Why is Coaching an Important Skill for Managers?
Posted by Alexandra Lamb
When staff are asked in interview ‘how do you like to be managed’, they give the same answer globally: ‘I like a coaching style!’ What they mean by that is they like to be developed, questioned and engaged in their work, and see their best results when they feel supported by their boss.
For managers and supervisors, coaching is a situational style they can use as part of their management toolkit. Not every situation calls for coaching, so it’s important for managers to know not just how to coach effectively, but also when coaching is the right approach.
In situations where managers have high performing staff, and a skill development opportunity exists, this is prime time for a coaching approach. By contrast, where managers have a performance issue, there’s sometimes an inclination to coach, but that’s where a management approach is needed - direct feedback and clear instructions to get the employee on track.
Why Managers Should Use a Coaching Style for High Performers, Not for Performance Issues
Coaching is a powerful tool for personal and professional development, but its effectiveness depends on the situation and the individual's needs. A coaching style is most impactful when used with high-performing staff who are ready to grow and take ownership of their development. Conversely, when performance issues arise, a different management approach is often more appropriate.
Here’s why coaching is best reserved for high performers and why it’s not ideal for addressing performance problems:
1. Coaching Requires Readiness and Self-Accountability
- Why It Works for High Performers: High performers are typically self-motivated, accountable, and ready to take ownership of their growth. They thrive in an environment where a manager asks thought-provoking questions, encourages self-reflection, and provides space for them to explore solutions. Coaching builds on their existing strengths and helps them unlock even greater potential.
- Why It Doesn’t Work for Performance Issues: Employees facing performance challenges may lack clarity, motivation, or skills to take ownership of their development. They often require clear guidance, structured feedback, and concrete action plans rather than open-ended coaching questions.
2. Performance Issues Require Directive Feedback
- Why It Works for High Performers: High performers already meet or exceed expectations, so they benefit from a coaching style that challenges them to think strategically, set ambitious goals, and refine their skills. Managers can focus on growth rather than remediation.
- Why It Doesn’t Work for Performance Issues: When an employee is underperforming, managers must focus on identifying root causes, addressing specific behaviours, and setting clear expectations. Coaching’s exploratory nature can delay corrective action, leaving the employee unsure of what needs to change.
3. Coaching Assumes a Growth Mindset
- Why It Works for High Performers: High-performing staff often have a growth mindset, making them open to exploring new possibilities, refining their skills, and seeking feedback. Coaching helps them develop even further by encouraging innovative thinking and self-directed learning.
- Why It Doesn’t Work for Performance Issues: Employees with performance challenges may feel defensive, disengaged, or overwhelmed. They need structured support, training, or mentorship to address immediate concerns before they’re ready for a coaching-style dialogue.
4. Coaching Builds on Strengths, Not Necessarily Gaps
- Why It Works for High Performers: Coaching focuses on leveraging strengths and enhancing what’s already working well. For high performers, this approach can be transformative, helping them reach new levels of achievement and satisfaction.
- Why It Doesn’t Work for Performance Issues: Addressing performance issues requires identifying and closing gaps. This is often a more directive process that involves training, monitoring progress, and providing clear corrective feedback rather than focusing solely on strengths.
5. Coaching Requires Time and Resources
- Why It Works for High Performers: Investing time in coaching high performers yields significant returns, as these individuals are likely to implement insights quickly and make a substantial impact on the organisation.
- Why It Doesn’t Work for Performance Issues: Performance issues often require urgent intervention. Managers need to act swiftly to set expectations and provide actionable steps for improvement, which leaves little room for the reflective and iterative nature of coaching.
Coaching is a powerful style of management, but its success hinges on applying it in the right context. For high-performing employees, coaching unlocks potential, drives innovation, and fosters engagement. For employees struggling with performance, a more directive, structured approach is necessary to ensure accountability and clarity.
By recognising when to use a coaching style and when to adopt other management approaches, leaders can effectively support their teams while maintaining a high-performance culture.
In order to identify these situations, managers need training and case studies to see the outcomes of each approach. Using a coaching style in a low performance situation causes a spiral of ambiguity, where the employee is left guessing as to how they should improve. Coaching by its very nature leaves ‘space’ for staff to find their own path and work out solutions to their problems, and this simply doesn’t work in a low performance situation. By contrast, where an employee is on track with their work and is motivated to continuously learn and improve, this is when a manager can be of service to support their development, effectively using their coaching style as a reward.
When managers use a coaching style appropriately they see the following in their teams:
- increased staff engagement and retention
- improved performance through capability uplift
- greater staff self efficacy in the face of challenges
- less time spent solving problems and putting out fires
- better staff attraction
- more personal satisfaction in the management position
What do managers need to know?
The skills managers need to take on to be effective at coaching staff includes goal setting, powerful questioning, effective listening, a strong understanding of how careers work, and a lot of practice coaching! As there’s so many possible coaching scenarios, it’s impossible to practice them all, but with a strong understanding of a credible coaching model, they can be set up for success in any development situation.
Check out some coaching skills managers and supervisors can use today here.
Our tailored approach to developing coaching skills for your managers includes these elements to ensure the optimal impact:
BOLDLY is here to work with you on coaching skills for supervisors. Our dynamic programmes include observed coaching time, and personalised feedback, to ensure coaching skills are transferred onto the job by managers. Reach out to find out more HERE and a member of our team will be in touch.
About the Author:
Alexandra Lamb is an accomplished organisational development practitioner, with experience across APAC, North America, and MENA. With 20+ years in professional practice, conglomerates, and startups, she has collaborated with rapid-growth companies and industry innovators to develop leaders and high-performance teams. She is particularly experienced in talent strategy as a driver for business growth. Drawing from her experience in the fields of talent management, psychology, coaching, product development, and human-centred design, Alex prides herself on using commercial acumen to design talent solutions with true impact.