Coaching Conversations

A coaching style of leadership and management creates a high performance culture ensuring that people reach their full potential. As a leader or manager you don’t have to have the answers to everything…collaboration empowers everyone and gives employees control of their own performance.

So what are the key things to think about when bringing a coaching style into your work conversations?

• Listen - I mean really listen…don’t get distracted thinking about what you will say next, be curious, ask questions , stay completely focused on what is being said

• Powerful questions - ask questions that provoke intense thought, use questions starting with ‘what’ rather than ‘why’

• Don’t be afraid of silence - whilst silence can sometimes feel uncomfortable, if you’ve asked a powerful question…wait a bit longer…the answer will be worth it

• Let people find their own solutions - your solutions to a problem will be different to someone else’s, empower employees to problem solve, and they’ll be more likely to take action

• '‘Does that make sense?” - if you do need to give instruction avoid questions like this; the most likely answer you’ll get is “yes” - instead ask “what was the most valuable thing that you’ve learnt”

• Feedback - be positive, give non judgemental feedback, focus on behaviour not the person, provide it from a neutral place

Get in touch with Stanley & Davis to discuss how we can help you with your organisational culture and mentor your people managers.

The Performance Curve, Coaching for Performance. Whitmore (2017)