You can’t be a great manager if you’re not a good coach. Start having regular coaching conversations with your team members. Learn what drives each person and provide timely feedback. Open-ended questions are a good way to start. Ask: “How would you like to grow this month?” If you listen deeply and restrain your impulse to provide the answers, you’ll invite people to open up and think creatively. Help your team members articulate their goals and challenges and find their own answers. If someone is frustrated or stuck, acknowledge her struggles and encourage her to think about how to move past them. Hold people accountable: If someone wants to develop new skills, give him a deadline to identify training programs, their costs and the amount of time he’ll need away from work. Then see him through it.
(Adapted from “You Can’t Be a Great Manager If You’re Not a Good Coach” by Monique Valcour.)
