The Power of a Coaching Mindset
Unleashing Resilience: How a Coaching Mindset can Transform Your Team
Leaders with a coaching mindset understand that people are resourceful. Often, they are far more resourceful than the organisation gives them credit for – and often more resourceful than the person believes themselves to be. In times of change, wouldn’t it be of immense benefit to have resilient and resourceful people in your organisation? People that are skilled and able to adapt to shifting organisational priorities and goals.
A manager with a coaching mindset takes every opportunity to grow the capability and contribution of their people. They do this by facilitating the learning, development, and performance of their employees, both formally and informally, in whichever way will work best for the individual. This type of manager understands that when people are valued and trusted it inspires self-motivation, and a willingness to step outside of their comfort zones.
A Coaching Mindset: Unlock the Power of your Team
How to increase your own headspace and grow the capability of your organisation.
Coaching managers not only build the skills and experience of the people in their team but also their confidence, engagement, and sense of agency. When your employees are engaged, confident and proactive, they are more likely to be agile in their approach and cope better under pressure. Empowered to get on with the job, your employees are more likely to innovate and will pivot, when necessary, without waiting for instruction. At the same time, your people will know when to check in and feel able to ask for help.
Shedding the weight of being too responsible
Being responsible for your team is an essential quality of leadership however it is possible to be too responsible. It is important to strike a balance and avoid taking ownership for the entire teams’ actions, emotions, mistakes, and problems.
One reason leaders may take on too much responsibility is a lack of trust in their team. This can stem from a variety of factors, including a fear of failure or a desire to maintain control. However, not delegating responsibilities can limit the growth and development of your people, as well as hinder the overall success of the organisation. By not trusting others to complete tasks, leaders can also miss out on innovative solutions that may come from their team members.
On the other hand, leaders may also take on too much responsibility because they don't want to overburden their team. In times of crisis or uncertainty, it's natural to want to protect and support those around us. However, leaders need to recognise that their people are capable and can rise to the occasion when given the opportunity.
When times are tough and your people are overwhelmed, a coaching mindset helps to unlock your team’s full potential. Delegating tasks, empowering team members, and trusting them to take ownership of their work creates a more productive, positive, and empowering culture. Which ultimately leads to a stronger and more successful organisation.
The building blocks of a coaching mindset: key elements of success
A coaching mindset is not about giving instructions, solving problems for your people, or persuading them that your way of doing things is the best, and only, way forward. It’s about helping your team to grow and contribute in their own way. After all, each of us has a unique set of strengths and skills based on our lived experiences. While your coaching approach might vary, depending on the knowledge and understanding of the different people in your team, here are some key elements that form the foundation of a coaching mindset.
Active Listening - are you really listening to your people? Are you listening with your eyes and your heart as well as your ears and your mind? Don’t listen to respond. Listen to understand, encourage, and facilitate learning and positive action.
Being Curious - if you’re not getting what you think you want out of a person, instead of getting frustrated, get curious. What’s going on for them? Are they worried about failing? What’s holding them back? Scratch under the surface by asking questions beginning with ‘What’ and ‘How’. This can really help someone to explore their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Supportive - in a coaching conversation your focus is on encouraging your people to identify and achieve their goals. You are not there to save them, protect them or admonish them. You are there to support their thinking and learning; to increase their resourcefulness.
Encouraging Action - learning comes from doing the work itself. As a manager with a coaching mindset, once you’ve helped to facilitate the thinking you then need to encourage action. What could they do differently? What are they going to try? When will you review together how it’s going and what they’ve learnt so far? Help them plan to succeed and then offer a space for reflection.
Trust - managing with a coaching mindset means moving away from a position of control to a position of trust and empowerment. Give them the freedom to operate (within a framework, if necessary), be open to new approaches and always be supportive.
The benefits of a coaching approach to leadership
A leader with a coaching mindset is not a hero, a guru, or an analyst. They are not there to rescue, be the expert or analyse the problem (or the person). They understand that there is more than one way to cut a cake, and they do not insist that their solution or method is the only way forward. It takes a level of trust and confidence to give your people space to grow but the benefits are worth it and impactful for both the team and the organisation.
Coaching for Success: How a Coaching Mindset Can Transform Your Organisation:
Develops high levels of capability and contribution.
Creates a positive and empowering work environment which leads to improved performance and productivity.
Encourages continuous learning and improvement, which can lead to greater job satisfaction and retention.
Increases resourcefulness, problem-solving capability, and resilience.
Fosters greater flexibility and adaptability to change.
Creates a pipeline of talent and strong succession planning.
Empowering Your Team: The Benefits of a Coaching Culture in the Workplace:
Provides clarity of purpose with everyone working proactively towards the organisation’s goals.
Ensures high levels of performance and contribution.
Enhances learning and career development which increases job satisfaction and retention.
Supports empowerment and autonomy, where employees take ownership of their own development and problem-solving.
Builds a productive, mutually respectful working relationship.
Increases confidence, self-belief, and accountability.
Unleash your leadership potential!
Organisations are facing unprecedented challenges and now more than ever require impactful leaders that can make their organisations resilient, forward-thinking, and sustainable. Courageous and conscientious leadership that brings people together and empowers them to be more resourceful, capable, and resilient will positively benefit organisations and help them to be agile in uncertain times.
A coaching mindset is a powerful tool for empowering individuals and driving success within organisations. By focusing on empathy, active listening, supportiveness, goal orientation, growth mindset, and solution-focused thinking, individuals can be empowered to reach their full potential and make meaningful contributions to their organisations. With a commitment to ongoing growth and development, organisations can create a culture of collaboration, innovation, and success that benefits everyone involved.
Talk to the Treehouse team today about developing a coaching mindset for your managers and helping them become impactful leaders.