Business Coaching

Advantages of manager-coaches
In-depth knowledge of people and the organisation

However well an external coach listens and observes, she does not have the same level of exposure to the organisation and its people as a manager, so will never have the same depth of knowledge about them.

Longer term relationships
Because managers spend more time with their team members, they have the opportunity to get to know them better and build a solid foundation of mutual trust and respect, which is essential to an effective coaching relationship.
More opportunities for influence
Managers’ contact with staff is not confined to formal coaching sessions - they are constantly interacting with their team members and have many opportunities to influence them.
So what’s in it for the manager?
It’s probably fairly obvious that coaching benefits the people being coached - but what about the manager? If you are a busy manager, can you afford the time and effort required, when you already have plenty of other demands to cope with?
I would argue that coaching is not a case of ‘giving up’ your time and energy to helping others achieve their goals and solve their problems - it will also benefit you in the following ways:
A more committed team
Empowerment is a powerful motivator. When you make a genuine effort to include people in setting their own goals, making decisions and implement their own ideas, they are likely to become more committed and focused at work.
Better team performance
Because of its dual functions of managing performance and developing people, coaching leads to better individual and collective performance. The ongoing learning process means that the upward curve can get steeper over time.
Better working relationships
Good coaching promotes trust and collaboration, and leads to better working relationships. It doesn’t mean you become everyone’s best friend, but it does mean working relationships can get easier and more enjoyable (or in some cases at least less stressful) for all concerned.
Better ideas
When you get into the habit of asking questions to draw out people’s creativity, you may be pleasantly surprised at the quality of ideas people come up with. After a while, you may not need to ask every time - they will get into the habit of bringing you suggestions.