Aside from managing projects and delegating tasks, a successful manager knows the importance of developing the skills of their employees. The more trained and capable the employees are, the more successful your department will be, so focus on developing the following ten coaching skills to become an outstanding leader with a dedicated and skilled staff:
1. Listening:
The most important skill of effective coaching is the ability to listen to others, so managers must understand that coaching is not about coaches, but rather it is about the coachees. It is therefore important to focus on them and listen to their thoughts, needs, and concerns in order to organize more effective coaching sessions.
2. Ask open-ended questions:
In order for coaches to agree with their employees about their understanding of and interest in the topic at hand, they must master open-ended questions. This is the only correct way to gauge employees' attitudes about coaching and to test them with the materials they have provided to see their levels of knowledge.
3. Cooperation:
Leaders must know how to be one hand with their employees, and then teach them to do the work collaboratively. Knowing groupthink and finding strategies that promote group learning are very helpful when it comes to successful coaching.
4. Take advantage of time:
Coaching is just one of the many tasks the manager will be responsible for. While a coaching session usually lasts a few hours or days at most, the coach must be able to make use of this limited time in order to get a productive session.
5. Forming teams:
A manager must be able to form successful teams and motivate them to establish a positive organizational culture and a productive work environment. Teaching your employees the importance of communication, respect, collaboration, and empathy has a significant impact on your employees' work within a team.
6. Emotional intelligence:
Emotional intelligence (EQ) describes the ability to properly understand and react to the emotions of others. Coaching sessions can be stressful and frightening for employees. So, managers must have the skills to calm them down and make them believe in their abilities.
7. Communication:
Another core skill is the ability to express your opinion clearly and usefully so that others can understand what you are trying to say. It also includes knowing the most appropriate communication styles for employees, such as verbal, nonverbal, or visual communication styles.
8. Setting SMART goals:
A coaching session requires clear goals. Otherwise, employees quit because they feel overwhelmed. So, the manager needs to know how to set smart, measurable, and time-bound goals to engage employees in the learning process.
9. Good opinion:
There are many things a leader may wish to convey to their employees, but time and means often limit this desire; therefore, the manager must consider whether the training session is beneficial to the employees and aligned with the company's vision and goals.
10. Follow up:
The job of the coaches does not end with the end of the coaching process; They must be present to monitor their employees' understanding and application of new skills to ensure the success of the coaching process.