Are you a manager? Are you a coach?

Is it an ‘either/or’? Or is it an ‘and’?

I remember it well. A training that I participated in many years ago at one of my previous employers. We spent a couple days immersed in a series of discussions and exercises where we simulated a business and played the parts of various leaders and stakeholders.

It’s one of the trainings that left a profound impact on me. I’ll save some of the many takeaways for a different day. But one of those takeaways that resonated with me is this one:

If you’ve been asked a question by one of your employees [who you supervise] and you answer the question for them, then you’ve just taken their job away from them.

What? You mean I’m not helping them if I answer them directly? That was my initial thought when I first heard this concept. But, like a good student, I tried it out when I was back with the team that I supervised.

I began to see for myself what the benefit of *not* answering a question could do for my team members. Well, what I really should say is that I answer their question with a question of my own, in order to guide them but not to hand them the answer on a silver platter.

Turns out, this was one of the ways I began to evolve from a [sometimes micromanaging] manager to a coach and leader. I began to see for myself what the benefit to my team members was – and they learned that they should come prepared with some answers to their own questions when they would seek me out for help or guidance.

In the years since, as my career has evolved, I’ve increasingly embraced a coaching mentality with those around me. Not just with those I supervise, but also peers and even those who are outside of my own organization. It’s my way of helping others to grow and learn. And it has also led me to take particular note of those who are innately curious — who will proactively find multiple solutions to their own problems, and be genuinely curious about how various pieces fit together, so that they can be even more nimble the next time they encounter a problem, challenge, business shift, organizational restructure, and the list goes on.

I particularly like Harvard Business Review’s recent article “The Leader as Coach“, which explains more in-depth about how an effective manager-as-coach asks questions instead of providing answers, supports employees instead of judging them, and facilitates their development instead of dictating what has to be done.

The point I’m trying to make here is that managing and coaching are not mutually exclusive. Coaching is a skill that good managers at all levels need to develop. Frankly, coaching is going to be a necessity as work becomes more decentralized and companies continue to hire workers in other geographic areas and managers are not physically with their employees. We’ve seen this trend for a while, but as the talent pool for competitive jobs heats up in certain regions, companies will continue to look elsewhere for their talent.

There are ways to encourage a coaching culture in your organization. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out. I’d love to talk more about it with you.