To be honest, I don’t always pay a lot of attention to titles. In sports, you have coaches and managers, and sometimes the titles get interchanged. Or they seem different depending on the sport. But as I look a bit deeper into the nuances of some of these titles and how they differ, I find there are some great applications for the ways we lead others.

Holly Green, writing in Forbes Magazine, outlined some of the differences.

Managing is all about telling, directing, authority, immediate needs, and a specific outcome.

Coaching involves exploring, facilitating, partnership, long-term improvement, and many possible outcomes.

She goes on to say, “In business, we have to be both coaches and managers. To lead effectively, we need to know when to wear which hat.”

In another online article on this topic, Cherissa Newton indicates that managers need to work at becoming good coaches. Most managers are focused on the outcome and are less engaged with the “team.” Newton says that when managers learn to become coaches, they can expect several things for the organization.

  • Enhanced performance and improved productivity.
  • A work environment where people are highly engaged.
  • A culture of trust within the organization.

So, how to do this? Here are some ideas Newton suggests:

1. Motivate instead of command. Motivating others to take action is one of the primary goals of coaching. A coach learns how to balance providing direction with remaining inspiring and accessible to employees. Coaches show employees their potential by pointing out the value in their work and helping them develop self-confidence.

2. Make it desirable to do quality work. Let’s say, for instance, that there’s an employee who has a heavier workload than usual. This extra work makes him feel anxious and stressed. A manager might just tell him to make sure he gets it done somehow—but this is rarely effective and can even exacerbate the employee’s anxiety.

A better way to handle it would be to encourage him: tell him that he is capable, that you know he has the capacity to go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the job. Emphasize how much you’ve appreciated his work in the past. There might even be some kind of small reward, which could be simply public recognition for the good work.

3. Make it a pleasure to work for you. Remember that the culture and climate of a workplace are key components of employee motivation. The atmosphere should be fun, safe, and inspiring for employees because satisfied employees foster satisfied customers.

My friend Bob Tiede (leadingwithquestions.com) has a number of questions that a person can use in coaching those on their staff. I particularly liked these that help an employee evaluate their work and its impact.

  • How could we/you have done this more effectively?
  • Looking back now, what did you learn?
  • What’s the biggest thing you would have done differently, with the benefit of hindsight?
  • How have you learned the skills that you now have?
  • How will you pass on these skills/these insights to other members of your team?
  • How will you practice these skills in other areas of your life?

The joy of coaching comes when you see those on your team grow and develop into more productive and more satisfied people.

I think that much of what we read from the Apostle Paul comes from the heart of a coach. Certainly, what he wrote to young Timothy was in that realm. And Paul himself was willing to admit he didn’t know it all. (We sometimes leave that impression if we just direct others to do things for the task at hand.)

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Think about it…would you rather be managed…or coached?

God’s best…