Busy managers can still be great coaches!
According to the Harvard Business Review, great managers “discover what is unique about each person and capitalize on it.” This is precisely what differentiates mediocre managers from amazing manager-coaches. But it’s often hard to judge how to best divide your workday between managing a budget, daily operations, and a team. The answer to this age-old time management question: Do all of the above!
Forbes suggests that there are 7 qualities that good managers possess:
- They Love the Company Culture
- Their Positivity is Contagious
- They Sustain Focus
- They Listen to their Head and Heart
- They’re Honest
- They Take Accountability
- They Make Decisions
Notice that not a single one of these qualities is about managing finances or operations. Each and every one of these qualities can be categorized into one super-quality: team building and relationship management. Okay, technically that’s two super-qualities but the point remains the same: these two super-qualities are absolutely necessary for managers, and by association their teams, to excel in any business. Yet, too often managers are obsessed about their financial goals, budgets, technical operations, and a million other things they have on their plate. The key is that successful managers must find quality time management skills to coach their team members.
The necessity of effective coaching has been widely established as the route to achieving that managerial excellence so often talked about. In fact, Purdue University issued a public memo to their supervisors outlining that “coaching is an ongoing, two-way process that involves using constructive, consistent feedback to reinforce positive behavior or to counsel employees, resulting in improved performance.” And, improved performance always means better business!
Never forget that your team is the lifeblood of your organization; often the people you manage are the only people customers will ever face. In an ideal world there would never be the need for management intervention with a customer because your team would be fully equipped with all the skills, confidence, and authority they’d need to satisfy every customer need. Of course, the world isn’t perfect but great manager-coaches strive to achieve perfection and impart that value on their teams!
“But I’m so busy; how can I take the time to consistently provide feedback?” -Manager X
If you’re near the Asheville, NC area then you’re in luck! Steve conducts several Workplace Coaching Skills for the Busy Manager workshops to answer this very question! These highly engaging workshops teach managers how to be better coaches and leaders for their teams and their organizations. Effective and inspiring managers are key drivers of employee engagement. Participants gain clarity on how their capacity to grow and develop their people is central to attracting, engaging, and retaining top industry talent. People rarely quit a great boss, but they often quit mediocre managers. This workshop helps the dedicated manager be a great leader and coach. Steve looks forward to hearing from you to schedule this important training for your management team!