[...]... problem Although many people agree that having a coach is a great way to move toward success, very few people know what a coach actually is or what a coach actually does This leaves many managers scratching their heads as they try to fit one more ambiguous task into their already over-busy schedules So what is a coach, and what is coaching? This is our defini- 1 2 A Manager’s Guide to Coaching tion: A coach... inventor, an astronaut ; few will say, a manager.” However, to advance in one’s career usually means a promotion that brings with it the job of managing others An accountant becomes a Sr Accountant overseeing an account team, a market specialist becomes a Regional Director with a field staff, and a bioengineer receives a promotion to manage an entire lab After the initial thrill of the promotion wears... multibillion-dollar -a- year industry and a situation in which everyone wants a coach More than ever, employees are asking for developmental opportunities and managers are being told they need to “coach” their employees on a regular basis We’ve even worked with managers who say they’ve been told to “stop managing and start coaching. ” This all sounds great in theory—managers coaching employees to grow and be more... our actions, thoughts, and feelings, then we have no reason to take action and start behaving any differently As individuals, we spend most of our time in a reactive state We do things and react to situations often without actually realizing why it is that we are behaving in a certain way or doing a certain thing When we are aware of what is going on, and can see it clearly, we realize that we have a. .. a successful project? Yes Your team has the Aptitude, and a high Attitude as a result of the new client, which will more than compensate for the lack of Available Resources (due to the leave of absence), So what does all of this have to do with coaching? In short, coaching helps people raise the Attitude component of the Success 14 A Manager’s Guide to Coaching Equation Again, our definition of coaching. .. compensate for a lower part of the equation by upping his Attitude, as long as Ariana’s Attitude is negatively affected, there is nothing that additional Aptitude or Available Resources can do to raise her Level of Success Again, Attitude is the keystone in the success equation All of these factors combined make learning how to improve someone’s Attitude an extremely important skill Managers need to be aware... of taking the most effective action is slim Think of a dashboard in a car All of the dials and digits exist to give you a certain amount of awareness of what is happening with the car The gas gauge, as one example, keeps you aware of how much gas is in the tank If you weren’t aware that the car was getting low on gas, why would you take action and put more gas in it? If we are not aware of the impact... need to take the capitalize on it time to worry about coaching my employees? I have enough on my plate already, and this coaching fad is a time-intensive process that doesn’t directly contribute to the bottom line.” If you think you don’t need to be coaching as a manager, think again As a manager, one of the most important business imperatives you have is managing and developing the talent of your organization... triggers, as well as knowing and managing how you push the buttons of others Awareness and Action are the building blocks of emotional intelligence—being aware and taking the most appropriate action to meet the goal 24 A Manager’s Guide to Coaching Because of the word “emotional” in the term Emotional Intelligence, many managers want to write it off, saying, “This is the workplace, check your emotions at... Effectively managing and developing the Attitude component of self and others is a vital skill for managers who want to be more successful, and coaching is the best way of doing that Most average managers are capable of increasing an employee’s Aptitude and finding Resources for their ultimate success The difference between an average manager of people and a star manager lies in the one’s ability to move . that having a coach is a great way to move toward success, very few peo- ple know what a coach actually is or what a coach actually does. This leaves many managers. Enthusiasm 4 A Manager’s Guide to Coaching As managers, and people, we are comfortable and see the need to focus on Aptitude and Available Resources. When things aren’t working