, because they must both coach and evaluate their direct reports, it is possible that the evaluative components of their position may detract from employees being open about their concerns, problems and mistakes.” In short, the authority of the manager gets in the way of a truly trusting and open relationship.
Time: I have been told by a manager who uses a coaching style that they do not have the time to coach all of their people. Now that’s an interesting point. It carries the assumption that a manager has to coach all their people. That is not necessarily so. The ‘Handbook’ states that there are some people who do not want to be coached, which makes it ‘virtually impossible’ for the manager to coach them. Coachees must have, or be willing to learn, the ability to reflect objectively on their actions and the actions of others. Some people find this difficult if not impossible. So it is possible that the need for a manager to coach all of their people won’t exist.
Timing of coaching events: For an external coach or internal non-line-manager coach, coaching happens in formally organised sessions (usually 60 to 90 minutes long), pre-arranged with the time set aside specifically for by coachee and coach to give them time to talk. For a coaching manager, opportunities to coach appear, often unexpectedly, so the coach-manager must be able to recognise these fleeting opportunities and make the most of them. Any management activity contains the potential for learning, and coach-managers get to be adept at recognising and using them. Many factors influence the managers’ decision to grasp the coaching opportunity: a whole workshop could be devoted to this
As I said at the start, the distinction between a coach and coaching manager is a fine one. In the end, as long as we have both, and are prepared to develop the skills each requires, we will be moving towards having a ‘learning culture’ which will benefit everyone, including the business itself.
Connect with Epimetheus and read his other posts published on the good coach.
Reference: ‘The Complete Handbook of Coaching’ 3rd Edition, 2019
