by Brian McReynolds, brian@instituteforappliedleadership.org
The common expectation in the business world is that a manager has all the answers to every situation that will arise. When a tough decision is needed or a difficult problem needs to be navigated, who will know better than the manager? Right?
Not necessarily. You, the manager, can chose an approach that brings the employee into the decision-making process. This approach will ultimately grow your staff’s awareness as you literally coach them to successful management strategies. The manager then becomes a powerful leader who no longer has to tell his employees what to do; he guides them to finding the answers for themselves. Poor managers (or micromanagers) rarely make good leaders.
The rallying cry of an organization is often something along the lines of “building leaders for a better tomorrow.” What if leadership were actually born in the refinement of our ability to manage? How we manage people within the organization is ideally the first conversation. Specifically, a Coaching Style of Management is simple to learn and use. These practices are based on two skills: healthy boundary setting and communication, plus five strategies: clarify the statement, seek input, gain consensus, set expectations, and follow through. When managers begin to merge their behaviors into more coach-like resourcefulness, then staff growth and empowerment occurs and leaders are created. The concept of the Coaching Style of Management makes it possible to link the term management with leadership.
Read the Coaching Style of Management chapter in Coaching Perspectives V for more.
