How A Coach Inspires People

CHANGING THE ‘COMMAND AND CONTROL’ STYLE Question :

I have been thinking hard about my managerial style, which is more of “order-giving”. I would like to be able to make people want to do their work out of a sense of ownership and responsibility and not because they are being pushed to it. I am only 40 years old and there is a lot ahead for me. Without making changes, I do not think I can go far. The problem is, I do not know where to start. Please help me.

Answer:

The fact that you realise the need for change is already half the battle won. The other half is about your commitment to a game plan that will remove your order-giving ways step by step.

POWERFUL QUESTIONS

• What can you do as a new leader to help people achieve their visions and values rather than managing them on their tasks?

• What can you do to expand people’s capacity to perform at a higher level rather than being a supervisor of their work behaviour?

• What can you do to be more of a mentor to further improve your people’s professional development?

• How can you influence them to do the right thing?

COACHING IS NOT ALL ABOUT GETTING THINGS DONE Question :

Is it true that coaching is about getting things done? If this is so, then I can call myself a coach since for the last 21 years I have been getting people to achieve the company’s goals. What are your views?

Answer:

If coaching is all about getting things done, then even a nagging parent can be a coach! Yes, action is needed. But there is another important element, that is the learning aspect, which is often missing in many manager-staff type of interaction. Many meetings are about “you do this and you do that” type of order-giving. The learning element in coaching is about raising selfawareness and being mindful about how people learn best. When done well, learning has the effect of helping people to be more resourceful, expanding their perspective and possibilities, and empowering their will to move forward to make changes. Add this into your current work and you will be on your way to becoming a coach.

POWERFUL QUESTIONS

• What is your style of management?

• To what extent have your people improved over the years?

• Each time you want them to do something, do they regard it as their agenda as well?

• Do they find personal fulfilment in doing it?

COACHING FOR PERFORMANCE Question :

What is your opinion of getting a coach for my senior manager? His performance has been good but, lately, we noticed that he is not performing up to mark.

Answer:

It is not uncommon for an organisation to consider coaching to improve the performance of senior people. For organisations that I have coached, this seems a better way to help the person than just telling him that he needs to improve in this or that. Hiring a coach is regarded as a gentle and effective way to resolve the deeper underlying issues confronting him. A good coach has the qualities and skills to get this manager to open up and then help him to cocreate a plan of action to address his issues.

POWERFUL QUESTIONS

• How valuable is the manager to the organisation?

• What is the cost of replacement as opposed to fixing the problem?

• Would your organisation be able to move faster and more efficiently without him, or do his other contributions make it justifiable to consider coaching?

• Will the performance levels of colleagues and direct reports improve if this manager’s performance improves?