The Connected Leader: Be a Good Coach

According to Googles Project Oxygen there are 8 skills for great managers. While there are tons of amazing books about leadership, and managing, the one small perspective I can add to this broad field is my own experience, coupled with the perspective of how these apply in an entrepreneurial environment.

More than ever, people are going the self-employed route, or starting small companies made almost entirely of consultants, contractors, and free lancers. What does great management have to do when you are working with an entirely distributed work from home team, or a collection of “guns for hire?”

I can only tell you my experience which is a blend of working with a small team of full-time employees, a network of franchise owners (who do not report to me), all supported by a network of consultants and contractors.

I have spent years inside corporate America — I ran a studio with over 300 employees and was a Vice President for the Walt Disney Company. I’ve seen somethings. In this series of articles, I’m going to share what I have found useful in my current role as CEO and Chief Creative Officer for an established company (GameTruck) and a startup. My hope is that you find at least one take away that is useful or instructive.

The 8 Skills of Successful Managers

According to Charles Duhigg in his book Smarter Faster Better (Duhigg, 2016), Google identified 8 skills of great managers.

They are:

1. Be a Good Coach
2. Does Not Micromanage
3. Cares about the Individual
4. Productive and Results Driven
5. Listens and Shares
6. Helps with Career Development
7. Clear Vision & Strategy
8. Technically Competent

We’re going to look at each one of these through the lens of the small business owner / entrepreneur. I have worked with kids still in high school all the way through to rocket scientists — yes, people’s whose work actually ended up in orbit! I’ll share what my experience has been and how I think about these skills.

The Four Modes of Coaching

Coaching people professionally is actually a lot like coaching kids in sports in one respect. You really want to focus on the process, not the outcome. When I worked at Motorola, they had a four-phase model for developing people.

Four Phase Model of Coaching

1. Direction: New employees or people with very little experience. Be direct. Don’t way them down with a lot of why’s and reasons. Just help them be productive right away and give them direction. For example, you tell them, “Do this.” No reason is given unless they ask.
2. Context: Once they have established some confidence, you can begin to give them context. You still want to be very direct, but now you can begin to lay on reasons. “Do x because of Y”.
3. Mentored: Stage three can take quite a while; it depends upon the individual. Experienced employees will climb to this stage faster than people without a lot of industry or work experience, but this is the mentoring stage. At this stage, you start by asking the employee how they would handle a given situation. The idea is to cultivate self-sufficiency and to help foster their sense of agency and creativity, but to still back them up if they need help.
4. Partnered: Stage four is the highest level of employees. It is partnership. This is where together you work out the best solutions to difficult problems. There are no answers in the back of the book.

Throughout this development curve, I have found it worthwhile when following up on situations to ask the person you are coaching, “How did it go?” Or “Tell me about how that went for you.” Another favorite is, “Tell me about it.” The idea is to ask open ended questions that let them share their experience and perspective.

I try never to ask “Why” questions. These create defensiveness and can put me on the opposite side of the table from the other person. Too much focus on the outcome can interfere with creative problem solving and learning from mistakes.

A Powerful Question

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Singer introduced me to a powerful concept that I wish I could remember to use more often. Very often, when I’m in a conversation with a team member, it is easy to think I am on the same level as the person I am talking to. I promise you; the other person usually does not feel this way. Why? Because I am the owner. Or I am the customer. Or I am a partner.

It is totally natural when you are speaking to someone who has an influence over your economic future to adjust what you are saying to protect that income, even if you are unconscious of it. In his book, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty, psychologist Dan Ariely reveals how medical professionals, even Harvard Professors can be influenced by speaking fees and sponsored research. When someone has sway over our income, the simple truth is that most people adjust what they are saying.

One powerful way to cut through that filter, and to dig deeper, is to give the person you are leading more room to run. The single question, “And what else?” gives the other person room to share more of what is on their mind.

In all my experience as a manager, I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve heard someone answer, “And what else?” with, “Nothing.” The open invitation delivered genuinely tends to reveal other information that is risker to divulge, information the other person wants to share, but is nervous how it will be received. This is usually valuable information to you as a manager.

Conclusion

There is no one answer for coaching, especially when it comes to employees and professionals. However, there are a few principles that I have found effective over the years. Over time I have tried to become more process-focused than outcome-focused. Using the Motorola model, I try to advance team members through the ladder of direction, cause, and effect, to mentorship, and ultimately partnership. At the same time, I have found asking open-ended questions, ones that help me understand the other person’s perspective valuable. The question, “And What Else”, has led to deeper, more meaningful exchanges with my senior managers and leaders.

If there is one thing I have come to understand, one mantra that sticks with me.

1. I have yet to find a situation which is improved by getting upset.
2. I have yet to find a situation made worse by treating people with respect.

Those two guides have helped me manage my composure. As a manager, I am part of the process. If we are going to stand shoulder to shoulder and solve problems together, being calm, centered, and grounded is the best way to approach challenges, and treating people with respect has had enormous value for me personally. There is still a lot to learn, but when it comes to being a good coach, I have found that being calm and asking good questions goes a long way toward that goal.

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Bibliography

• Duhigg, C. (2016). Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity (Reprint edition). Random House.
• Ariely, D. (2013). The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone — Especially Ourselves (Illustrated edition). Harper.
• Stanier, M. B. (2016). The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever. Box of Crayons Press.