Why Should You Start Coaching?

 "Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him."

 - Booker T. Washington
 

I am a huge proponent of coaching. That means I have found that managing does not work for people. You can manage things but you can't manage people.

What's the difference? (Watch the video at the bottom, after you read this introduction.)

Simply put, managing is what we have all been trained to do - you can actually get a major in Business Management. It is walking around showing people how to do things, watching and putting out fires (teaching while the game is going on), having an open door so you can answer any and all questions all day, doing some reviews during the year, putting bonus and pay-for-performance programs in place, building systems to ensure compliance, recruiting and hiring people only when we need them, hiring for experience and skill only, etc.

In other words, managing is focusing on the results and herding the team to ensure it happens.

Coaching is focusing on the employee and helping them get better. Helping them get what they want. Thus the team wins.

Coaching is:

• 10-15 minute Weekly Coaching Conversations with each employee
• Establishing individual goals, tracking them and helping them reach them
• Stop answering their questions and have them come to you with what they intend to do
• Building a virtual bench (scouting for talent without any pressure and hiring for attitude and core values)
• Convincing people to think like owners. Owners of their life and the choices they make.

The first 6 minutes of the video below is all about coaching. Greg Harden is one of the best and he is not an athletic coach. He has been at Michigan for over 30 years. He is the assistant athletic director hired by Bo Schembechler. Tom Brady and Desmond Howard (Heisman Winner) both say he was the biggest influence in their life.

This is what a coach does.

Greg Harden

 

Regards,

Rick