Coaching is one of the most important leadership tools for driving employee engagement and performance. Ultimately, a leader’s effectiveness is dependent upon the ability to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. Strategy, no matter how brilliant, cannot be achieved without proper execution by committed and engaged followers. Organizational growth is made possible by the contributions of employees, who willingly commit their talents, creativity and energy to achieve desired results.

What is coaching?
Coaching is facilitating people in their own commitment and enthusiasm to accomplish their objectives in support of organizational goals. It may happen as an in-the-moment event or at a scheduled meeting. While leaders sometimes need to deliver expectations, directions and feedback, coaching is different. It focuses on helping people work through issues and challenges to arrive at their own decisions and plans. Common coaching issues include helping people identify and focus on strengths, enhancing interpersonal interactions, compromising self-awareness, decision- making, performance challenges, career pathing, and dealing with difficult people.

Good listening
Good coaches need to be good listeners to demonstrate genuine curiosity in what is being said. They resist the urge to jump in and “solve” the other person’s problems or quickly share “here’s what I would do.” To be a good listener, the other person needs to be the center of attention. Some tips for doing that are:

• Eliminate distractions by closing the door, shutting down telephones, or finding a private space to talk when out of the office
• Maintain steady eye contact
• Avoid interrupting or finishing the other person’s sentences
• Withhold evaluative comments like “That’s good” or “I’m not so sure about that” until the person has completed their story
• Avoid using words such as “no”, “but”, and “however”
• Don’t fiddle with something such as your pen, glasses or a piece of paper
• DO ask open-ended questions that encourage the other person to talk (while you listen)
• Be supportive and respectful throughout the entire conversation, even when delivering difficult assessments

Building trust and confidence through encouragement
One of your primary goals as a coach is to have the other person believe that they are being heard and feel that they are important. Nothing makes someone feel more important than being told that you, the team, and the organization value them. People will open themselves to you when they trust you and feel that you are sincerely interested in helping them. Trust is especially important because people are reluctant to show what might be interpreted as weakness. Keep in mind the following:

• Provide encouragement, which is one of the most powerful coaching skills. It must be thoughtful and sincere
• Use steady eye contact, head nodding, short acknowledgments (“I hear you”) and restating what you’ve heard to check understand are all strong signs of encouragement
• Provide encouragement specific to whatever issue the person is working on with statements like “I believe you can do this”

Coaching versus telling
Most leaders have been successful because they are very action-oriented and good problem solvers. As junior managers they typically managed others by frequently telling them what to do. This directive behavior is appropriate when the leader’s knowledge of information or organization directives is critical to a task. While leaders may at times use the directive or telling approach they used as managers, nondirective coaching becomes a more valuable skill and tool in leading others.

Here are some examples of telling versus coaching:

Using questions to facilitate coaching