Tips for Getting Started with Coaching

By Joe Legatz

When I first became a manager, I didn't coach the employees who reported to me. I wasn't even aware of the concept of coaching at work – I'd never been coached myself. But as my career progressed and I learned more from other leaders, I realized that being a good coach is absolutely necessary for being a good leader. Today, effective leadership goes beyond simply delegating tasks and measuring performance. To truly unlock the potential of your team and drive organizational success, managers must embrace a coaching attitude.

Developing your coaching skills can empower your employees, build a culture of continuous learning, and ultimately help you achieve better results. Here are some steps to help you get started coaching your team:

Select a Coaching Model

The first step in preparing yourself as a coach is to select a coaching model. Take the time to learn the model and related techniques. Some popular coaching models include:

• QALMS (Questions, Activities, Learning Projects, Motivators, Supplemental Coaching)

• GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Will)

• OSKAR (Outcome, Scaling, Know-how and resources, Affirm and action, Review)

Once you've chosen a model, practice applying it. Don't worry about fully mastering the coaching model before getting started. You can always write out a plan for the coaching conversation, making notes on how to apply the model you've chosen. The important thing is to get started – and learn and perfect as you go.

Develop a Coaching Mindset

The next key step in becoming an effective coach is to shift your perspective from being a directive manager to a supportive guide. Coaching is about empowering your team members to grow and develop, not just telling them what to do. This mindset shift requires patience, empathy, and a genuine belief in your team's potential.

To cultivate a coaching mindset:

• Embrace growth and curiosity, believing that skills and abilities can be developed.

• View challenges and mistakes as opportunities for learning and improvement.

• Focus on long-term development rather than short-term fixes.

Explain the Why

Before the first coaching sessions, explain to your team WHY you are going to start coaching them. Since you're introducing something new, explain your reasons and what you hope to accomplish. Stress the benefits they will gain, such as focused time with you to improve their outcomes, develop skills, and help them pursue their career goals.

Start Coaching

Once you start coaching, one obstacle you may need to overcome is feeling self-conscious during your first few coaching sessions. For me, this feeling faded away once I realized just how much my employees appreciated me dedicating time to help them identify and build on their strengths, address development opportunities, and clarify their career goals.

To add coaching into your management style, schedule regular coaching sessions. Set aside dedicated time for one-on-one coaching sessions with each employee. These sessions should be separate from regular performance reviews or project update meetings. You will need to determine the cadence that works for you and your employees – I found that weekly coaching meetings of 20 minutes worked best for me and my team.

Remember to use a consistent, structured approach. Follow your chosen coaching model to structure your coaching conversations. This will help ensure that each session is productive and focused on the employee's development.

Whatever coaching model you use, remember to:

• Encourage Self-Reflection: Prompt your employees to reflect on their own performance, challenges, and goals. This self-awareness is crucial for personal growth and development.

• Set Clear Goals and Action Plans: Work with your employees to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Help them create action plans to achieve these goals and regularly review progress.

• Follow Up and Provide Support: Coaching doesn't end when the session is over. Follow up with your employees between sessions to offer support, check on progress, and provide additional resources as needed.

Overcoming Common Coaching Challenges

Anyone implementing coaching will likely face one or more of the following common challenges.

Resistance to Change: Some employees may be resistant to the coaching process. Clearly communicate the benefits of coaching and involve them in setting their own development goals.

Time Constraints: Finding time for coaching can be challenging in a busy work environment. Prioritize coaching by scheduling regular sessions and protecting this time from other demands. Once you’re used to the process, coaching one employee only requires 15-20 minutes a week.

Maintaining Boundaries: As a coach, it's important to maintain professional boundaries while still being supportive. Focus on work-related issues and avoid becoming too personally involved in your employees' lives.

Measuring Success: Evaluating the effectiveness of your coaching efforts can be difficult. Consider using a combination of qualitative feedback and quantitative metrics to assess progress and impact. Remember, as your employees are working on development goals, look for them to make an effort, then demonstrate progress, and finally achieve results.

Develop Your Skills

My final suggestion as you start to coach your employees is to remember to invest in yourself, too. As a coach, you’ll rely on and strengthen skills you probably already have. To become an effective coach, focus on developing these essential skills:

• Build Trust and Rapport: Creating a safe, supportive environment is essential for effective coaching. Work on building strong relationships with your team members based on mutual trust and respect.

• Active Listening: Active listening is a must for understanding your employees' perspectives, concerns, and aspirations. Practice giving your full attention, maintaining eye contact, and avoiding interruptions. Repeat back and reflect on what you've heard to ensure clear understanding.

• Asking Powerful Questions: Open-ended, thought-provoking questions help your employees gain new insights and perspectives. Learn to ask questions that encourage reflection and exploration, rather than those that can be answered with a simple yes or no.

• Providing Constructive Feedback: Effective feedback is specific, timely, and focused on behavior rather than personality. Learn to deliver feedback in a way that motivates and inspires improvement rather than discouraging or demoralizing your team members. 

Final Thoughts

By embracing a coaching mindset and developing your coaching skills, you transform your leadership style and create a more engaged, motivated, and high-performing team. Remember that becoming an effective coach is a journey that requires ongoing learning and practice. As you gain experience, you'll become more comfortable in your role as a coach and see the positive impact it has on your team and organization.

JOE LEGATZ is a Talent Development Leader with experience designing, implementing, and managing effective training programs. With experience as a human resources specialist known for developing the strategies and infrastructure needed to promote continuous improvement among employees, he’s been consistently recognized for his thought leadership and influence to improve team functionality throughout his career.

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Keep an eye out for our next issue on April 1st, with more articles related to workplace coaching. Sneak peek at the titles and contributors:

• Beyond Management: How Top Sales Leaders Drive Real Results by Mike Carroll

• Nature vs. Nurture Vol 2 by Jane Roberts

• How a Chief of Staff Drives Strategic Leaders in the Executive Suite by Anne Marie Otanez

The Workplace Coaching Times is a free publication created by Tim Hagen from Progress Coaching. See a list of previous issues here: