Coaches are curious for a reason: They use discoveries about employees' motivations, concerns and aspirations to demonstrate care and dismantle barriers to performance and engagement.The point is to have an authentic, ongoing dialogue with the individual to identify their top concerns and show support accordingly.

Coaching Behaviours: Supporting With Genuine Conversations

Today's employees want a manager who is invested in their personal and professional development. They want frequent feedback -- and opportunities to do more of what they do best. They want to consistently grow as they pursue a compelling purpose.In this new world, the best path to an exceptional employee experience -- not to mention, high performance -- is for employees to have a coach, not a boss.

The Boss Is Obsolete

People join companies, but they leave managers. Because today's employees demand something different from their job, coaching is a must for managers. Plus, coaching creates an environment of high development, which is the most productive type of culture for your business and your employees. Coaching accelerates everything from collaboration and agility to performance and productivity.

The Role Of The Leader: Developing Managers

Excessive complicated administrative tasks make it difficult for managers to prioritize conversations with employees. And burned out, overworked managers will find it difficult to muster enthusiasm for coaching. In fact, reducing administrative tasks could better engage your best managers. This is why leaders must redefine and clarify managers' role expectations and performance metrics. Leaders don't have to design a whole new management structure; they can just modify expectations and resources to align with coaching goals.

The Role Of The Leader: Change Job Expectations

Like all employees, managers take their cues from leaders -- so leaders must create buy-in by providing the resources, development and accountability managers need. For leaders, preparing managers to coach requires more than asking them to start coaching.

The Role Of The Leader

Coaching becomes approachable when managers have access to proven development. Best of all, coaches have a ripple effect that extends beyond bottom-line measures like turnover. When managers serve as coaches, they can improve employees' lives and wellbeing.

The Bottom Line

<ul><li>Coaches set clear expectations and performance goals, and they hold employees accountable for those targets. </li><li>Coaches are future-focused when it comes to performance -- whereas bosses typically look for errors and punish performance mistakes.</li><li>Great coaches also focus on each worker's one-of-a-kind strengths, which helps them individualize their leadership style. </li><li>By emphasizing employees' strengths, coaches cultivate employees' natural abilities and position teams for excellence.</li></ul>

Coaching Behaviours: Focusing on Performance, Strengths and Engagement

Quick-fix coaching programs haven't made coaching intuitive or accessible.These transactional trainings don't prepare managers because they lack real-world applications and practical coaching behaviours.Also, many managers have misconceptions about coaching, such as:<ul><li>Coaching is like therapy.</li><li>Coaching is time-consuming.</li><li>Coaching is the same as independent executive coaching.</li></ul>

The State Of Coaching

To abandon traditional bossing and start coaching, managers need coaching themselves from leaders who genuinely care. When leaders support managers, they can make coaching systemic in their organization -- part of "how we do things around here" (the culture) -- and equip managers to succeed.

The Role Of The Leader: Become A Coach For The Manager

Coaching starts with asking more and telling less -- becoming more inquisitive about employees as human beings. What do employees need? What are their strengths? What are their goals?Then, the best coaches listen to understand. They listen to truly comprehend employees' circumstances, goals, challenges and needs.

Coaching Behaviours: Being Curious

Coaching employees and leading teams is the job of the manager. But ensuring those managers work in a culture where coaching is encouraged? That’s the job of a leader.